Curtis' and Taylor's story

Sue is the mother of Curtis and Taylor who were both born with Alstrom Syndrome and were registered blind at birth. Sue, along with her husband Brian, now work for Action for Blind People.

With the loss of Curtis' and Taylor's sight they both found it very hard at their regular school. It was very difficult for them to progress in their education. They had no close friends as they couldn’t run around or play sport like the other children. They were hardly ever picked for team games, and if they were, they were always the last to be chosen.

It was really difficult for them as nobody ever came for dinner and they were never invited to other children's houses, they only had each other for company. Their biggest challenge is yet to come when they lose their eyesight altogether, along with other complications that will develop as they become older.

We heard about Action's multi-sports clubs, known as Actionnaires, through a local football group. It turned out that our nearest Actionnaires club was in Hull. Although it was a bit of a way to travel, the boys enjoyed it so much that we started going on a regular basis.

Our decision to set up a sports club came about because we felt very strongly that there should be a sports club in Scarborough as the club in Hull was too far to keep going to. We said we would be happy to run it but we needed help with funding, so that’s what happened - we got the funding and set it up. We had a great response and the club went from strength to strength. But all too soon the money was running out on rental of the sports hall, that’s when Action stepped in and took over which was a great burden off our shoulders.

Action has helped the boys in so many different ways socially. They have been able to meet other visually impaired children and Brian and I have been able to get together with the other parents to share our concerns and experiences. We have all made lots of new friends, including Brian and I. The boys are more confident and have so much more energy; they look fitter and are so happy to have a club in their own town. Both boys swim regularly which we never believed they would be able to do. They also play football for a local team and even won a tournament last year in London.

Our children have so much to give. Help them grow and give them every opportunity you can to fulfil their dreams and ambitions by continuing to support Action.