Marie was a severely handicapped five-year old and Michelle was an ordinary teenager when they first met. Michelle Daly soon became the youngest single woman in Britain to obtain legal guardianship of someone else's child. Now, over forty years later, Michelle tells their story-a challenge to all who read it and a celebration of great achievement-in an unsentimental, honest and thought-provoking voice.

COLETTE MURPHY is a twenty-eight-year-old care worker who lives at home with her father and brothers. The family is of Irish-Catholic descent and live in a close neighbourhood in the heart of Liverpool. Colette has a special bond with Maisie, one of the residents in the home where she works and is stunned when the old lady dies and leaves her a cottage in Ireland. With Maisie's legacy and the inspiration of a Victorian novelist, Colette decides to up sticks and set up home with her best friend, Marion. On their first morning in rural Ireland, they waken to a herd of cattle congregating at the...

One of the benefits of social media is getting to meet the parents of special needs children and adults. I have grown to know and truly admire these brave people. Our solitary journeys have taken many different roads, yet we've all connected on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and other forums. The support we give each other is a lifeline-an opportunity to not only share the joys our sons and daughters bring into our lives, but also the chance to rant about the frequent injustices we meet head on. I am honoured to have 'met' so many fantastic Warrior Mums from around the world, so honoured that...