Did they notice what was happening? On the way towards the lift that would help Pádraig to get out of the water, an elderly lady said that she so much hoped that Pádraig one day would swim as he did before and that she was praying for him. I was wondering, had she noticed today that her prayers were being heard and answered?

When Pádraig stood at the edge of the pool in the water, holding on to the side bar, with me just supporting his head, I had an idea: what if the carer who is coming with us swimming would stand in front of Pádraig, what if he was holding both of Pádraig’s hands to help him with his balance, what if I just supported his head from behind, and what if he then tried to walk across the pool, one step at a time moving his feet forward one after the other, shifting his weight from one side to the other, what if he reached the other side (almost) completely by himself.

Not only did he make it to the other side, he made it back as well.

It was spectacular.

And I was wondering whether anybody in the pool, apart from us, realised what they were witnessing.

Probably not. For them, it was a normal Tuesday afternoon in the pool.