It comes to that time of the year again, when we sit back and reflect on what has been and what could be.
I wish to take this moment to thank everyone who has been supportive of My Way Access in 2015. Without your posts, reviews, likes, shares and all kinds of interactions across our various platforms, we could not do what we need to do.
It’s been another remarkable year for My Way Access. In 2015, I set a few targets and I was thankfully able to reach the majority of them.
One of the targets I could not meet was that I was approached by the German Tourist Board to tour their beautiful country in the summer of 2015. They wanted independent reviews, blogs and promotions of all their tourists sites to show how accessible Germany is for visitors who may have a disability.
Unfortunately, due to a respiratory problem that developed in 2009 as part of my disability Mucopolysaccharide Morquio, I did not meet the required safety checks to fly over. Alas, I have come to accept that what can’t be and look forward to the next opportunity.
Of the many things I did enjoy and did happen, I been thankful.for and did not expect.
Throughout the course of the year I was interviewed live by Lynette Fay for the John Toal Show on BBC Radio Ulster. It was a cold, wet, blustery morning at the Omagh Show, but it was fantastic.
A few weeks later, I was again back on the radio, this time for BBC Radio 4’s The Listening Project. On this occasion, the BBC recorded a 20 minute conversation between myself and good friend Sinéad Slane. We discussed my life story and of course My Way Access. A very surreal experience.
The website itself really became a social hub in itself during 2015, as it provided myself and others a strong voice to discuss important social and economic issues that affect people who have disabilities. In fact, some of my more hard hitting blogs had reached audiences of more than 100,000 people. This was beyond any of my wildest expectations and showed me that I am reaching out and helping others with my voice.
One of the big issues I tackled this year, was campaigning to get Vimizim approved by NICE on the NHS England. This was a long hard struggle to get word out there and get people with us. I was constantly writing letters, making telephone calls, sending emails and meeting with MLAs, MPs and TDs across the country.
With MPs discussing my plight at Westminster, other MPs and MLAs backing me by writing to the UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to get onside, it proved success. As of the end of November, NICE recommended Vimizim and mid-December, Vimizim became available to people with Morquio in Scotland and England.
I shall now be working on getting it into the North and South of Ireland, plus Wales.
Possibly the most exciting thing to happen to me in 2015 was I unexpectedly became a TEDx speaker at TEDx Omagh. I have been following these talks for years and have always been a big fan of them. I never in my wildest dreams ever expected to deliver my own talk for them. It truly was an exhilarating experience and a wonderful memory I will carry with me forever. I made so many fantastic new friends at this, I call them my TEDx Family, and we keep in touch. Thankfully they like my zany sense of humour and a few of them share it too… lol
My Way Access has had a busy year of it and I’ve enjoyed it all very much. It’s made me excited to see what 2016 will bring. What could top the BBC, TEDx and Vimizim approval? Well, only time will tell, but I have been approached about a few exciting projects already and I can’t wait to see those trees blossom.
So thank you all again for sharing my journey with me in 2015 and I look forward to seeing you all in 2016.
On a more personal level, I have finally knocked a few things off my bucket list.
For many years I have spoken about the want / the need to try a bit of stand up comedy. I gave it a go twice this year and it seems to have went down well. Thankfully people laughed at my jokes and there didn’t appear to be any luls during my sets. I just have to appear in my home comedy club Daly’s Comedy Club in Omagh in 2016 to complete my goal.
However, I did take part in a Daly’s Comedy Club Christmas Play at Strule Arts Centre in Omagh. Unsurprisingly and some say I might have been type casted as an angry Christmas Elf!
This year I also returned to Belfast Film and Comic Con at the SSE Arena Belfast. Again, I returned in a cosplay and this time it was Doctor Emmet Brown and his Delorean car time machine. It was expertly designed and built by Will Convey.
It was great to be back and seeing so many from the cosplay community from all parts of Ireland over the weekend.
I will definitely be attending more in 2016, with bigger and more outlandish costumes. I’m also working on developing a special one.just for My Way Access.
Another big highlight for me was taking part in the 30th Anniversary of the Greencastle 5 Mile Road Run. The very first one in 1986 was done for the MPS Society, to which I belong. So it seemed fitting in the year that was, I would take part for another local charity – Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund.
I had help on the run, from none other than Irish Olympic and Commonwealth Boxer Paddy Barnes. Paddy was fantastic to taking part and couldn’t accept any help from anyone pushing me around the mountainy Sperrin road.
Together we raised £1300 for the charity.
Happy New Year to you all my friends and may 2016 be your year x