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Blind man hopes for dream trip to Malaysia
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| No holding back: Mark has spent the five years learning Braille. Now he plans to explore Malaysia. Deadlinepix EP20803 |
Standing at his kitchen worktop, Mark Greig squeezed the rest of the tea bag into the cup of tea, before throwing it into the bin.
The water slightly lapped over the sides of the cup and Mark's hand instantly recoiled from the hot water. Picking the drink up and taking it to his table, he sat down to eat his ham sandwiches which he had made just moments earlier.
It is a daily routine for millions of people throughout the country, but what makes it so different in Mark's case is that he is totally blind.
Living in accommodation owned by the charity SeeAbility in Leatherhead, he manages to live a relatively normal life.
Before I get to talk to him about how he manages having never had sight, the 38-year-old begins to tell me about his plans to travel to Malaysia next year, to do a spot of jungle trekking, before stopping at some blind centres and learning how they do things compared with the UK.
Resilient
This will all be covered by Mark's video diary, which he wants to make available to everyone.
It could be Mark's incredibly tough background which has moulded him into the person he has become, yet I suspect he is just an incredibly resilient person.
"I was born in Lewisham and when I was one I was sent to live with foster parents," he said.
"My parents couldn't cope really. I didn't have much contact with them very often which upset me but I had to get used to it.
"My dad had been in the Merchant Navy and while he was out in Japan he fell sick.
"The hospital out there injected him with something and he was paralysed and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
"He wasn't a happy man - he was very bitter, but it's understandable."
Mark initially attended a blind school but at the age of 12 he was integrated into a mainstream institution, which he said he enjoyed, before eventually leaving to study history at college.
Depressed
"I started drinking and that's when the problems started. I was a young kid and wanted to enjoy myself and it just escalated really.
"I got depressed, I couldn't cope with the work at college and eventually left. I just started falling in with the wrong people.
"My foster parents used to hit me for wetting the bed and they used to force-feed me. I still get flash backs now.
"So I started living rough on and off for 10 years around Cambridge and then London, which was tough.
"I got robbed a lot. People were using me to make money, getting me to beg for them and then they'd take all the money from me.
"I was sleeping in car parks in the winter in sub-zero conditions - I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
"I don't know how I survived, to be honest."
By the time Mark reached 22, he was dealt another cruel blow.
"My dad was diagnosed with motor-neurone disease and my mum had anorexia.
"That was it, they just couldn't cope and both committed suicide.
"I have a sister but we're not in contact. She did something very serious and I refuse to talk to her."
| “My trip is my dream, I'm excited about it." | | Mark |
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Mark is adamant that he will have no contact with her in the future and admits that even though she has now been released from prison for her horrific crime, he has no idea where she is.
"I think she lives in Peterborough somewhere," he added, "but I don't know where."
After spending three years in London, living with a man who forced Mark to beg for him, he finally found an escape route from his homeless life and the chance to start to plan his future.
SeeAbility
"My doctor found out what was happening and she contacted social services who saved me.
"I was put into residential care before they contacted SeeAbility."
As Mark talked to me, sitting above him on the wall is a certificate congratulating him on a 92-mile tandem bike ride which he completed last summer.
As with everything, Mark is modest about his achievements and does not talk too long about it, preferring instead to focus on the future.
Even trips into the town must be difficult, I ask, but again Mark is casual about how he manages it.
"I went with staff first but now I can recognise where I am by the road texture.
"It's about a half- hour walk but I know where I am by the bumps in the road. I use the paving and the speed humps. I get to know the bumps in the road.
"I do a bit of shopping in the supermarket. I don't find it difficult, I just get on with it.
"When I get to Sainsbury's I let them know I'm there and they get someone to help me."
Mark, who spent five years learning to read Braille, learnt the geography of his flat within a couple of days and can now manoeuvre around as easily as a sighted person does.
Sitting back down at the table with me, he talks again of his trip.
Dream trip
"I want to go to Malaysia for four weeks and I'm trying to get some interest and raise some funds for it.
"I've been wanting to do it since I was a kid because there's a jungle out there and the project and video diary is a way of putting something back into society.
"When I was living on the streets, I did get involved with petty crime and I want to pay my dues.
"I'll probably have to go by myself unless someone reading this wants to come with me."
Mark predicts the trip will cost between £5,000 and £6,000.
He hopes to raise this from a mixture of donations and his own money.
Humbled by his attitude to life, I asked Mark where he thinks he will be in the future and what dreams he wants to achieve.
"My trip is my dream, I'm excited about it," he replied.
"And then when I get back I hope to settle down and find a girlfriend.
"I don't know whether I'll stay in Leatherhead - I'll just take every day as it comes and see what happens."
Anyone interested in sponsoring Mark or going with him to Malaysia should contact him directly at markgreig@ukf.net or by calling 07950 901 557.
10:13am Tuesday 13th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Ann, Banstead on 4:47pm Tue 20 May 08
Personally..., I wish Mark all the very best in reaching his goal. Why Malaysia, I don't know, but good luck in your endevour.
Personally..., I wish Mark all the very best in reaching his goal. Why Malaysia, I don't know, but good luck in your endevour.
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