Latest news with #Glenys
The Irish Sun
12-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
I found my nan's semi-naked body after she was killed by tights fetish maniac.. and then he moved down the road from me
AS she walked into her grandmother's silent house, young Sharon Owens had a sense of foreboding. It had been a sanctuary to the 12-year-old since her dad died, but was to become a place that would haunt her for ever. 6 Sharon was horrified to discover that her grandmother's killer had been housed in a hostel just minutes from her own home Credit: - Commissioned by The Sun 6 Sharon found the bludgeoned body of her beloved nan Glenys Credit: WNS 6 Sharon was informed that Donald Sheridan had been arrested and charged with the sickening crime Credit: WNS It was December 1985 and Sharon had just finished her paper round when she entered the living room to find the bludgeoned body of her nana Glenys on the floor. The 67-year-old had been raped, killed and left wearing nothing but her pants and a pair of tights by a murderer with a twisted fetish. Almost 40 years on, Sharon was rocked to the core when she discovered not only that the killer had been released from prison, but that he was located just 30 minutes from where she now lived. 'Nana was my entire world, my everything,' says Sharon, 52. 'It's nearly 40 years since I've felt her comforting arms around me. She was like a tiny bird, so petite at 4ft 9in tall, but she had the biggest heart I've ever known. 'That terrible day on December 13, 1985, will haunt me for ever.' Glenys had been Sharon's saviour after her father, John — who was Glenys's son — had died three years earlier of cancer, aged 41. Her mum, Beryl, had struggled and was emotionally distant. The family home was chaotic, so Sharon moved in with Glenys in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales . 'My nana had become my sanctuary after losing my dad,' says Sharon, who was one of six children. 'Her three-bedroom house was filled with warmth. 'She didn't have much money , but she had a little leather purse she'd fill with coins and then give to me to spend when it was full. 'Mushroom killer' Erin Patterson GUILTY of murdering three relatives with deadly beef wellington 'She'd buy me Breakaway chocolate biscuits and we'd snuggle on the sofa watching EastEnders . 'She taught me life skills, too. How to be independent, how to manage money and, crucially, how to love and care for others.' Earlier that fateful day, Sharon had popped in after school to tell her grandmother she would be doing her paper round before heading back for dinner. 'Nana was always happy to see me and gave me a big hug,' she recalls. But Glenys was not alone. Donald Sheridan, a friend of Sharon's older brother, was at the house. 'He didn't say anything, he just stared at me,' says Sharon. 'Nana loved everyone, but I knew she wasn't keen on Donald. She didn't like my brother being friends with him, but she'd welcomed him in with her kind nature.' It was 9pm when Sharon returned to Glenys's house and tried to let herself in. She says: 'Nana always left a key on a string behind the front door. You could put your hand through the letter box and retrieve it. 'But when I put my hand through as usual, there was no key. I looked through the letter box and called out, but there was no answer, despite the living room and landing light being on.' 6 Sharon Owens pictured aged 11, a year before her grandmother was murdered Credit: WNS 'She'd buy me Breakaway chocolate biscuits and we'd snuggle on the sofa watching EastEnders. 'She taught me life skills, too. How to be independent, how to manage money and, crucially, how to love and care for others.' Earlier that fateful day, Sharon had popped in after school to tell her grandmother she would be doing her paper round before heading back for dinner. 'Nana was always happy to see me and gave me a big hug,' she recalls. But Glenys was not alone. Donald Sheridan, a friend of Sharon's older brother, was at the house. 'He didn't say anything, he just stared at me,' says Sharon. 'Nana loved everyone, but I knew she wasn't keen on Donald. She didn't like my brother being friends with him, but she'd welcomed him in with her kind nature.' It was 9pm when Sharon returned to Glenys's house and tried to let herself in. She says: 'Nana always left a key on a string behind the front door. You could put your hand through the letter box and retrieve it. 'But when I put my hand through as usual, there was no key. I looked through the letter box and called out, but there was no answer, despite the living room and landing light being on.' We walked into the house together and found Nana dead, semi-naked in front of the fire in her living room. I just screamed and screamed. 'I was thrust into a world without the unconditional love and the security Nana had given me, forced to move back into an uncaring home.' 