At 11, Andrew Bailey was condemned to a wheelchair due to a genetic, degenerative condition called Friedreich's ataxia. It’s a debilitating disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system. Sufferers experience a loss of coordination in their arms and legs, hearing loss, slurred speech, aggressive scoliosis, diabetes, and an enlarged heart — yet, the mind is still intact. This spurred Bailey to become a voracious bookworm. Reading literature by a few of his favorite authors like Charles Dickens, John Grisham, and Sue Townsend allowed him to escape the pains of his everyday life.
But unfortunately, 15 years ago the 34-year-old Bailey became blind — another sad symptom of his disease — rendering him unable to read.
So he decided to post a note in the window of a local bookstore, Foyle’s Bookshop in South Bank, London, which is close to his home.
The note received little recognition until local man Dec Munro saw Bailey’s plea and posted a photo of the note on Twitter.
And the response was shocking!
To learn more about Bailey’s own story-worthy of a book deal, watch the video below.
Also, make sure to SHARE this important story with everyone you know, because although we sometimes feel that social media is isolating us, this story proves that sharing important stories can actually bring us much closer together.
This is the note Andrew Bailey left in the window of a bookstore.
“Readers Wanted…
…for a 34 year old blind man living in Nunhead SE15. Since I became unable to read at all 15 years ago, there has been a huge empty space in my life. I got much pleasure from reading, and would love to find somebody to read for me, either once or twice a week in my home in Nunhead. Any possible payments can be discussed on the first meeting. I look forward to any response.
Kind regards,
Andrew Bailey.”
Here is a sample of a few responses the note got on Twitter…
Since it was posted on the social networking site, the note has received more than 17,000 retweets! Watch this inspiring story with a fairytale ending in the video below!
