Category: Nystagmus heroes

Ben’s a true nystagmus hero

Ben is doing a ‘wobbly cycle ride’ this Saturday, 4 May. He’ll be riding 35 miles for his brother, who has nystagmus, to raise money for the Nystagmus Network and to achieve his Duke of Edinburgh award.

Here’s what Ben says:

“I am Ben and I’m 13 years old. I am doing this cycle ride for the volunteering element of DofE and for my little brother because he has got nystagmus and it is hard for him to see.  Cycling 35 miles in a day will be very challenging for me but this is nothing compared to the challenges my little brother faces with his vision impairment every day.”

Please sponsor Ben if you can by clicking this link.

Thank you

Introducing Neill

Neill Mison is an IT consultant who has recently rediscovered his love of and talent for painting and drawing. Neill now styles himself as ‘the visually impaired artist’ and is enjoying some considerable acclaim for his impressionist style. The subtle colouring and fine detail of his paintings is particularly surprising since Neill has ocular albinism and nystagmus.

Neill is also a keen runner. He recently completed a Nottingham fun run, in his Nystagmus Network T-shirt, as a warm up to his part in the Manchester marathon this weekend.

You can sponsor Neill, here.

You can read more about Neil, his vision and his art, here.

Children pointing at a computer screen.

Volunteer needed

Are you good at IT?

The Nystagmus Network is looking for the right person to offer us some IT support. The skills, knowledge and experience we’re looking for include:

  • Programming languages
  • Common operating systems
  • Software proficiency
  • Web management
  • Data collection

The time commitment isn’t huge, just a couple of hours here and there, but your availability for advice and support would be invaluable. If you’re passionate about nystagmus and the work of the charity, even better.

We can offer you the opportunity to help the charity innovate and develop to meet the growing needs of the wider nystagmus community and our eternal gratitude and admiration.

Interested?

Please email us today at [email protected]

Happy Birthday, Nye!

On 15 November we mark the birthday of Nye Bevan, the founding father of the National Health Service, which marks its own 70th birthday this year. Although it is not clear how he acquired it and how it affected his life, Bevan is known to have experienced nystagmus.

Aneurin Bevan (15 November 1897 – 6 July 1960), more commonly known as Nye, was a Welsh Labour Party politician, serving as Minister of Health from 1945 to 1951. The son of a coal miner, Bevan himself began his working life down the mine, where, alongside his workmates, he experienced miners’ nystagmus. Bevan soon became politically active and was a lifelong champion of social justice, the rights of working people and democratic socialism. His most famous accomplishment was the establishment of the National Health Service, which was to provide medical care free at the point-of-need to everyone, regardless of wealth.

Picture courtesy of the BBC.