A YOUNG Southside mother, who suffers from dyslexia, has told of her battle to tackle her literacy problems in a documentary that was broadcast on RTE television.
Paula Lynch Ahern (32), who lives in Tallaght, has experienced difficulties with reading and writing her entire life.
She teamed up with Kate Kerrigan, an award winning Irish historical fiction writer, who lives in Ballina, Co Mayo for the RTÃ? TV series
‘A Story with Me In It’.
In the documentary that was screened recently, Paula and Kate came together to write a story that was read to Paula’s family and friends – something Paula had never done before.
It was also the first time Paula disclosed some of her difficulties.
‘A Story with Me in it’ brings well-known Irish authors and adults who have struggled with writing throughout their lives together. Each programme focuses on one person’s challenge to write their story.
Paula left school at Junior Cert level with weak literacy skills and was very nervous about meeting Kate.
“Kate encouraged me an awful lot and she taught me how to read a story,
? Paula revealed.
“Kate showed me how to read a story and put a bit of feeling into it.
?
The young mother described the difficulties she faced as a result of her dyslexia.
“I could never fill out forms,
? she said.
“I had my son in the Coombe Hospital and I had to fill out forms there. I had to leave it until someone came in and gave me a hand.
“If I went to the bank to get a loan I would always ask could I bring the form home to fill it in. Then I would go to my mam.
?
Paula currently attends a basic English class taught at An Cosán, an adult community education centre in West Tallaght every Tuesday.
She often hid her literacy problems from her loved ones but received a positive response from them and friends when she revealed the extent of the difficulties she faced during the making of the programme.
“My brothers knew I had problems with reading and writing but they never knew how bad it was,
? she said.
“I used to hide it from my cousins and aunties. When they found out people were very good and said fair play for going back to class in An Cosán.
?
Paula’s daughter Amy was born three months premature and weighed only two pounds.
Her early arrival and subsequent health problems were very tough on Paula. Little Amy, who is now five-years-old, was in hospital for three months and had to have an operation on her heart. She still has a hole in her heart that may need to be operated on.
In the TV programme, Kate encourages Paula to focus her story on this period of her life. Paula explained how she bravely faced one of her greatest fears by paying a visit to the Coombe Hospital where Amy struggled for survival.
“We went through it very bad with Amy and every day was a bonus. When she had her bad days, the machines would be going off and they had to bring her back to life.
“When I talked to Kate it brought back a lot of memories for me but it was something that I always wanted to do; to go back and face that challenge. It helped me.
?
The episode of
‘A Story with Me In It’ featuring Paula is available on RTE’s website.