Helen Sims, from Paulton, has had Cerebral Palsy since birth and cannot walk or stand unaided. Aged 14, she had several major orthopedic operations, spending almost four months in hospital, (100 miles from home) and had to learn to walk from scratch, she recounts her tales in the form of poems, essays and short stories in her new book, Taking Steps.
Helen grew up in Writhlington and now lives in Paulton with her husband, Colin. She attended Writhlington School and was inspired by teacher, former Head of English Anne Rogers, that she’s dedicated the book to her.
Helen is a passionate and outspoken campaigner for disability rights and has been trying to raise awareness of the realities of life with a disability, hoping she can help people understand better, since she was eight years old. A contributor to the letters’ pages of her local newspapers and a former radio presenter, Helen never holds back from raising awareness of what she believes in. Writing has long been her passion and Helen has been a member of local writer’s circle, the Somerscribes, for twenty years.
Helen said: “It’s been a dream of mine to have my own book since I was a little girl and it has been in the making for years. I’d almost given up on the idea, when a conversation with a friend gave me the courage to try one last time. At least I would know that I’d given it my best shot and if it wasn’t to be, then so be it. When somebody asks me what I’ve done, I can now hand them my little book and say, ‘Here. This is what I’ve done’ and that means more to me than I can ever tell you. I hope that the book raises awareness of disability (and the situations we face), in a creative way, but I also hope the writing stands for itself.
“Disability isn’t the only issue discussed in this book. I’ve included short stories, poems and articles about a range of subjects. The main point of it was not only to raise awareness, but to turn all the negative things that have happened in my life, everything I’ve been through, in to something strong and positive that might help others at the same time.”
Her first book, Taking Steps, is an entertaining and inspiring collection of poems, short stories and articles that touch on a wide range of topics. Helen’s passion for disability rights is evident in some works, while her fun nature and sense of humour shine through in others.
Taking Steps was officially launched on Thursday, 7th July at a special event at the Essence Cafe in Midsomer Norton and will be available to purchase online, via Amazon in both the UK and US.