'I didn't pass any of my exams, I truanted and I left aged 15 without any qualifications. I didn't care about anything,' she says. 'I experienced flashbacks and felt guilty for not being at home to protect Nana.' As Sharon grew into a young woman, she tried to put Sheridan to the back of her mind. She says: 'I got married and had two children. But thoughts of my nana were always with me.' Then, in 2021, a conversation with a relative spurred Sharon to search for Sheridan online. 'I felt a cold chill as his name popped up in a news article,' she says. 'I was shocked and extremely angry to read he had been released in May 2019.' The Ministry of Justice has told us Sharon was not notified of the release because when Sheridan was jailed, there was no victim support scheme in place. Sharon, now living in North Yorkshire, was horrified to discover that her grandmother's killer had been housed in a hostel just 30 minutes from her own home. Worse still, he had struck again within a month of being freed, brutally attacking a mum. She learned that Sheridan had been drinking rum at his probation hostel in Leeds, defying an alcohol ban, before taking money to meet a female sex worker. The woman made a phone call while they were behind a skip in a commercial yard and they began to fight, before some men turned up and stole Sheridan's money. Later, he grabbed a woman around the neck as she walked home from the gym, forcing her into a bush. He then made her put on two pairs of tights and asked her to perform a sex act. The victim only managed to escape when a dog walker passed by. Sheridan was caught after police found the tights at the scene, with his DNA. Under questioning, he told detectives the victim was not 'my type' and he probably would have raped and killed her if she was older. 6 Sharon Owens as a child Credit: WNS 6 That terrible day on 13 December 1985, when she was raped and killed in her own home, will haunt me forever, says Sharon Credit: - Commissioned by The Sun Sheridan also admitted he'd had a fetish for women in their sixties and seventies ever since he had seen a naked nun when he was in care as a child. He had stolen her tights and wore them to bed. Since then, he had carried women's tights around with him and had urges to rape and kill. On his first court appearance for the latter attack, he even tried to strangle a female dock officer when she took him back to his cell. In 2019, at Leeds crown court, Sheridan admitted robbery, false imprisonment, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. 'COLD CHILL' He was given sentences of 11 years and life with a minimum of five and a half years. The judge said he should only be considered for parole if he 'is so enfeebled by age that he is no longer able to pose a danger'. But Sharon worries that he will be released at the end of his sentence, if not sooner, given the growing pressure to let prisoners out early due to overcrowding. While he could, in theory, be managed in the community, the Probation Service in England and Wales is already in crisis. An annual report released in April found that the service has too few staff with too little experience and training. Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, said that attempts to 'keep others safe' are 'consistently insufficient'. Sharon says: 'It beggars belief that this monster was deemed safe to be let out. I feel very angry that I was never even informed and to discover he was living so close to me . . . there are no words. 'He could have come to find me, as I was the main witness in the trial. Learning he had been released unleashed flashbacks and all sorts of trauma that I had tried to mask for years.' It beggars belief that this monster was deemed safe to be let out. Sharon In February this year, Sheridan, 61, was eligible for parole again and Sharon successfully begged the authorities not to make the same mistake as last time, submitting a powerful victim statement. His 11-year sentence is due to end in 2030, and he has served his minimum life term, so he will be able to apply for parole once more. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'The board has a thorough review process which closely examines and scrutinises any parole release decision after a serious further offence. 'This involves outside experts, judges, psychologists, psychiatrists, as well as senior management, and is in place to identify any lessons that could help prevent further tragedies.' Sharon admits she finds the thought of Sheridan being back on the streets 'utterly terrifying'. She says: 'This man is a real danger to women. He is evil, dangerous and has no conscience. 'Meanwhile, I've spent almost 40 years having vivid nightmares about finding Nana's body. 'This man can never be released. He will kill again, I know it.'
