SHE has struggled since she was 11 against the debilitating and painful condition ME, which left her so weak that twice she could not leave her home for nine months.
But now Natalie Jackson, 22, of Holgate, has just returned from eight weeks working for a York-based charity in a remote and very poor village in northwest Thailand.
Natalie helped a number of children with disabilities, including a deaf and mute boy who could not communicate with anyone, whom she taught to sign and also write with the Thai alphabet.
Natalie’s courage and commitment has been praised by Penelope Worsley, head of the Karen Hilltribes Trust, which organised her trip to the village, Ban Mae Jaa.
“I am absolutely delighted with the work that Natalie has done,” she said.
“It is an immense challenge to go out to northern Thailand, living with the family, immersing yourself in village life and helping to teach English in the schools.
“It is very rewarding and all volunteers find it a life- changing experience. However this is the first time that we have directly been able to help such children.”
Natalie said she was now 98 per cent recovered from her ME, and she hoped her improvement would give hope to other young people suffering from the condition.
Penelope said the deaf boy, Serachai, aged eight, attended the primary school in his village but was unable to communicate with anyone and certainly could not write.
Natalie said: “It was absolutely brilliant. I have worked with quite a few deaf children before, but this was particularly rewarding.
“Serachai was a real character with a lot of personality. Once he realised he could communicate he was quite mischievous, but in a nice way. “When I look back at how I once could not leave the house, I cannot quite believe I was able to go out there to do this work in such a remote place."
Penelope Worsley said: “When Natalie arrived there was great excitement to discover that she could ‘sign’. For the eight weeks she was there, Serachai hardly left her side. By the time she left he could not only communicate with sign language but also he had learned to write the Thai alphabet. The other children also benefited as they too learned how to communicate with ‘signing’.
She said Natalie took him to see the deaf school in Chiang Mai, 100 miles from the village, and he had now been offered a place and hoped to start in November.
“There is every chance that Serachai will have the opportunity to go to university.”
Natalie’s spirit
NATALIE Jackson is an inspiration. Having battled with ME since she was a girl, Natalie has not only turned her own life round, but those of others.
She has just returned from a remote part of Thailand where she helped disabled children, including Serachai, whom she taught to write and communicate through sign language.
Natalie’s story is a remarkable one; the more so because her condition used to be so bad she was unable even to set foot outside her home.
Now she wants her improvement to inspire others, people such as Serachai, who hopes to go to university. His future finally looks rosy, thanks to Natalie.
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