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Diane Booth
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Adult's Testimonials
Diane's story by her mum Mrs Deborah Booth
My daughter Diane is 10 years of age and has 2 younger
brothers. Diane developed a stammer at about 4 years old. Parents
who have a child with a speech impediment will have asked themselves all the
questions we as parents asked ourselves. What happened to cause it? Were we in
anyway to blame? All these questions only leave you feeling more frustrated,
because like us you won't find an answer. Last
August the children from church went away for the week to camp. It was Diane's
first time away from home. Throughout the week all the children were phoning
home to say how they were getting on. Diane never rang for the entire week and I
knew why! The telephone filled Diane with dread, under no circumstances would
she answer or speak on the phone. When she came home the first thing she did was
just hug her dad and me for ages. It tormented me to imagine how she was
feeling. I had sent for Mr Bell's course some
time ago, but like everyone I thought if she's a bit older perhaps her speech
will improve, which of course it didn't. I booked Diane on the October
Children's Course. I must honestly say that I was slightly sceptical. It's only
human nature to wonder how a course could change Diane's stammer. We had Speech
Therapy, Speech & Drama, but all to no avail. If there are any words I can
use that will convince you that this course will change your life I would use
them. It's your life and your stammer, nobody else knows the frustration you
feel, because they don't have a struggle to communicate. I can only give you my
word that this course will change your life. It will be the start of a new
fluent life. We travelled on a Sunday evening
from Belfast City Airport to Edinburgh, then to the Kirkcaldy hotel. On Monday
morning all the parents and children met and the course began. All the children
worked tremendously hard. The parents were all so supportive to each other and
to the children. Mr Bell is a man that has a true vacation to eradicating
stammering. I never met anyone with such zeal and commitment to their
profession. He worked tirelessly and selflessly with the children. We were all
so proud of how hard the children worked, they inspired and willed each other
on. I think we should have booked Mr Bell a holiday after the course, he
certainly deserved one. We came home on the
Thursday night and the speech continued. Diane now believed in her speech. She
would ask for her own ticket at the swimming pool. Buy her own ice-cream. Then
she really took off! Diane began answering the phone! Now I told Diane that
we'll have to work out a timetable so that perhaps I can use the phone. There
have been dramatic changes at school. Reading aloud has always been a problem.
Diane's teacher told me that the children wrote an essay and when it came to
Diane's turn she stood up in front of the class and read her's out without any
trouble. Then a few days ago a letter came for Diane's Speech Therapy Review. I
asked Diane if she wanted to go and she said yes, which was not her usual
response when Speech Therapy was mentioned. The appointment was to last for an
hour but after 10 minutes the Speech Therapist came out to speak to me. She was
really impressed. Diane had told her all about the course. Needless to say the
Speech Therapist felt that Diane needed no further appointments. The
change in Diane's life has been unbelievable, she now asks for things in shops,
pays herself into the cinema, has confidence in herself because she knows that
she now speaks fluently and her speech does not control her. I
hope that Diane's story will give you the courage to find help for yourself.
No-one else knows how you feel or really cares. Love
Deborah Booth
Mid-Ulster - Northern Ireland - UK
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Zoey attended the
1st course for Children in 1994 - see 'Woman's
Own' article - below is an update from her Mum.
June, 2003
Dear Andrew,
You may, or may not remember my daughter Zoey and
myself. I brought her on one of your very first childrens courses in
December 1994 and I am really just updating you on her progress.
Zoey has never looked back. She graduated from
Dundee University last year with an M.A. Food & Welfare Studies, and this
year she has just graduated from Aberdeen University with a Post Graduate Degree
in Secondary Education. She has been awarded a teaching post to start in
August. When Zoey was young I used to worry
dreadfully about what was going to become of her when she left school,
where would she work? She could not speak a sentence to anyone,
it took her forever to get a sentence out. She could not work in
a shop because she would have to speak to customers, she could not
answer phones in an office for the same reason. What on earth
was going to happen to her in the future, but in December 1994, you
changed her life completely. She does not speak of her old
stammer now, I think it is too much of a bad memory for her, but I am
so proud of her achievements and I often think if only her lecturers
knew what she had overcome. All students who graduate have done
really well in my eyes, but she had this other obstacle in her path,
which was blocking the way ahead for anything else, and I for one will
be eternally grateful to you until the day I die. Thank
you so much for reaching out, taking the time to care and giving my
daughter a far better quality of life than I could ever have hoped
for. Best wishes to you and to all you
help in the future. Joyce
Keenan Angus - UK
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Paul
Sanders
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I'm Paul Sanders, from Suffolk
I'm now nearly 16, and totally fluent thanks to Mr.
