Unknown. Unbekannt.

No one here in Hamburg knows Pádraig from before the accident. People here are meeting him for the very first time and in the state he is in. They have no idea who they are dealing with. Therefor, each time we come across a new person, I make an effort explaining to them who Pádraig is, what happened to him, and why he will recover from his catastrophic injuries.

There’s no place like hospital, where we meet so many new people every day that telling Pádraig’s story has almost become a reflex.

Imagine that there are people who wonder whether Pádraig has always been ‘like this’.

On the other hand, there are the visitors from Ireland hoping to find the Pádraig they know from before the accident.

I think that neither of the two manages to fully enjoy the company of the ‘real’ Pádraig yet, the person that has suffered and is now recovering from the consequences of this enormous hit against his head. – 

This morning, Pádraig and I woke up to the terrific music shared by Cathal Murray on his weekly Irish Radio programme, The Weekend on One. And guess what?

Just after 6am Irish time, Cathal dedicated a terrific new song by Sufjan Stevens “Should Have Known Better” to Pádraig – and made his day!