Our Unbreakable bond
Licensed to treat morning sickness, the drug thalidomide was withdrawn after an increase in babies born with deformities. Karen Braysher’s sister was one of those babies. She tells Cher Heasmer about their childhood…
Thalidomide was developed in Germany in the 1950s as a drug to help people sleep. It was marketed as a mild sleeping pill and, after the drug was licensed for use in the UK in 1958, it became popular with pregnant women due to its anti-sickness properties.
However, by 1961 there had been a significant rise in the number of women giving birth to babies with deformed or missing limbs. After an investigation, this was linked to the use of thalidomide. The drug was withdrawn later that year, but it was too late for the ‘thalidomide babies’ already born with deformities.
Lorraine Mercer, 56, was one of them. She was born without any arms or legs, with only little hands and feet attached to her torso.
But Lorraine, from Haywards Heath, West Sussex, has never let her disability hold her back. And it’s her strength and determination that inspires her younger sister, Karen Braysher, 55, on a daily basis.
‘Lorraine is remarkable,’ Karen, from Brighton, says. ‘She’s always been incredibly positive, always looking on the bright side.’
For Karen, though, memories from her childhood are tinged with sadness.
‘Before Mum and Dad knew about the thalidomide scandal, they thought Lorraine had just been born different. She was sent away to a special school for children with disabilities.
‘Lorraine would visit us at weekends and during the school holidays, but I missed her terribly all the time she was gone. I just wanted my big sister around – it didn’t bother me in the slightest that she was different.’
Despite spending most of their childhood apart, the sisters had an unbreakable bond. Karen admits her sister has been her rock over the years, supporting her through a bipolar diagnosis, dyslexia and the ups and downs of relationships.
‘Lorraine has been there for me emotionally – she’s been a tower of strength,’ Karen says. ‘And equally, I’ve been there for her physically, helping her when she needs it.
‘But Lorraine is fiercely independent. Even as a child, anything I could do, she wanted to do, too. I remember doing a cartwheel once and she was determined to give it a try. She did a kind of roly-poly on the grass, but was so chuffed with herself. Her motto was
‘no limbs, no limits,’ and that’s something she’s lived by her whole life.
‘Lorraine never let her lack of limbs stop her. She tries to do everything everyone else can, but has her own way of doing things. She has carers who help to dress her.’
Lorraine has taken part in charity swims and, these days, even volunteers in hospitals, visiting stroke patients.
‘She just wants to help people rebuild their selfesteem and confidence,’
Karen says, proudly. ‘In
2012, Lorraine was an Olympic torchbearer. She rode her electric wheelchair through the streets of Crowborough with the torch attached to her chair. I had tears in my eyes when I saw how happy she was.
‘A few years on, I nominated her for an MBE for all of the charity work she does. I thought she deserved some recognition. Despite all of life’s challenges, she still puts everyone else first.
‘In 2015, Lorraine collected her MBE from Princess Anne, who has become her friend. I was bursting with pride.’
Karen was so inspired by her sister, she began writing a book called
Beaten But Unbowed, penning what it was like to grow up as the sister of a thalidomide baby, and the unbreakable bond between two sisters.
‘Lorraine was so proud of me when the book was published, and was my No1 fan. Lorraine and I are more than sisters, we’re the best of friends. I look up to her in so many ways. She’s taught me about compassion and really is my inspiration. To me, Lorraine is completely irreplaceable.’
‘Her motto was, “No limbs, no limits” – and that’s something she’s lived by her
whole life’