Bell's outstandingly successful Stammering Course. It all began when I was 5,
when I got a stammer, possibly because of moving house that year. It came and
went but unfortunately when I was 8 it stayed. Nothing could remove it. Speech
Therapists were tried and each said the same, "there is no need for another
appointment you are fine", if only they could have heard me at school with
friends, and in awkward situations where it was at its worst. Thankfully, I had
fellow students who did not mock, and teachers who gave help and advice where
possible, but all this was to no avail, as going into Secondary School I still
had it. I could then see myself being stuck with this when it came to getting a
job, which would have been difficult.
Then thankfully my Mum was browsing
through the internet for some help and possible exercises that I could do for a
possible cure, then we came across a website that promised a cure for
stammering. Finally some hope! So we sent an e-mail to the Stammering Cured
Centre confirming our interest in the October Course, but unfortunately it was
fully booked, and although we were put on the reserve list I could see that I
was going to have to wait another year! Thankfully, an e-mail was received
informing us of a cancellation. We were on!
At the course, the rest of the children
worked really hard and we were very supportive of each other, and managed to put
our new speech to practice in a morning around Kirkcaldy town centre on the last
day, asking for food, and products to buy. But the one man that made this all
possible was Mr. Bell, he stayed with us all throughout the course and has a marvellous
profession and is the best at it. His commitment to making all of us
succeed was astonishing,
he certainly deserved all the praise that he received after the course.
It was a change to my life, the first thing I did as soon as we got back from Scotland, was order a
Pizza, something, 4 days ago, I wouldn't have been able to do. School was now not a problem, I
was able to read in class out loud with no difficulties, and answer questions, thus improving my
grades. It was the most amazing feeling I ever got,
knowing that I was not being held back by my
speech. I would persuade anybody who is being held back to go on this course, it has certainly
changed my life.
Best of luck to you all
Paul D H Sanders
Suffolk - UK
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Blake Evatt
Hi - my name is Blake Evatt
I am 14 years old, and a resident of the United States
of America. I have been one of the lucky ones to attend Mr Bells Stammering
Cured Course, and got magnificent results. There is truly nothing else like it
in the world. Don’t believe speech therapists who tell that stammering cannot
be cured, it can. Stammering can be cured through hard work and dedication
during the short required time of five days. (Because I travelled from the USA
and am pretty mature for my age I was allowed to attend the adult course.) Mr
Bell will provide the tools and the step by step instruction, all you have to do
is listen and follow. It probably doesn’t seem possible that stammering can be
cured in only five days, but it is very much true. I am a living example. Now I
am a confident, fluent person who can take on the world. Not only will you get
fluent speech from the course, but also pride, strength of mind and body,
confidence, and a feeling that you can open new doors and conquer new things
that weren’t possible for you as a stammerer. So join me in making the best
decision that you can ever make in your life to become stammer free.
Carrollton - Texas - USA
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Rosalind Willis
Hello my name is Rosalind Willis
I am 9 years old and live in Northern Ireland. I had a stammer for 6 years. I went to speech therapy
from when I was 4 but nothing helped me. I found it very difficult to talk on the phone and I couldn't speak to anyone without
stammering. I used to get upset and cry. My mum saw the Stammering Cured Centre phone number in the Yellow Pages and spoke to
Mr Bell. I went on Mr Bell's children's course in October 1999 for 4 days. It was hard work but I never stammered again. My
speech is really fluent now and I have become much more confident in every way. It has made my life so much better especially
since I can now go into shops and ask for things myself. Before my mum always had to ask for me. It was really worth while
going on Mr Bell's course and anyone can be cured if they do the same.
