Children
living with grown-up problems
The
heartwarming stories of an 11-year-old Cardiff carer and a nine-year-old
blind girl from Rhydyfelin are told in tomorrow nightÂ’s documentary
Sign of the Times: We Are Family (Wednesday 24 April, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ ONE Wales).
Like
many 11-year-old boys, Daniel from Llanrumney likes riding his bike
and hanging around with his mates. But, unlike his friends, Daniel
also has to look after his grandmother Eileen because his own mother,
Bernadette, is in a Cardiff care home suffering from multiple sclerosis.
In
between making tea, chopping vegetables and helping around the house
for his grandmother, who suffers with the symptoms of ParkinsonÂ’s
disease, Daniel attends St CadocÂ’s Catholic School, is an altar
boy at his church and an active member of St JohnÂ’s Ambulance.
Despite triple tragedy - his older sister died, his father left
home and his motherÂ’s MS deteriorated - Daniel keeps faith
in God, and enjoys life at 11.
"We
went with Daniel and his nan to visit Bernadette on Easter Sunday,"
explains Samantha Rosie, who filmed, directed and produced the programme.
"After Daniel had given his mum a kiss, and his home-made Easter
card, he was more interested in showing us how the automatic bed
worked, and you suddenly remember that heÂ’s still just an 11-year-old
kid after all."
David
and Daphne Williams are both keen ice hockey players. David is goalie
and Daphne is in defence for the Cardiff Huskies team. They live
in Rhydyfelin and have two daughters Nikita, 12, and Kiri, nine.
But
this is no ordinary family. Kiri is registered blind after inheriting
an eye disease from partially sighted Daphne. Nikita has learning
difficulties and David is a wheelchair user.
David
is the only driver, but he canÂ’t drive at the moment because
he has a back problem, and with no schools in Wales that cater for
KiriÂ’s needs, she travels by taxi each week to Exeter to attend
the West of England School for Partially Sighted and Blind Children.
The film finds out how, with support from RNIB Cymru, the Williamses
manage to lead a so-called "normal" life despite testing
circumstances.
"They
make family life work for them," explains Samantha Rosie. "I
asked Nikita if she ever wished her family wasnÂ’t disabled,
but she says that itÂ’s only a problem for other people who
donÂ’t understand."
Sign
of the Times: We Are Family, Wednesday 24 April, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ ONE Wales,
10.35pm
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