Supporting Program

How does one build a self-determined life with a severe thalidomide-related injury? This is the story told in the auto­bi­og­ra­phy “Four Fingers and Thir­teen Toes” by Rosaleen (Rosie) Moriarty-Simmonds OBE, from which Giselle Cole will read at the “Egmond Circle”. 

Rosie Moriarty-Simmonds was born in Great Britain in 1960 with severe malfor­ma­tions of the arms and legs, after her mother had taken the drug thalido­mide during preg­nancy. The book’s unusual title – “Four Fingers and Thir­teen Toes” – refers to her phys­i­cal condition. 

In her auto­bi­og­ra­phy, published in 2007, Rosie writes about her child­hood, long hospi­tal stays, and her path to a self-determined life. She tells of her educa­tion, her stud­ies in psychol­ogy, her profes­sional career, and her commit­ment to the rights of people with disabil­i­ties. Her family and her artis­tic work as a mouth painter also play an impor­tant role. 

The book weaves together personal memo­ries with the history of the thalido­mide scan­dal and the strug­gle for recog­ni­tion, equal­ity, and compensation.