In “Four Fingers and Thir­teen Toes,” Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds, known as Rosy, offers a personal glimpse into her life. The unusual book title – trans­lated as “Four Fingers and Thir­teen Toes” – refers to her phys­i­cal char­ac­ter­is­tics result­ing from thalido­mide damage.

In her auto­bi­og­ra­phy, she describes her expe­ri­ences grow­ing up with a disabil­ity, the prej­u­dices she faced in soci­ety, and the chal­lenges she had to over­come along her path in life. At the same time, she tells the story of her family, her personal achieve­ments, and her desire to lead a self-determined life.

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds is from Wales and has worked for many years to advo­cate for the rights and social inclu­sion of people with disabil­i­ties. Her life story high­lights the impor­tance of break­ing down barri­ers, over­com­ing prej­u­dice, and giving people with disabil­i­ties the same oppor­tu­ni­ties and chances as every­one else.

Remem­ber­ing and not forgetting

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds is also commit­ted to keep­ing the memory of the thalido­mide scan­dal alive. In Cardiff, Wales, the Thalido­mide Memo­r­ial honors the people whose lives were shaped by the drug thalido­mide. The memo­r­ial is located in Alexan­dra Gardens in Cathays Park.

More infor­ma­tion about the memo­r­ial is avail­able at www.thalidomidememorial.com.

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Our tip:

As part of the “Egmond Circle,” Giselle Cole will read from the English-language book “Four Fingers and Thir­teen Toes.”

When: Satur­day, Octo­ber 31, 2026, 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Where: Abdi­jzaal, Hotel Zuiderduin