Scottish Sun
12-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
I found my nan's semi-naked body after she was killed by tights fetish maniac.. and then he moved down the road from me
Almost 40 years since finding the battered body of her beloved gran, Sharon Owens, 52, was shell-shocked to learn her killer was free and had struck again… just down the road from where she lived 'HE'LL KILL AGAIN' I found my nan's semi-naked body after she was killed by tights fetish maniac.. and then he moved down the road from me Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AS she walked into her grandmother's silent house, young Sharon Owens had a sense of foreboding. It had been a sanctuary to the 12-year-old since her dad died, but was to become a place that would haunt her for ever. 6 Sharon was horrified to discover that her grandmother's killer had been housed in a hostel just minutes from her own home Credit: - Commissioned by The Sun 6 Sharon found the bludgeoned body of her beloved nan Glenys Credit: WNS 6 Sharon was informed that Donald Sheridan had been arrested and charged with the sickening crime Credit: WNS It was December 1985 and Sharon had just finished her paper round when she entered the living room to find the bludgeoned body of her nana Glenys on the floor. The 67-year-old had been raped, killed and left wearing nothing but her pants and a pair of tights by a murderer with a twisted fetish. Almost 40 years on, Sharon was rocked to the core when she discovered not only that the killer had been released from prison, but that he was located just 30 minutes from where she now lived. 'Nana was my entire world, my everything,' says Sharon, 52. 'It's nearly 40 years since I've felt her comforting arms around me. She was like a tiny bird, so petite at 4ft 9in tall, but she had the biggest heart I've ever known. 'That terrible day on December 13, 1985, will haunt me for ever.' Glenys had been Sharon's saviour after her father, John — who was Glenys's son — had died three years earlier of cancer, aged 41. Her mum, Beryl, had struggled and was emotionally distant. The family home was chaotic, so Sharon moved in with Glenys in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. 'My nana had become my sanctuary after losing my dad,' says Sharon, who was one of six children. 'Her three-bedroom house was filled with warmth. 'She didn't have much money, but she had a little leather purse she'd fill with coins and then give to me to spend when it was full. 'Mushroom killer' Erin Patterson GUILTY of murdering three relatives with deadly beef wellington 'She'd buy me Breakaway chocolate biscuits and we'd snuggle on the sofa watching EastEnders. 'She taught me life skills, too. How to be independent, how to manage money and, crucially, how to love and care for others.' Earlier that fateful day, Sharon had popped in after school to tell her grandmother she would be doing her paper round before heading back for dinner. 'Nana was always happy to see me and gave me a big hug,' she recalls. But Glenys was not alone. Donald Sheridan, a friend of Sharon's older brother, was at the house. 'He didn't say anything, he just stared at me,' says Sharon. 'Nana loved everyone, but I knew she wasn't keen on Donald. She didn't like my brother being friends with him, but she'd welcomed him in with her kind nature.' It was 9pm when Sharon returned to Glenys's house and tried to let herself in. She says: 'Nana always left a key on a string behind the front door. You could put your hand through the letter box and retrieve it. 'But when I put my hand through as usual, there was no key. I looked through the letter box and called out, but there was no answer, despite the living room and landing light being on.' 6 Sharon Owens pictured aged 11, a year before her grandmother was murdered Credit: WNS 'She'd buy me Breakaway chocolate biscuits and we'd snuggle on the sofa watching EastEnders. 'She taught me life skills, too. How to be independent, how to manage money and, crucially, how to love and care for others.' Earlier that fateful day, Sharon had popped in after school to tell her grandmother she would be doing her paper round before heading back for dinner. 'Nana was always happy to see me and gave me a big hug,' she recalls. But Glenys was not alone. Donald Sheridan, a friend of Sharon's older brother, was at the house. 'He didn't say anything, he just stared at me,' says Sharon. 'Nana loved everyone, but I knew she wasn't keen on Donald. She didn't like my brother being friends with him, but she'd welcomed him in with her kind nature.' It was 9pm when Sharon returned to Glenys's house and tried to let herself in. She says: 'Nana always left a key on a string behind the front door. You could put your hand through the letter box and retrieve it. 'But when I put my hand through as usual, there was no key. I looked through the letter box and called out, but there was no answer, despite the living room and landing light being on.' We walked into the house together and found Nana dead, semi-naked in front of the fire in her living room. I just screamed and screamed. 