Dear Sir,

A recent article in The Royal Gazette highlighted the work of a local individual’s work in the world of stuttering. I met Lee Lovett many years ago by chance, and found his work fascinating. Before I met him, I was blissfully ignorant of the subject, as I suspect most of us are, regarding afflictions that we do not have personal experience of. I remember the agonised portrayal of a stutterer in A Fish Called Wanda and knowing a few friends in school with the condition, but that was it.

And that is my point.

The stuttering community is suffering in silence, literally! It is a global problem that knows no borders and affects people from all social strata and backgrounds. The worst thing? The medical community has concluded that it is incurable! That means a life sentence of loneliness, failure in relationships, disaster in the workplace and the pain of being locked inside your head — unable to communicate.

So? Everyone’s got problems right?

Well, this time there is hope! I originally thought that Lee was one of those strong-minded people who could sweep aside barriers through sheer force of will and determination. When he described his process of eliminating his stuttering, I was impressed, but not sure of its universal application.

During the ensuing years, Lee wrote many books on the subject and I watched him giving help sessions to thousands of people from all over the world via Skype. When they started becoming stutter-free in front of my eyes, I quickly realised that this was the real thing; something that could change the world for millions of people.

Furthermore, it happened right here in Bermuda! Now comes the hard part. Telling the world that the medical community is wrong is not a warm and fuzzy experience! So I encourage everyone to pass on the news to anyone who will listen. Particularly to those who stutter, and those who work in the field.

This is not dissimilar to our tourism dilemma. If everyone who lives or has lived here told one overseas person about the island every month, we would not need any fancy experts telling us how to get visitors!

We should all be proud of what Lee has done and cherish those who believe they can change the world for the better. What better news could there be than giving those with no voice the opportunity to be heard.

RICHARD HAWKE

Warwick