Eva Narcisa Middleton ( – March 25, 2018) was a Belizean

disability rights activist The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around t ...

. Middleton began her career working with non-governmental organizations promoting

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the process where breast milk is fed to a child. Infants may suck the milk directly from the breast, or milk may be extracted with a Breast pump, pump and then fed to the infant. The World Health Orga ...

and later served as a

polyclinic A polyclinic (where ''poly'' means "many"; not to be confused with the homonym policlinic, where ''poli'' means "city" and which is sometimes used for a hospital's outpatient department) is a clinic or health care facility that provides both g ...

administrator. In 2010, she joined the Belize Assembly for Persons with Diverse Abilities (BAPDA) where she played a key role in increasing membership and became the "voice and face of BAPDA." Middleton also started an organization to help the elderly, Living Independently in Full Existence (LIFE).

Biography

Middleton was born in Punta Gorda. She lived in Lake Independence and was involved in various community activities and was a co-founder of Breast is Best (BIB). BIB helped promote

with new mothers, provided information and

breast pump A breast pump is a mechanical device that Lactation, lactating women use to milking, extract milk from their breasts. They may be manual devices powered by hand or foot movements or automatic devices powered by electricity. Breast pumps come in sev ...

rental. She also worked in San Antonio, Cayo as a

administrator. Middleton returned to

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

in 2010 and began to work as a

. Middleton became a leader and driving force behind the disability rights organization, the

Belize Assembly for Persons with Diverse Abilities Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

(BAPDA). Middleton turned BAPDA, a dormant organization, into one that had around 400 members. She was considered the "voice and face of BAPDA," according to BAPDA president, Roxanne Anthony Marin. As an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

, she made multiple calls to Belize morning shows, sharing various activities carried out by BAPDA. She was known for her lectures during Disability Week. Middleton helped organize

prosthesis In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (Congenital, congenital disord ...

clinics in Belize with BAPDA, partnering with Prosthetic Hope International Belize. Middleton herself was an

amputee Amputation is the removal of a limb or other body part by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is ...

and had a

prosthetic leg In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...

. Later, Middleton co-founded create Living Independently in Full Existence (LIFE), an organization to aid the

elderly Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

in the country. Today, LIFE is managed by the

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) is an American Catholic order of religious sisters founded in 1812 near Bardstown, Kentucky. There, three young women responded to Bishop John Baptist Mary David's call for assistance in ministering to t ...

. Middleton died at age 65 on March 25, 2018, in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where she was being treated following a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. She was buried in Lord Ridge Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Eva 1950s births 2018 deaths Year of birth uncertain Date of birth uncertain People from Punta Gorda People from Belize City Belizean women activists Belizean women