Jayne Burnett was born in 1963 in what was Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. A premature birth, Jayne suffered damage to her right eye and lost sight in that eye soon after she was born. Like most people in those self-sufficient days, Jayne just got on with life, not that it was a particularly easy one. She recalls that period, “My father was a farmer, and not able to settle in any one place for very long, resulting in us constantly moving around the country.”
Initially taught at home, since the nearest school was invariably hundreds of miles away, Jayne eventually did enter formal education but due to her father’s career she was never sure of whether she would be at any one school beyond a term. “I hated school,” said Jayne, “I felt very odd and left out because of my eyesight. I was not a great sports person, which was a distinct disadvantage in a country where sport and sporting pursuits were highly regarded.”
With her mother and three siblings, Jayne came to Britain in 1973, following her father suddenly walking out on the family, all of them living initially in Devizes, Wiltshire, with their grandmother.
After acclimatising to the British education system, Jayne secured a grant from the local authority to train as a Norland Nurse at the organisation’s training college in Hungerford, Berkshire. Commented Jayne, “My heart was set on becoming a doctor and working with children but my eyesight put a stop to that choice of career, so I turned to the next best thing, a children’s nanny.
As a Norland Nurse Jayne travelled the world working for all manner of families in all four corners of the globe as well as nurseries and in nanny agencies. She achieved her first love, working in hospitals on obstetric and special care wards. Comments Jayne, “I worked in this area of medicine for a very substantial part of my career until my eyesight got worse and I had to give it all up.
It was very fulfilling and I was very sad when I had to abandon it.
I subsequently taught childcare in training centres and became an NVQ verifier and moderator.
Not surprisingly, burning the candle at both ends, Jayne fell ill, became redundant and lost her flat. After a year of temporary housing Jayne secured her current accommodation from the local council, a flat in London’s Hampstead.
The illnesses that developed included fibromyalgia, Reynolds Disease and arthritis and Jayne finally acknowledged that she had to abandon full time employment. “I manage the various problems with a drug programme, a fantastic consultant, GP and osteopath,” said Jayne, “I’m in and out of hospital as I am losing weight very quickly with no obvious reason or cause.”
Jayne first came into contact with Elizabeth Finn Care in 1997 when she was applying to a number of agencies for a grant to acquire a voice-activated computer, necessary to cope with her poor eyesight and increasingly immobile hands. The process was taking a long time so her visual impairment social worker recommend Jayne apply for a grant from Elizabeth Finn. The request was accepted and thus began Jayne’s long and happy association with the charity.
Commented Jayne, “The computer allowed me to design training programmes and to continue working for a lot longer than would have been possible without it. Elizabeth Finn have helped me with things I needed for my home, especially when I moved into my flat which needed carpeting.
“When the washing machine gave up on me Elizabeth Finn came to the rescue, and when the bathroom needed tiling they also helped. Knowing they are there is very reassuring. I use my monthly grant to help pay for my osteopath, and taxis which are so important for my independence.
“I am as active as is possible and make the most of every day. I love to potter on the communal patio and look after various flowerbeds and my pots where I grow all my own herbs as cooking and baking is a real therapy for me.
“I have the most wonderful little dog called Jonty. He is a Bedlington Terrier who looks like a lamb, and the most sensitive and knowing dog I have ever had. We walk Hampstead Heath every day and meet such a wide range of people and animals. He is very grounded and a friendly face waiting to greet you. All my troubles of the day are eased, and I can’t imagine life without him.
Without Elizabeth Finn Care’s support I would have to move away from London, lose my friends, become more isolated, and have to rely on others. I will fight tooth and nail to be independent and autonomous for as long as possible!
