I feel that your week has been a kind of gift to all of us Kate – the charm and goodwill and generosity with which you’ve shared the very difficult events of these years, and your very galvanising acceptance of those … well. It kind of blows my mind. So thank you, thank you.
charlotte wood
Kate Morell was a guest speaker at our recent Usher Syndrome Awareness Day held at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. She is an integral part of the Usher community in Australia and her writing has reached the hearts of many across the globe. There was not a dry eye in the house during her speech to celebrate Usher Syndrome Awareness Day which was attended by families, friends and clinicians.
Emily Sheperd, usher Kids Australia
Kate Morell is a hero to a disenfranchised community of several hundred thousand desperate and frightened people. Usher syndrome is a genetic disorder. People with the disease, like Kate, are born with hearing loss and eventually lose their sight. Kate’s honest and deeply personal writing for the Usher syndrome blog, her willingness to lay open her soul and give voice to her fears, has given countless people the courage to face their condition and hope for the future. Many use her words as a talisman to get through their day and her blog posts are the common language that holds the community together. It is hard to overstate the positive impact she has had.
Mark Dunning, founder and chairman, Usher syndrome coalition
I have to admit that your story moved me – well I think what really moved me is your positive approach to living your life. And now that I have read something that you have written, I am now intrigued to read the blog that you write. You have a beautiful and engaging writing style.
Michael Curtin, Associate professor (Occupational Therapy), CSU
This is a compelling text with a raw, uncomplicated, clear voice. You convey the complexity of living with diagnosis, of living with transformative physical change and of the passing as able-bodied.
Antoinette Holm, mentor.