Latest news with #Haskey
BBC News
28-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Blind veteran makes candles for VE Day
"Making candles allows me to channel my thoughts and emotions into something beautiful."Tony Haskey has made a batch of candles to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE 65-year-old from Poole is selling them in aid of Blind Veterans UK, which has supported him since he became visually impaired."I hope that people can burn a candle, think of those who laid down their lives for us, and know that the candle is burning in their memory," he says. "It would be a wonderful thing for me and my heart," he Haskey has adapted his candle-making process because of his sight loss."I use talking scales to weigh up the fragrance, I'm using and I purchase wax in blocks of certain weights so I can cut them to the right size, consistently," he explains. Mr Haskey joined the Royal Marines aged later, on an overseas operation, he felt something amiss with his vision, and a medic told him he had an incurable eye says: "I was feeling low, I had to return to the UK alone and leave my unit and comrades behind."He was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition which worsens over time. Retinitis pigmentosa It is an inherited eye condition that affects the photoreceptor cells responsible for capturing images from the visual cells line the back of the eye in the region known as the retina and help with low light, peripheral vision, and seeing detail and these cells die there is a gradual decline in than 80 causative genes have been identified, and faults in any one of these can cause the Retina UK Mr Haskey was 27 when he was diagnosed, and he says his world "fell apart". "I was absolutely devastated by the news," he recalls."I went home from the hospital and started to contemplate what I'd been told. I got depressed and felt that was the end for me. "The career I'd set up to do well in had come to an end. I didn't know what job opportunities were available to me. "I was frightened and alone."But Blind Veterans UK sent him to its rehabilitation centre in 1993 to learn about basic housekeeping, cooking and computer literacy says when he arrived he was in a "deep void with no self-confidence, no self-worth and no self-belief" but that each day there was a "new beginning". Half of the profits for his candles will go towards the about VE Day's anniversary, he says: "As someone who is still fortunate to be here today, I look back at the legacy that the young men and women left behind and fail to see how anyone couldn't acknowledge their worth."We have our liberty today because of their sacrifice." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Yahoo
'Resilience and dedication': Diné College students, staff can return to campus after fire
Diné College will reopen its Tsaile campus on April 21, a full week since a fire burned buildings and disrupted classroom operations at the northeast Arizona school. Students and faculty will return to the campus following a traditional cleansing ceremony, Diné College Acting President Glennita Haskey announced in a Facebook post April 18. The school's official reopening comes after authorities investigating the cause of last week's fire identified two suspects and arrested one of them, Haskey stated. Details of the arrest could not be independently confirmed, as of April 20. The Navajo Nation Police Department has not responded to repeated calls and emails requesting comment. Fire crews responded to the blaze at the Tsaile campus on April 14 at around 2:15 a.m., when a fire alert was triggered. Within hours, the fire burned more than half of the campus's Student Union Building and destroyed the school store, which contained records dating back to the 1950s, financial records and new graduation gowns for the 2025 commencement ceremony. Students and faculty participated in remote learning amid the weeklong campus closure, while authorities contended with fire-related hazards and investigated what caused the structure fire. Access will still be limited when in-person classes resume April 21, as the impacted areas will remain restricted, according to Haskey. Temporary fencing and contracted security personnel will surround the areas. Efforts will soon get underway to reconstruct the Student Union building, Haskey stated. The project will unfold in phases, starting in May, and was expected to be completed by October 2026. The first phase, she explained, will include document retrieval and structural assessments. 'Rebuilding the Student Union Building is not just about replacing a structure,' Haskey stated in the announcement. 'It represents our resilience and our dedication to providing the best resources and opportunities for our students to thrive.' As for the upcoming graduation ceremony, preparations 'remain on track,' the school stated. The May 9 event will be held indoors at the Shiprock South Campus. Neighboring state universities contributed graduation regalia for the graduating class of students, according to Diné's update. The school will provide additional details on the ceremony and about students' caps and gowns on its website. To address student concerns over campus safety, the school stated it will revisit evacuation plans, enhance communication strategies and update lockdown procedures. It was also providing counseling and support services to students and staff amid the school's recovery. "It's essential that everyone feels supported during this time," Haskey stated. Shawn Raymundo covers the West Valley cities of Avondale, Buckeye, Glendale, Goodyear, Peoria and Surprise. Reach him at sraymundo@ or follow him on X @ShawnzyTsunami. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Students can go back to campus after Diné College fire up north
