Yvonne Milne MBE
President, Rett UK I am Founder and President of Rett UK. I live in Worcestershire and I am Mother to Clare, who is 41 years old, who has Rett syndrome. My background is in hospitality and business management. I have also worked in marketing and been a lecturer in higher education.
About this speaker
When Clare was diagnosed in 1985, (she was one of the first in the UK to have the diagnosis for this newly recognised disorder) I was told that there was no cure for her so I directed my energies to creating a charity that could improve the quality of life, support the families of all those affected and find out what we could do. These were very early days in knowledge about the disorder and the future looked very uncertain. Our lives changed with the diagnosis; I abandoned my career, using my experience and skills to work in the charity sector, both locally and internationally for Rett syndrome, rare diseases and disability in general. I was awarded the MBE for services to health in 1997, which I feel is recognition for the work and teamwork of all the inspirational people I have worked with over the years
