
'Learning sign language is life-changing,' says Wightwick man
The Adult Education Wolverhampton student began to learn BSL after two episodes of sudden sensory neural hearing loss, which left him profoundly hard of hearing."It's not just about communication; it's about confidence, community and navigating my new reality with resilience and optimism," he said.Doctors told him a third episode of hearing loss would be unlikely, but Mr Jackson said he preferred to be proactive rather than reactive.BSL had enabled him to engage more fully with the deaf community and ensured he would "always have a way to connect with others, no matter what happens".
Mr Jackson never let younger students, who tended to pick up sign language more quickly, discourage him, said Ms Langard, describing him as steadfast, committed and eager to learn.The WMCA Adult Learning Awards celebrate individuals and organisations who have gone above and beyond in adult learning, skills and training.There were a total of nine winners in 2025.
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Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mysterious condition reappears as Trump visits Scotland amid concerns over his chronic diagnosis
Donald Trump appeared with makeup on his hands again during his trip to Scotland just weeks after the White House explained the president's mysterious bruises. The Daily Mail first reported on Trump's mysterious hand bruising back in February, revealing that Trump's glad-handing had brought on the result. Earlier this month, Trump, 79, appeared at a White House press gaggle with what looked like makeup covering a patch on the back of his hand, sparking concerns. 'This is consistent with minor soft-tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently divulged. The president has spent the past few days in Scotland meeting with everyone from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The makeup covering those bruises has been visible in multiple press photos throughout Trump's trip. Once again, the president appears to be using a lot of concealer to keep the bruise from showing up when he announced a new trade deal with the EU. The makeup appeared to be concealing a raised circular area of skin that Trump's team may have been eager to hide. Earlier this month, in a surprise statement from the podium during a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president was checked out by his doctor after noticeable 'swelling' and revealed that Trump has been diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency.' The splotch has been visible on other occasions throughout the past month, sparking a new round of questions about the cause. The makeup appeared to be concealing a raised circular area of skin. Leavitt said during her rare medical update that the president recently ' noticed mild swelling in the lower legs' and 'in keeping with routine medical care and out of the abundance of caution,' he was evaluated by the White House medical unit. He underwent a 'comprehensive examination' which included 'diagnostic vascular studies.' 'Bilateral, lower extremity ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency,' Leavitt stated. She said it's a 'common condition' in individuals over the age of 70 and there was 'no evidence' of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease. 'The president remains in excellent health,' Leavitt said overall. 'Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease,' she added. Leavitt said in response to a question that there was 'no discomfort from the president at all.' She then pointed to his daily activities. 'And you probably all see that on a day-to-day basis, he's working around the clock. As for the treatment, I can defer to the president's physician,' she said. The letter released by White House Physician Sean Barbarella, DO, references 'mild swelling' in Trump's lower legs, and states the diagnosis emerged after a series of vascular studies. Neither Leavitt nor the letter addressed whether Trump would have to modify any of his routines, which include frequent golfing at his private courses on weekends, and his trademark dance moves to 'Y.M.C.A.' when he addresses rally crowds. Leavitt said there was 'no discomfort' for the president at all. Officials have previously mentioned Trump's frequent handshaking – Trump regularly interacts with a large number of people at White House events and when he travels – as the cause of the bruising, but have not previously identified the aspirin issue. The bruising had stayed with Trump from the presidential campaign through his return to the White House. It had even been spotted during Trump's Manhattan court fight in the Stormy Daniels case. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chronic venous insufficiency occurs when leg veins are damaged, making it more difficult for blood to return to the heart. It 'causes blood to pool in your leg veins, leading to high pressure in those veins.' The condition is fairly common, affecting one in 20 adults, and the risk increases with age. It can lead to achy legs, a feeling of 'pins and needles,' cramping, swelling and itching, as well as 'Leathery-looking skin on your legs.' Up to half the people who have had deep vein thrombosis later develop post-thrombotic syndrome within a year or two. That relates to scar tissue that can develop after a blood clot. Trump was the oldest person to take the Oath of Office when he was sworn in in January at age 78. He has said repeatedly that his predecessor Joe Biden, 82, had no idea what he was doing and this week opened a probe into an alleged 'cover-up' through his use of an autopen for a series of commutations. Trump reposted an item in May calling Biden a 'decrepit corpse,' days after Biden got a prostate cancer diagnosis. Trump has made a point of demonstrating his own physical and mental vigor – taking question after question from reporters inside the Oval Office, sometimes speaking for up to an hour.


