96-Year-Old Woman Brought To Tears, Speaks Welsh For The First Time In 40 Years
May 18, 2020
An elderly Welsh woman who lives in the US has spoken Welsh for the first time in 40 years after a social media appeal.
Keith and Ray / BBC Wales
Ray McDermott has lived in the US for 70 years and was worried she would never speak Welsh again.
The mother-of-two has not spoken Welsh since her mother died nearly four decades ago and recently told her son Keith, "I don't think I'll ever have a chance to speak Welsh again."
Keith, 70, who lives in New York City, said he was desperate to help his mother speak her native tongue as she has started to suffer short-term memory loss.
So he put a request on Facebook and within 30 minutes, he was inundated with responses.
"She was shocked, he told the BBC. "I read each comment to her and she was very responsive when people included what part of Wales they are from."
Melisa Annis, a director and playwright originally from Wales but living in New York, even gave Ray a call.
Ray said it was lovely to speak to someone who had visited the same places as her when she was a child and that speaking Welsh again was a very special moment.
"I didn't think I would get to speak Welsh again," she said. "It actually brought tears to my eyes. I don't cry very often. It was lovely, it really was."
Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz
Couple Rescues Prairie Dog From Their Dog's Mouth, Then Decides To Adopt It
My Girlfriend Gifted Me My Father’s Handwriting To Keep Forever
We Can’t Stop Looking At These Adorable Baby Loon Photos Taken On A Lake
This Couple Built A Grass Patch For Their Cat, And She’s Obsessed With It
This All-Black ‘Goth House’ In Indiana Is Going Viral. Wait Until You See The Inside
Meet Igor: The Fluffy Poltergeist Dog With The Most Unhinged Adoption Bio Ever
Baby Elephant’s Trunk Steals The Show In Adorable Treat Time Video
What Happens When A Man With A Hose Meets A Group of Kids? Pure Magic
Chicken Or Pigeon? The Internet Can’t Believe This Bird Is Real
Mom Surprises 4-Year-Old Son With First Apartment After 14 Months In Homeless Shelter
Bear Vs. Sprinkler: Hilarious Garden Moment Caught On Camera