Dungannon, Co Tyrone - Northern Ireland, UK
and below is an update from Rosalind's mum - received February 2008
My daughter Rosalind has written one of the testimonies re her time on the stammering course in 1999. She was there at the same time
as Steve Moulton-Brady so it was lovely to read his story.
Rosalind is now 17 and a very different girl now! She is completely fluent in her speech and as a result of the stammering programme
is extremely outgoing. She is studying for A levels and hopes to teach in a primary school. Rosalind has a part time job in our
local Spar and chats non stop to the customers. A far cry from the girl who wouldn't answer the phone or take part in school activities!
I am writing this after receiving a phone call from a lady whose daughter has a stammer. This phone call brought the week we
spent in Kirkcaldy back so vividly, and we are thankful for the opportunity we had to allow Rosalind a stammer free life. Everyone
worked very hard that week but it was well worth it.
We will always be thankful to Mr Bell for his dedication in helping our daughter.
Hilary Willis
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Steve Moulton-Brady
I'm Steve Moulton-Brady
When I was about six years old I began to stammer, I do not know why it just happened. I really disliked it and as
I got older I felt embarrassed about it, people would notice and ridicule me sometimes mimicking me and making me feel inferior to them,
this made the speech problem much worse.
I was taken to many speech therapists but there really was no improvement. Sometimes the stammering was mild
but other times like on the telephone or in an awkward situation it would rear its ugly head and I would not be able to control it. One
of my friends at school had a parent who had been on a course at the Stammering Cured Centre and advised me to go along and see for myself
how my speech could be improved. I was really lucky as when my mum telephoned there was one place left on the course so we grabbed it and
made our way to bonny Scotland. I did not know what to expect, but I knew this was a great chance and I knew that this stammer had to go
as I had begun to realise that it could affect my future with regards to employment. The course was very strict and I really had to
concentrate, but all the parents gave us lots of support and all of us children were desperate for each other to succeed.
Since I left the course I have not looked back and have not stammered. I have just passed my GCSE in French
oral one year early with an A grade (A overall as well). I also work on a Saturday on the checkouts at Sainsburys where I chat away
to the customers and to be totally honest I don't even think about whether the next word will be fluent because it just is!
I wish everyone good luck.
Steve
Sevenoaks, Kent - UK
and now, below is an update from Steve's mum - received Dec 2005
Hello
Andrew,
My
son is Steve Moulton-Brady, he is featured under your testimonial section of
your web site. I write with reference to him and how his life has progressed
since he took part on one of your children courses. Steve is no longer a
child, he is 21 in January and is currently studying law at Southampton University. He is in his 3rd year and has achieved so much.
From
the day that he left your centre in Kirkcaldy his life changed, no longer was
he the stammering boy who his peers tormented. From this beginning, he
strove for success with a clear, fluent voice. His confidence rose, and
with this new confidence he stepped forward into a new accepting world where
people looked at him for the person he was, not the person who struggled to say
the very first gift I ever gave him, his name.
Words
cannot express how to thank you, so I write this as a token of my thanks.
The proudest day I have encountered was the day that I watched Steve win the
Contract Negotiation Competition 2004 throughout the Universities in the UK, for
Steve to dispute and debate with words was something that neither he nor I ever
dreamed would happen. Steve is now a confident, articulate young man, who
is analytical with excellent debating skills, he is also fluent in French and Spanish
and plans a career to become a barrister, a career that would never have been an
option if he had not taken part on your course.
I
am sitting in Cyprus, which is where I now live next to a young journalist who
stammers, we have just discussed it and I have shown her your web site and her
comments were, "I would just love to go on this course", she has spent years
finding ways around the key words and situations that make her
struggle. For Steve, his battle is over, but what about all the
others………………..?
I
end now with thanks, I wish you good luck with your students and please feel
free to tell Steve’s story to who ever you feel needs to hear it.
With
kind regards, appreciation and admiration.
Debbie
Moulton-Brady
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