'I was thrust into a world without the unconditional love and the security Nana had given me, forced to move back into an uncaring home.' 'I didn't pass any of my exams, I truanted and I left aged 15 without any qualifications. I didn't care about anything,' she says. 'I experienced flashbacks and felt guilty for not being at home to protect Nana.' As Sharon grew into a young woman, she tried to put Sheridan to the back of her mind. She says: 'I got married and had two children. But thoughts of my nana were always with me.' Then, in 2021, a conversation with a relative spurred Sharon to search for Sheridan online. 'I felt a cold chill as his name popped up in a news article,' she says. 'I was shocked and extremely angry to read he had been released in May 2019.' The Ministry of Justice has told us Sharon was not notified of the release because when Sheridan was jailed, there was no victim support scheme in place. Sharon, now living in North Yorkshire, was horrified to discover that her grandmother's killer had been housed in a hostel just 30 minutes from her own home. Worse still, he had struck again within a month of being freed, brutally attacking a mum. She learned that Sheridan had been drinking rum at his probation hostel in Leeds, defying an alcohol ban, before taking money to meet a female sex worker. The woman made a phone call while they were behind a skip in a commercial yard and they began to fight, before some men turned up and stole Sheridan's money. Later, he grabbed a woman around the neck as she walked home from the gym, forcing her into a bush. He then made her put on two pairs of tights and asked her to perform a sex act. The victim only managed to escape when a dog walker passed by. Sheridan was caught after police found the tights at the scene, with his DNA. Under questioning, he told detectives the victim was not 'my type' and he probably would have raped and killed her if she was older. 6 Sharon Owens as a child Credit: WNS 6 That terrible day on 13 December 1985, when she was raped and killed in her own home, will haunt me forever, says Sharon Credit: - Commissioned by The Sun Sheridan also admitted he'd had a fetish for women in their sixties and seventies ever since he had seen a naked nun when he was in care as a child. He had stolen her tights and wore them to bed. Since then, he had carried women's tights around with him and had urges to rape and kill. On his first court appearance for the latter attack, he even tried to strangle a female dock officer when she took him back to his cell. In 2019, at Leeds crown court, Sheridan admitted robbery, false imprisonment, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. 'COLD CHILL' He was given sentences of 11 years and life with a minimum of five and a half years. The judge said he should only be considered for parole if he 'is so enfeebled by age that he is no longer able to pose a danger'. But Sharon worries that he will be released at the end of his sentence, if not sooner, given the growing pressure to let prisoners out early due to overcrowding. While he could, in theory, be managed in the community, the Probation Service in England and Wales is already in crisis. An annual report released in April found that the service has too few staff with too little experience and training. Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, said that attempts to 'keep others safe' are 'consistently insufficient'. Sharon says: 'It beggars belief that this monster was deemed safe to be let out. I feel very angry that I was never even informed and to discover he was living so close to me . . . there are no words. 'He could have come to find me, as I was the main witness in the trial. Learning he had been released unleashed flashbacks and all sorts of trauma that I had tried to mask for years.' It beggars belief that this monster was deemed safe to be let out. Sharon In February this year, Sheridan, 61, was eligible for parole again and Sharon successfully begged the authorities not to make the same mistake as last time, submitting a powerful victim statement. His 11-year sentence is due to end in 2030, and he has served his minimum life term, so he will be able to apply for parole once more. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'The board has a thorough review process which closely examines and scrutinises any parole release decision after a serious further offence. 'This involves outside experts, judges, psychologists, psychiatrists, as well as senior management, and is in place to identify any lessons that could help prevent further tragedies.' Sharon admits she finds the thought of Sheridan being back on the streets 'utterly terrifying'. She says: 'This man is a real danger to women. He is evil, dangerous and has no conscience. 'Meanwhile, I've spent almost 40 years having vivid nightmares about finding Nana's body. 'This man can never be released. He will kill again, I know it.'
