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As you discover more about Cathy, you realize that a sparkling sense of humor was a key aspect to her nature, as was her ability to turn situations to the positive. She describes at one stage in India how, after accidents and constant battles with the traffic, “I constantly startle at unexpected sounds or movements, feeling frightened for hours on end in a state of breathlessness verging on panic. I spent my days surrounded by noise, waiting for a sudden catastrophic impact against the bike….”

But whilst feeling as low as this, she was also analyzing the situation. And by using all of her working senses, Cathy came up with a solution that would get them out of desperation; observations that a sighted person may not have made. And, there were numerous high points, such as Cathy being the first blind person to climb Huayna Picchu—the sister mountain to Machu Picchu in Peru. For Cathy, a constant high of the adventure was the chance to talk with people.

She was also strongly appreciative of her good fortune. At a center for blind women in India, Bernard was asked, “Men do not want you if you are blind: Why would you want to be with a blind woman?” Bernard responded, “If you knew Cathy you would not have asked that question.” The women broke into spontaneous applause. In the male-dominated culture of India, blind women are considered to be of lesser use, and at the onset of blindness are often “cast off” by their husbands.

But, Cathy’s life of challenges didn’t stop with their successful circumnavigation of the world. Six weeks after she and Bernard returned to the U.K., she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Friends say, “She never flinched from her terminal illness.” With this news Cathy, with support from Bernard, sat down to write their inspirational book Touching the World. Her aim was to encourage others to explore outside of their comfort zones and her uplifting story does just that.

Cathy and Bernard were married on August 20th 2012, which turned out to be the same day their story was published. Due to her illness, Panther Publishing had decided to bring the publication date forward. The book is written from Cathy’s point of view, and in doing so she achieved not just her dream, but something of a cornerstone for us all. What is it like to be blind?

However, the point of their book is not only to talk about travel whilst being blind. That’s just a third of the story. It’s a tale about motorcycling, people, relationships, border crossings, courage, the things that go wrong, and how you find out both who you really are, and what you’re capable of. Bernard said at the time, “I made a promise to Cathy that her story would be told. Her ambition was to show other people that no matter what convention says, just about anything is possible.”

In spite of her illness, Cathy headed out onto the promotional trail. With an exhausting swirl of book signings and presentations, the reviews began to come in. The word was out. One of those presentations was at the world famous Horizons Unlimited adventure travelers U.K. event. Her publisher, Rollo Turner, was there to assist.

“At their first talk of the evening there were still seats going spare in the large hall. Both she and Bernard were apprehensive that very few would turn up for the second one. People trickled in slowly, but then there was a swell of movement towards the presentation room. In fact, they had to turn people away; there wasn’t a spare inch of room in the hall as word had spread. It was only then that she realized people were getting the ‘message’ and that so many of them understood.”

Cathy Birchall, a woman with the heart of a lion, passed away on the 31st of January 2013. Bernard and her guide dog, Biscuit, were with her. Her legacy is, well, I can’t say it any better than this post on Cathy and Bernard’s Facebook page: “For me, the story will always be about a truly inspirational woman who got on with living, despite being knocked down so many times. In this shallow world of wannabe celebrities, fast food stories and sound bites, it is true that inspirational people do exist.”

Touching the World
WorldTour.org.uk
ISBN: 978-09564975-8-1
Panther Publishing
Panther-Publishing.com
Paperback: 344 pages
$13.50, also available in e-book format and as an audio book