Girlguiding helps blind teen thrive after meningitis

Emily is now working on her gold Duke of Edinburgh Award

A blind teenage girl who survived meningitis against the odds as a baby has praised Girlguiding for giving her independence and vital life skills as she gets set to leave home to go to college.

Emily, 16, from Burnley, is heading off to a residential college in the Midlands in September in a bid to realise her dream of becoming a braille teacher.

Her mother, Victoria said Girlguiding has "made a huge difference" to her life and prepared her for living away from home.

Emily said she is "excited but also nervous" about moving away from home but added the movement had helped her "gain a lot of confidence and learn to do things by myself".

Emily's mother said it was "massive" to let Emily go camping at the age of 11

Victoria said two weeks after giving birth to twin girls, she took Emily to hospital after she started being sick and would not stop crying.

Within 15 minutes the tiny baby was surrounded by doctors and was soon rushed to Manchester Children's Hospital ICU department.

The next day, doctors said Emily had meningitis and they did not expect her to survive the night, Victoria said.

She did, though, and was discharged eight months later but she had experienced brain damage and left blind and with epilepsy, her mother said.

She said finding suitable activities for Emily was more challenging than for her twin sister Jasmine and younger brother, Ryan, 14.

But much to her relief, the Rainbows leader welcomed Emily with open arms when she signed the twins up.

"I explained Emily had only recently started walking at the age of five, that she was still working on her mobility and that she was blind."

Emily said she always wants to be involved with Girlguiding

Emily continued to progress through Brownies and Guides, and is now a Ranger.

"Being part of Girlguiding means the world to Emily," said Victoria.

Going on her first camping trip with the Guides, at the age of 11, gave Emily a taste for adventure, she said.

"It was massive to let her go away with people that had never cared for her 24/7 before. But I felt really strongly it had to be done to help her build her confidence and independence.

"She loved it and didn't want to come home. Emily has been on more or less every single camp she can go on since."

Victoria signed both her twin daughters Jasmine and Emily up to Rainbows and it has made a huge difference to their life

Emily has now embarked on her Duke of Edinburgh Award and is working on achieving a prestigious gold award.

With support from her Girlguiding team, the programme was adapted so Emily could join in.

She has been fully involved in route planning using her phone's voiceover and talking compass functions. She is also able to use tactile maps and braille instructions.

Her teammates help her to navigate obstacles en route and they guide her when she cannot use her cane due to uneven ground. 

"Completing these expeditions has been a massive milestone in terms of her confidence," says Victoria.

As Emily prepares to move away to college, she is already looking for a nearby Rangers unit she can join as she "always wants to be part of Girlguiding".

"It has helped me to gain a lot of confidence and learn to do things by myself, which will be really helpful not only at college but for the rest of my life."