The Sun
12-07-2025
- The Sun
I found my nan's semi-naked body after she was killed by tights fetish maniac.. and then he moved down the road from me
AS she walked into her grandmother's silent house, young Sharon Owens had a sense of foreboding. It had been a sanctuary to the 12-year-old since her dad died, but was to become a place that would haunt her for ever. 6 6 It was December 1985 and Sharon had just finished her paper round when she entered the living room to find the bludgeoned body of her nana Glenys on the floor. The 67-year-old had been raped, killed and left wearing nothing but her pants and a pair of tights by a murderer with a twisted fetish. Almost 40 years on, Sharon was rocked to the core when she discovered not only that the killer had been released from prison, but that he was located just 30 minutes from where she now lived. 'Nana was my entire world, my everything,' says Sharon, 52. 'It's nearly 40 years since I've felt her comforting arms around me. She was like a tiny bird, so petite at 4ft 9in tall, but she had the biggest heart I've ever known. 'That terrible day on December 13, 1985, will haunt me for ever.' Glenys had been Sharon's saviour after her father, John — who was Glenys's son — had died three years earlier of cancer, aged 41. Her mum, Beryl, had struggled and was emotionally distant. The family home was chaotic, so Sharon moved in with Glenys in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. 'My nana had become my sanctuary after losing my dad,' says Sharon, who was one of six children. 'Her three-bedroom house was filled with warmth. 'She didn't have much money, but she had a little leather purse she'd fill with coins and then give to me to spend when it was full. 'Mushroom killer' Erin Patterson GUILTY of murdering three relatives with deadly beef wellington 'She'd buy me Breakaway chocolate biscuits and we'd snuggle on the sofa watching EastEnders. 'She taught me life skills, too. How to be independent, how to manage money and, crucially, how to love and care for others.' Earlier that fateful day, Sharon had popped in after school to tell her grandmother she would be doing her paper round before heading back for dinner. 'Nana was always happy to see me and gave me a big hug,' she recalls. But Glenys was not alone. Donald Sheridan, a friend of Sharon's older brother, was at the house. 'He didn't say anything, he just stared at me,' says Sharon. 'Nana loved everyone, but I knew she wasn't keen on Donald. She didn't like my brother being friends with him, but she'd welcomed him in with her kind nature.' It was 9pm when Sharon returned to Glenys's house and tried to let herself in. She says: 'Nana always left a key on a string behind the front door. You could put your hand through the letter box and retrieve it. 'But when I put my hand through as usual, there was no key. I looked through the letter box and called out, but there was no answer, despite the living room and landing light being on.' 'She'd buy me Breakaway chocolate biscuits and we'd snuggle on the sofa watching EastEnders. 'She taught me life skills, too. How to be independent, how to manage money and, crucially, how to love and care for others.' Earlier that fateful day, Sharon had popped in after school to tell her grandmother she would be doing her paper round before heading back for dinner. 'Nana was always happy to see me and gave me a big hug,' she recalls. But Glenys was not alone. Donald Sheridan, a friend of Sharon's older brother, was at the house. 'He didn't say anything, he just stared at me,' says Sharon. 'Nana loved everyone, but I knew she wasn't keen on Donald. She didn't like my brother being friends with him, but she'd welcomed him in with her kind nature.' It was 9pm when Sharon returned to Glenys's house and tried to let herself in. She says: 'Nana always left a key on a string behind the front door. You could put your hand through the letter box and retrieve it. 'But when I put my hand through as usual, there was no key. I looked through the letter box and called out, but there was no answer, despite the living room and landing light being on.' We walked into the house together and found Nana dead, semi-naked in front of the fire in her living room. I just screamed and screamed. 'I was thrust into a world without the unconditional love and the security Nana had given me, forced to move back into an uncaring home.' 'I didn't pass any of my exams, I truanted and I left aged 15 without any qualifications. I didn't care about anything,' she says. 'I experienced flashbacks and felt guilty for not being at home to protect Nana.' As Sharon grew into a young woman, she tried to put Sheridan to the back of her mind. She says: 'I got married and had two children. But thoughts of my nana were always with me.' Then, in 2021, a conversation with a relative spurred Sharon to search for Sheridan online. 'I felt a cold chill as his name popped up in a news article,' she says. 'I was shocked and extremely angry to read he had been released in May 2019.' The Ministry of Justice has told us Sharon was not notified of the release because when Sheridan was jailed, there was no victim support scheme in place. Sharon, now living in North Yorkshire, was horrified to discover that her grandmother's killer had been housed in a hostel just 30 minutes from her own home. Worse still, he had struck again within a month of being freed, brutally attacking a mum. She learned that Sheridan had been drinking rum at his probation hostel in Leeds, defying an alcohol ban, before taking money to meet a female sex worker. The woman made a phone call while they were behind a skip in a commercial yard and they began to fight, before some men turned up and stole Sheridan's money. Later, he grabbed a woman around the neck as she walked home from the gym, forcing her into a bush. He then made her put on two pairs of tights and asked her to perform a sex act. The victim only managed to escape when a dog walker passed by. Sheridan was caught after police found the tights at the scene, with his DNA. Under questioning, he told detectives the victim was not 'my type' and he probably would have raped and killed her if she was older. 