Terry Wiles

Terrence 'Terry' Wiles (born January 12, 1962) was one of the most disabled thalidomide babies born in the UK. He has since become known internationally through the Emmy Award winning television drama On Giant's Shoulders and the best-selling book of the same name.

Born as Andrew Maulle, Wiles was born in Peterborough, England, to a 17-year-old prostitute mother and a visiting African-American father. During her pregnancy Andrew's mother took the sedative thalidomide to combat her morning sickness, resulting in his severe physical disabilities at birth.

Unable to cope with his deformities, and suspecting he would not survive, Andy's mother left him at the hospital, this abandonment resulting in him being put into care. He met Hazel (née Brooker) (1931-2013) and Leonard George Wiles (1911–1995) at Chailey Hospital in Sussex in October 1967, and after initial opposition from his birth mother and Social Services, Leonard and Hazel were able to adopt the young Andrew. As part of his fresh start with his new parents, Andrew decided to change his name to Terrence Wiles.

Over the following years Len Wiles, who was technically minded and helped to design military equipment during World War II, built a series of 'Supercars' for Terry, based on the forklift truck, which enabled Terry to both augment his height and move around freely for the first time. He suffered a nervous breakdown due to bullying and abuse at his secondary school Ernulf Community College in St. Neots, where on one occasion some students put him in a holdall and dragged him around a room. He left the school to study at a polytechnic.

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