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

Belizean Belizean may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belize, a Central American nation * Belizean people, people originating in Belize whether they live there or in the Belizean diaspora * Belizean population, see Demographics of Belize * Belizean ...

disability rights activist A disability-rights activist or disability-rights advocate is someone who works towards the equality of people with disabilities. Such a person is generally considered a member of the disability-rights movement and/or the independent-living m ...

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

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that bre ...

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 lactating women use to extract milk from their breasts. They may be manual devices powered by hand or foot movements or automatic devices powered by electricity. History On June 20, 1854, the Unite ...

rental. She also worked in

San Antonio, Cayo San Antonio is a village in the Cayo District Cayo District is a district located in the west part of Belize. It is the most extensive, second-most populous and third-most densely populated of the six districts of Belize. The district's capit ...

as a

administrator. Middleton returned to

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, w ...

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 (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, 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 (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

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

amputee Amputation is the removal of a limb 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 carried out on indiv ...

and had a

prosthetic leg In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

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

elderly Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

in the country. Today, LIFE is managed by the

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) is a Roman Catholic order of nuns. It was founded in 1812 near Bardstown, Kentucky, when three young women responded to Bishop John Baptist Mary David's call for assistance in minis ...

. Middleton died at age 65 on March 25, 2018, in the

Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (formerly the Old Belize City Hospital) is the main public hospital in Belize City, Belize. It functions as both the national referral hospital, and the district hospital for Belize District. It is located on Prince ...

, where she was being treated following a stroke. 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 activists Belizean women