Just back from an An Saol Board meeting where we discussed our current work and looked forward to 2017. There is a clear need to “aufmischen”, re-arrange, what is going on in Ireland in relation to persons with severe acquired brain injury. The way they are being treated, the way their needs are being assessed, the way they are being supported, the way equipment is priced.

Maybe this is the next big scandal to come to the surface? Though it shouldn’t be about the scandal, it should all be about how to make things better.

So rather than bringing scandals to the surface, maybe we will be able to kick-start the €1.5m An Saol project, open a gym for disabled people (it’ll better have a pool:), and make equipment to people available under fair and ethical conditions.

One thing I heard about Fidel Castro is that he ordered that no square, no street should be named after him, no foundation or university, no statues or plaques. Fidel was a bit like Nikolaus only that his beard was dark, not white. Whatever you think about the two of them, they both had convictions and they acted according to their convictions.

Pádraig was swimming again today. He is getting so much better, so much more relaxed, it’s a pleasure to see him in the water. And I think he is enjoying it immensely to ‘loose’ his body weight for half an hour, to just float around in the warm water. Kicking his legs a bit, splashing with his hands, let the hair and the head hang down and get wet in the pool.

It’s one of the most exciting things Pádraig has been doing recently. He was able to do it because friends arranged it for him.

Not any of the State’s services. You wonder why not????