Orla Tinsley, journalist and campaigner Posted on November 26, 2023 by planirl
Orla Tinsley is a 25 year old journalist and campaigner. She began campaigning for the rights of people with cystic fibrosis when she was 18. She also has the illness that affects many organs in the body and in 2005 she began writing in The Irish Times to campaign for an isolation unit. At the time people with CF, which is Ireland’s most common genetically inherited illness, were dying earlier than their European counterparts and the need for instant inpatient treatment access was paramount.
The campaign for the building took seven years and over that time many other people with CF and their families and communities raised awareness and much needed funds to improve services across the country and for the unit Dublin. After numerous broken promises from the government and many stages of campaigning the CF Unit opened in July of this year.
Orla has received several awards for her work including Rehab Young Person of the Year in 2008, Irish Tatler Woman of the Year in 2009 and Pfizer Young Medical Journalist of the Year 2010. Her book ‘My Story’ is out now. You can follow Orla on Twitter @orlatinsley.
Because I am a Girl I ask…that people would remember my gender is not a deciding factor on what I can or cannot do.
Because I am a Girl I believe…that all things are possible.
Because I am a Girl I hope…that some day all girls across the world will be able to stand up to every kind of oppression and free themselves.
Because I am a Girl I wonder…why conservatives feel the need to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do about my sexuality.
Because I am a Girl I dream…of a world where gender equality and freedom of expression are a reality for all girls.
Because I am a Girl I remember…playing Power Rangers as a kid and not worrying whether I was a girl or a boy, I just was.
Because I am a Girl I like…people who are not afraid to be strong and step outside the boundaries of what’s expected of them.
Because I am a Girl I dislike…when superficial advertising tries to instill in young Girls what role they should play in society.
Because I am a Girl I feel…lucky.
Because I am a Girl I celebrate…that there are so many different diverse ways of being a Girl and whatever feels rights for you is what’s right.
- Orla Tinsley
