Have you ever had a fear of leaving the space you’re in, step out of it, and face the world? If you haven’t, you’ve probably heard about it. It’s what people fear who lived in an institution and are about to leave it, because from now on, they will have to take charge of their own life, they will have to decide all those big and small every day things that had been decided for them in the institution. Feel, smell, see, wide open spaces. Instead of the roof terrace or the yard. Instead of long corridors with loads of doors to the left and the right. Instead of their 4mx3m room.

There are programmes that help people make the transition from the institution back to a self-determined life.

I feel as if we were on one of these programmes.

You probably wouldn’t believe my insecurity here when, all of a sudden, we could just walk onto the ward. No more ringing at the door. No more waiting for someone to say: “You’re allowed to come in”. No more gasping for air when someone asks “Who allowed you to come in outside of visiting hours?” No more cables attached to bodies. No more alarms ringing inside and outside the room when someone’s ‘vital signs’ drop below a value set by a doctor or a nurse. And the list goes on…

I just cannot imagine what this must feel for Pádraig. – He is recovering really well. Breathing without oxygen all afternoon and evening. I know that there were a few coincidences, but I also know that there were a few very courageous people out there who took the chance, believed in Pádraig, and who boarded the Dreamboat.

Today, a nurse working on a ‘family support project’ at the UKE came in and offered her help to get ready for the big day. We’ll get a hands-on course over the coming days to get ready for the big day. And we were given a 2015 UKE calendar with several 3-day periods marked when family members can assist free carers’ courses in the UKE. We keep learning.