Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A ton of love for Lilli
Care home resident gets 500 gifts & 10k cards for 100th after appeal
A PENSIONER with no close family has been sent more than 10,000 cards and 500 presents to mark her 100th birthday.
Care home staff were delighted after a Facebook appeal for people to send Lillian Greenway cards went viral.
Staff at Heartlands Care and Nursing Home in Yardley, Birmingham, were “overwhelmed by the generosity”.
Carer Stacey Debney, 32, said: “We couldn’t believe how many were arriving each day. We kept them as a surprise and her face was a picture.”
Some gifts came from Australia, the US, Singapore and South America.
Lillian was born on February 13, 1921 in Birmingham and has lived in the Moseley area for most of her life.
She ran a greengrocers with her husband George, who died in the 80s.
Stacey added: “Lillian doesn’t ask for much so she really deserves this.”
A MAN has told of the rare sight loss condition he suffers from which causes him to experience hallucinations.
Charles Bonnet Syndrome is caused when the brain attempts to fill in gaps in visual information with invented images.
The hallucinations vary from simple lights or patterns to complex images but are often distressing.
Billy Mcelroy, 59, knows how terrifying the hallucinations can be. They were recently highlighted in Coronation Street where character Johnny Connor begins to “see” cockroaches, cats and people.
Billy suffers from Lebers disease, also known as Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, which affects his central vision.
Diagnosed five years ago, the Co Derry man said: “The eye specialist told me I would experience this. It’s where your brain thinks you’re seeing something but it’s an illusion.
“It was hard to handle it right away, it’s very maddening, but at least I knew what it was.
“Like, in the bedroom I have patterned wallpaper on and when I wake up in the mornings and look at the ceiling, the ceiling which I know is white, is the same as the wallpapered wall.
“When I go out to the bathroom I’ve the same experience, even though the walls are light blue it’s all a pattern of the paper that I’ve seen in the bedroom.
“Other times I’ve seen machinery out the window and all these amber flashing lights on top of the lorries, and all these animals running out of it.
“You’re even hearing bits of the sound of the machinery but the whole thing your mind is relating, it’s not really there.
“Or you could see two boys in Victorian clothes in that corner and two ladies over in that corner with Victorian clothes. They would just disintegrate. It’s like you were on Star Trek. Then maybe two or three days later they could come back.
“The hallucinations could last up to half an hour, sometimes up to two days for me at their longest. Maybe you might get a fright at some time that can trigger it off and it can be with you for two days in a row and it can leave you slowly.
“If you weren’t told what these hallucinations were you would really be thinking ‘am I going mad?’
“At least once you’re told about Charles Bonnet Syndrome and that’s the cause, that it can come and go at any time, you just learn to experience it and live with it. I haven’t had any illusions for a good while now but at least if they do come back I’ll know what it is.” The Royal National Institute of Blind People fears lockdown could be causing a spike in hallucinations due to sight loss.
In the last year, the number of people calling its Sight Loss Advice Service to report CBS has increased – with sharp peaks in calls corresponding with coronavirus restrictions.
Spokeswoman Dr Louise Gow said: “The visions are much more vivid than usual, which has left many people feeling particularly distressed – describing their hallucinations as ‘out of control’.
“It’s as though the stress and anxiety of coronavirus, and the resulting restrictions, has had an impact on people’s symptoms. Although there is currently no research to confirm such a link, it would seem stress and lack of stimulation can increase symptoms.”
The RNIB has launched a new service specifically for CBS sufferers. Anyone with sight loss who is experiencing visions should seek immediate help from an eye health professional or contact RNIB’S Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www. rnib.org.uk.
It’s hard to handle but at least I know what it is now BILLY MCELROY CO DERRY YESTERDAY