OBSTACLES have never held Juliette Pallot back.
Despite suffering from cerebral palsy and having a very limited vocabulary, she wrote her autobiography.
Now, she has her eye set on the Olympic torch at London 2012.
No small feat, the book, which was released in July, took no less than 12 years in the making. But Juliette stuck to it.
Someone Watching Over Me was so well received in Thornbury that close friend Sue Aitken took it upon herself to show the rest of the world what a real life champion was.
She nominated Ms Pallot to be a flame bearer at the Olympics.
When she found out about the nomination she was over the moon.
Juliette, who volunteers at New Siblands School, said: "It would be an honour to represent Thornbury at the Olympics."
She will find out whether she will be one of the 8,000 torchbearers in December.
Thornbury in Bloom chairman Sue Aitken, 50, said: "She is the most inspirational person I know.
"She is severely disabled but lives a very independent life. She volunteers at a special needs school.
"She has a personal assistant but for most of the day she is on her own. It’s amazing what she has managed to achieve."
It was only in the last two years that Juliette’s autobiography really started to take shape.
The 49-year-old added: "Before that, I was writing it off and on because I didn’t always know what to write about.
"This book is about the ups and downs of life and how I have coped with cerebral palsy.
"I wanted to reach out to as many disabled people as I could.
"It was not an easy job. I use a switch, which I press with my right foot to type on my computer.
"But it’s an achievement. I have proven to myself that I could write a book."
Always looking to challenge herself, she is thinking about competing in the London Marathon next year.
The proceeds of Someone Watching Over Me will be donated to the East African Drought Appeal and Thornbury in Bloom. She has sold 158 copies so far.
source: gazetteseries.co.uk
