Teresa Smith’s mother was given the drug Thalidomide during her pregnancy and as a result Teresa was given just minutes to live when she was born with short arms and no legs. Despite doctor’s thoughts and opinions, she celebrated her 60th birthday last month.
Thalidomide, produced by German company Grunenthal was prescribed by doctors in the 50s and was linked to many cases of birth defects such as shorter arms and legs, heart problems, blindness, brain damage and deafness. The drug was eventually withdrawn in 1961.
The horrific drug was prescribed to pregnant women who had morning sickness however, it left Teresa with severe disabilities and she has been using a wheelchair for most of her life.
New Baby Excitement
Teresa was the second born child of Irish-born mum, also Teresa, and dad, Joseph. She was born in Walton in 1960 and grew up with her big sister Annette. Teresa said:
“My mother was looking forward to having her second baby and she opted to have me at home so that she could be close to my sister who was only a toddler. However, the plan of normal pregnancy did not quite aspire to what my mother thought would be a wholesome baby to be delivered.”
In the 1960s there were no pregnancy scans, so any babies born with defects at that time came as a shock to doctors and midwives. Teresa later learned that Midwife Rose Clarken suspected something to be wrong when she couldn’t feel Teresa’s legs while being examined.
Lucky to Survive
When Teresa was born and doctors realised there was something wrong, she was given just 3 minutes to live and rushed to hospital. She spent the first few years of her life in hospital through many operations and doctors say she was lucky to survive as just 40% of the estimated 10,000 people affected by Thalidomide died around the time of their birth.
Due to the disabilities that Teresa has, her school experience is not a happy one. Policies when she was younger did not let her attend a mainstream school. Teresa mentions, “Indeed my learning in that school was atrocious. The only person that taught me was a dinner lady. She started to teach me to count the counters.”
After fighting to get into a non-disabled school, Teresa managed to overcome many challenges and achieved nine CSE.
Adult Life
Teresa began working in as a secretary and then in her early 30s retrained to be a social worker. She now lives in Southport and owns a very successful hypnotherapy coaching business. After having given many lectures involving disability to the community and abroad she wants to focus on creating a memorial for all the Thalidomide babies to sadly did not survive.
“I am thrilled to have reached 60 and a major milestone in life considering I wasn’t supposed to be surviving.” Teresa Stated.