6 6 Sheridan also admitted he'd had a fetish for women in their sixties and seventies ever since he had seen a naked nun when he was in care as a child. He had stolen her tights and wore them to bed. Since then, he had carried women's tights around with him and had urges to rape and kill. On his first court appearance for the latter attack, he even tried to strangle a female dock officer when she took him back to his cell. In 2019, at Leeds crown court, Sheridan admitted robbery, false imprisonment, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. 'COLD CHILL' He was given sentences of 11 years and life with a minimum of five and a half years. The judge said he should only be considered for parole if he 'is so enfeebled by age that he is no longer able to pose a danger'. But Sharon worries that he will be released at the end of his sentence, if not sooner, given the growing pressure to let prisoners out early due to overcrowding. While he could, in theory, be managed in the community, the Probation Service in England and Wales is already in crisis. An annual report released in April found that the service has too few staff with too little experience and training. Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, said that attempts to 'keep others safe' are 'consistently insufficient'. Sharon says: 'It beggars belief that this monster was deemed safe to be let out. I feel very angry that I was never even informed and to discover he was living so close to me . . . there are no words. 'He could have come to find me, as I was the main witness in the trial. Learning he had been released unleashed flashbacks and all sorts of trauma that I had tried to mask for years.' It beggars belief that this monster was deemed safe to be let out. Sharon In February this year, Sheridan, 61, was eligible for parole again and Sharon successfully begged the authorities not to make the same mistake as last time, submitting a powerful victim statement. His 11-year sentence is due to end in 2030, and he has served his minimum life term, so he will be able to apply for parole once more. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'The board has a thorough review process which closely examines and scrutinises any parole release decision after a serious further offence. 'This involves outside experts, judges, psychologists, psychiatrists, as well as senior management, and is in place to identify any lessons that could help prevent further tragedies.' Sharon admits she finds the thought of Sheridan being back on the streets 'utterly terrifying'. She says: 'This man is a real danger to women. He is evil, dangerous and has no conscience. 'Meanwhile, I've spent almost 40 years having vivid nightmares about finding Nana's body. 'This man can never be released. He will kill again, I know it.'
1News
12-05-2025
- Health
- 1News
Mysterious fatigue illness traps people in their bodies
ME/Chronic fatigue syndrome is a physical disease but misinformation from decades ago claiming it was psychological has resulted in stigma that still impacts the care of patients today. Zoe Madden-Smith looks into the controversy around the mysterious illness for Re: Investigates. Watch it now on TVNZ+. On a good day, Tammy Rumsey can say a short sentence and have her face washed by her mum. On a bad day, she is too weak to turn her head on her pillow. The 23-year-old hasn't been able to leave her bed in a year. She lies in complete darkness and silence with an eye mask and earplugs on. Any light, sound or touch could cause her intense pain. 'This illness has robbed my daughter of her life,' says her mum Glenys Rumsey, who has been her fulltime carer for five years. 'When she's bad, she doesn't have the energy to chew, she doesn't have the energy to swallow.' Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is a complex neurological disease that can impact everything from the brain, muscles and heart to the immune, nervous and digestive system. For some, it can look like difficulty thinking and fatigue that doesn't go away with rest. But in severe cases like Tammy's, the illness can stop you from being able to move, eat or even speak. There is no cure and even the exact cause is unknown - but it is often triggered by an attack of the immune system, usually by a virus. Women are also four times more likely to have it than men. And for many it is a life-long illness. With 10-25% of people with ME becoming housebound or bedbound. Associated NZ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Society Inc (ANZMES), estimates 65,000 New Zealanders have the disease – with Long Covid driving ME rates 15 times higher than before the pandemic. Those who have Long Covid are eight times more likely to develop ME/CFS. But despite it being a physical and extremely debilitating disease, misinformation from decades ago that claimed it was psychological and due to 'hysteria' because more women were affected has resulted in stigma that still persists today. Before having ME/CFS, Tammy was always on the go. She was a surf life saver, a theatre kid and 'was living life to the max,' her mum says. But Tammy got glandular fever when she was 15. At first, she recovered, but in 2020 at university, she noticed she would have memory lapses and started getting so tired she couldn't move. 