Telegraph
2 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Prostate cancer checks soar after Sir Chris Hoy reveals diagnosis
Thousands more men are having checks for prostate cancer since Sir Chris Hoy revealed he had been diagnosed with the disease and was terminally ill. The six-time Olympic cycling gold medallist was told in 2023 that he was terminally ill with cancer that originated in his prostate, and shared his diagnosis publicly last year. Despite a family history of prostate cancer – which also affected his father and grandfather – Sir Chris was never offered the PSA test that could have detected it. New NHS data show almost 5,000 extra men have been referred for urological cancer in the six months after Sir Chris, 49, spoke out, a trend described by experts as 'staggering'. The figures, from October 2024 to March 2025, show 138,734 men were given an urgent referral for urological cancers, with prostate cancer the main form of disease. This amounts to an extra 4,962 cases compared with the same six-month period in 2023-24. Separate data show a huge increase in the number of men with a family history of prostate cancer who have assessed their own risk. The number of men with such a history who have used an online risk checker to assess their chances of the disease rose by 77 per cent over the period. Telegraph launches screening campaign The findings have been released as The Telegraph launches a campaign calling for the introduction of targeted screening for prostate cancer. Men are not offered tests currently, even if they have a family history of the disease. Experts believe there is a growing case for targeted screening, meaning that PSA blood tests would be offered to those at heightened risk of the disease. Peter Kyle, the Science Secretary, hopes to harness AI and data to improve prostate cancer screening for high-risk men which factors in family history, genetics, demographics and other factors. Mr Kyle, writing in The Telegraph, said he hopes researchers can harness the vast amount of health data available to 'develop AI-powered tools that can predict cancer risk' to save thousands of lives a year. The UK National Screening Committee is currently considering whether to recommend the introduction of mass testing. 'I told my story to raise awareness' Sir Chris said: 'I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at 47. By this age, my prostate cancer was advanced and could have been progressing from when I was 45 or even younger. With prostate cancer, the earlier you find it, the easier it is to treat. We need the system to change to enable more men to get diagnosed earlier, and stop them getting the news I got. 'That's why I believe men at highest risk, for example men with a family history like me, or black men, should be contacted by their GP earlier on to discuss a simple PSA blood test that can check for signs of prostate cancer. 'Then if there are any issues, they can get it treated it at an earlier stage. 'I've told my story to help raise awareness about the most common cancer in men and get more thinking about their risk and what they can do, but it shouldn't all be men's responsibility.' The online risk checking tool, published by Prostate Cancer Research UK, asks men simple questions about their family history and ethnicity to determine risk levels, and gives advice about what help to seek. The charity found that the number of men undergoing the check rose by 45 per cent overall, when data from October 2024 to February 2025 was compared with the same period the year before. The sharpest increase by far came from men aged between 45 and 49, with a family history of the disease. In total 10,427 such men checked their risk, compared with 5,891 in the same period the previous years. In total there were 688,796 checks during the period, up from 473, 843 the year before.


BBC News
2 minutes ago
- BBC News
Norfolk family's anger at disabled parking badge refusal
A woman said she could not understand why her mother had been repeatedly denied a blue badge, despite severe mobility Williamson from Hilgay, Norfolk, said her 87-year-old mother had several health issues and needed the disabled parking badge following three hip case was being supported by MP Terry Jermy, who said "significant concern" had been raised about Norfolk County Council's processing of blue badge council said it followed national guidance issued by the Department of Transport (DfT) and it was "unable to issue badges based purely on a diagnosed condition". Mrs Williamson said the family had applied for a Blue Badge for Jean Hewitt on four occasions, but had been rejected each time: "She's had three hip replacements in the last 20 years - obviously with her age they're deteriorating again."She walks with a limp because of her hips and she has to have a mobility aid for walking." Mrs Williamson said that when she took her mother into town for shopping, she would have to drop her off in the street – then find a parking space before returning to guidance states that you may be eligible for a badge if you find walking very difficult due to pain, or if you rely on mobility aids."It just makes us feel very angry – that when you get to that age and you've worked all your life and not claimed for a single thing - then you ask for one thing to help and you're being refused," said Mrs badges - which allows their holders to park in places other people cannot – are in high demand, with about 15,000 issued in Norfolk every county council said it employed "dedicated investigators" to ensure the system was not abused. Jermy, the South West Norfolk Labour MP, said dozens of his constituents – with serious and long-term medical conditions - had been rejected: "People who are seriously ill are not getting the help they need."This is even more important for people living in rural areas like ours where the lack of public transport compounds issues."A spokesman for the council said it did not comment on individual cases but it followed the government's guidance on blue badge requests and "any changes in how these assessments are carried out would need to come from central government"."We sympathise with the hardships faced by those applying - many of whom have complex and challenging medical concerns."Unfortunately, the guidance dictates that we are unable to issue badges based purely on a diagnosed condition."The DfT was asked for comment. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.