*  I was born in Penzance in Cornwall, England, and the doctors had never seen anything like me before!

    * The doctors told my Mum that I would never talk, because for one thing I didn't have the mechanism for speech and another, I was deaf.  But Mum was determined.  She believed I could do it and thanks to her patience and endless speech lessons, I have always talked normally.

    * I was taken to Great Ormand Street Hospital...shortly after I was born and there I began several years of operations to try and sort out some of my 'defects' (which included cleft palette, no cheekbones, no ears and no chin).  I had my cleft palette repaired, and they tried to give me cheekbones but my body rejected the ribs and I was back to square one.  I also had my chin done and avoided a permanent trachy which would have become necessary had the operation not happened.

    * I was born in October of 1977 and have a good group of friends from past schools, university and church.

    * I have just graduated from University and have a degree in Garden Design.  I have been doing a lot of my own jobs, designing and building gardens.

    * My business, LandART Landscapes, was set up during the summer of 2000 and has been doing very well.

    * Email me at ar_tedder@yahoo.com