'She would drop to the ground and freeze or become, like, paralysed for a short period of time,' Glenys says. 'Her friends had been taking her to the emergency department, and while she was waiting and lying on the gurney, she would slowly start to be able to move again so the doctor would say things like, 'Have you got boyfriend problems?' Tammy quit her part-time job and took breaks between semesters. But the illness only got worse and, within a few months, she couldn't sit in a chair. Since June 2024, she hasn't been able to get out of bed. Glenys, a retired nurse, speaks of the impact of the disease on her daughter Tammy and caring for her and others affected by the illness. (Source: Breakfast) As Glenys, a retired nurse, took on the role of caring for her daughter fulltime, she noticed the stark lack of understanding and support for ME/CFS patients – made worse by a health system at breaking point. Living an hour out of Wellington at the time, Glenys struggled to find a GP who could do home visits and Tammy was too unwell to get out of bed. She tried to get hospice to visit but they didn't have the capacity either. So, with no other option, Tammy was admitted to hospital where she stayed for three months. 'I didn't want Tammy to end up in hospital-level care or in a rest home for years on end,' Glenys says. 'She's 23 years old, that's just not what I want for my daughter. And I really want to care for her, whatever it takes.' While Tammy was in hospital, Glenys started texting other women with severe ME in the same hospital. She realised they were all entitled to three hours of funded care a day. So Glenys worked out if she pooled together the hours from other patients, she could hire six support workers and create a shared care home in her house. Glenys is completely unpaid and she and her partner, Dave, have paid out of their own pocket to have their house renovated for people with severe ME. 'We got the thickest carpet underlay we could afford, acoustic panelling in the rooms to absorb sound, black out curtains,' Glenys says. 'This is a win-win situation for everybody,' she says. 'I can't see a downside of this. The hospital will have its rooms back. The girls who had nowhere to go, now have a home.' Watch Re: News' investigation now on TVNZ+. Support networks for ME/CFS: Associated New Zealand ME Society (ANZMES) provides support and distributes information to groups and individuals suffering from or interested in ME/CFS including their families and carers. ME RESPITE is a registered charity providing practical support to those with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and related illnesses.
ITV News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Family of Bradford City fire victim recall his final words to them before tragedy
The family of one of the victims of the Bradford City stadium fire have recalled how he told them "I might be late" before he left home for the last time. Derek Dempsey, 46, was among 56 people who lost their lives when the club's Valley Parade ground was destroyed by a huge blaze on 11 May 1985. Commemorations to mark the 40th anniversary of the disaster will take place in the city this weekend. Mr Dempsey, a long-time Bradford fan, had gone to watch the Bantams play Lincoln City after his side had clinched the Division Two title. His daughter, Georgie, said: "He was really excited, he was giddy. He was like a kid. And then, when it was time for him to go, he came and gave my mum a proper kiss and he picked her up and spun her round." Mr Dempsey's widow Glenys added: "He got to the back door and he turned round and he said to me, 'don't start cooking at the normal time because I might be late home, because there will be a lot of people'. "And he never came home at all." Normally taking his place in the kop at Valley Parade, Mr Dempsey's family say he had "treated himself" to a ticket in the main stand for what should have been a day of celebrations. At 3.44pm that day, as a dull game approached half-time, a discarded cigarette started a blaze which, within less than five minutes, had engulfed the entire stand. Mr Demspey's body was later found trapped at a turnstile, along with that of one of his friends. Glenys and Georgie Dempsey were at home following the game on the radio when the fire took hold. "I was upstairs doing homework and I was listening to the match on the radio," Georgie said. "Mum said she knew [her husband had died] straight away." Glenys said: "It was like a light had been switched off." Georgie said as the hours passed she went into denial. "I said 'he'll be busy, he'll be helping people'. I was just trying to pretend to myself it wasn't happening." Glenys said friends of the family went on a frantic search of several hospitals hoping to find her husband. The only possession of Mr Demspey's that survived was a pendant of St Christopher given to him by his wife, which she wears to this day. Glenys and Georgie, who now live on the Isle of Man, visited Valley Parade as the anniversary of the tragedy approached. Speaking at the ground Glenys said: "It's bittersweet but it's good... it's nice to come back to the ground and see it in its current glory." Georgie added: "It feels a bit like a hug. "It needs remembering, it deserves to be remembered, and being here is a bit like flying the flag for dad and I'm proud to do that." "It is important that it is remembered and that people who perhaps weren't born when it happened know about it."
