Disabled Anna relives a traumatic childhood
A SWISS Cottage woman has gone through the traumatic experience of writing a book about her own physical and mental health problems in an attempt to help others
Stefanie MacDonald
A SWISS Cottage woman has gone through the traumatic experience of writing a book about her own physical and mental health problems in an attempt to help others.
Anna Young, known by the pen name Anna C Young, has cerebral palsy and was placed in foster care from an early age.
She has now published a book on her experiences titled Nobody's Child, charting her life story: being abandoned by her mother; her difficulties in education and the shuffles between different foster homes.
The experiences left her with difficult psychological problems to overcome, but now she is using those hard experiences in a bid to help others.
"Writing a book helped me to lay down the past and move on with my life," said Ms Young, from Alexandra Road.
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On top of her disrupted family life, Ms Young was also bullied in school and has twice attempted suicide.
She felt let down by social services after being put up in both a home for maladjusted children and a psychiatric ward.
However, despite this, she has obtained a degree in philosophy, psychology and law from the London Metropolitan University and now lives independently in her own flat - despite being wheelchair bound.
"Knowledge has been my greatest form of empowerment and my writing is an extension of myself," she said.
"My life, awful as it has been, has probably made me stronger and more determined than ever to achieve my dreams."
An active campaigner locally, her book isn't her only attempt to help others.
She also writes a column for Community Care Magazine and works closely with the Patient and Public Involvement Forum.
Her book has already been welcomed by experts in the field. Denise Robertson, a television agony aunt, said: "If you are not moved to tears by this book, you have a heart of stone."
o Nobody's Child has been published by Chipmunka Publishing which is supported by the Arts Council. For more information go to www.anna-c-young.com.
