Ken & Ange
Ken was the manager of a steel powder coating plant until, at the age of 44, he felt an overwhelming need to do something more worthwhile - to be more involved with his community. He applied for a job at Cerebral Palsy Alliance (formerly The Spastic Centre) and got it. That was 14 years ago and that’s where he began caring for Ange.
Ange has cerebral palsy, is in a wheelchair and cannot talk. Their main method of communicating is by using the alphabet. Ange moves her head either to the left (which means start at A) or to her right (which means start at L). Ken then calls out the alphabet A, B, C, D, etc until she moves her head indicating the letter she wants. Then comes the next letter, and the next and so on. It sounds time consuming, and it is, but after 10 years together they’ve got it down to a fine art.
One of Ange’s true passions is a ball game called Boccia which Ken assists her with. It is one of the very few times in Ange’s life where she has total control of what’s going on as Ken can do nothing and makes no decisions until Ange gives him an instruction.
Thanks to their unique team work and absolute trust in each other Ange has won the national title three times in a row, but she hasn’t finished there. Now she has her eye on the biggest prize of all, a gold medal at the Paralympics.
But perhaps the greatest reward comes to Ken as he says in his own words, ”Seeing her each day and the courage she shows really helps me in my life everyday.”
