When Pádraig had his accident, we desperately tried to get our hands on any information and help we could get for him. We came across a quote by Dr Aine Carrroll which really shocked us – she was talking about rehabilitation services available for persons with severe brain injuries:
“It is very labour intensive because we have such a shortage of beds. We can’t justify anymore beds because you can make the argument that it is a much better investment of resources to invest that time and effort into individuals who are going to increase their functionality, reduce care costs, hopefully get them home, get them back to work. These are individuals who will never get to that point, so we have to limit the number of beds for that service to three.”
(http://www.medicalindependent.ie/5062/fulfilling_a_duty_of_rehabilitative_care) (underlining is mine)
This morning, the HSE published their 2017 Service Plan. On page 32, it commits the HSE to:
…establish an innovative pilot day service aimed at supporting people with severe acquired brain injuries.
So tonight, we are celebrating that we have managed to change the hearts and minds of people who now realise that the most vulnerable amongst us have a right to live their life with dignity and respect.
Pádraig with his perseverance and determination, never taking a ‘no’ for an answer, has done what a year ago seemed to be the impossible.
Dreamboaters, ahoy! Change is coming!
Hospi-Tales 
Congratulations! All the hard work and perseverance has paid off. Well done!! So happy to hear it!!
Well, we’re getting there, Diane. And it could just be that the hard work is just about to start:) But it’ll be easy because it’ll be the right thing to do!
Congratulations – enjoy tonight ! Well deserved after a long journey – you are blazing a path for padraig and many others to come ! Delighted for you all 🎅
In my mind, Dee, it’s Pádraig who is driving all this. With his determination to prove all the experts wrong, he is motivating us to do things we never thought were possible. The most important point tonight though is that the HSE, the ‘system’, has acknowledged that survivors of severe acquired brain injury have a right to live their lives as anybody else, and will no longer be locked away and forgotten about.
This is incredible news, Reinhard. While it is sad that it took so much hard work to get here, I have the utmost respect for you and everyone who has worked so tirelessly to get to this. Congratulations!
Thank you, Tabea. I really appreciate your kind words. This has been driven by Pádraig and has been achieved by hundreds of people who are supporting him and the other survivors of severe acquired brains injuries together with their families and friends. We shall overcome…