Spain 2009

All of us outside Matt's apartment amongst the complex beyond.

On May 31st I set off for a week in the Spanish sunshine.  My journey to Gatwick Airport didn’t quite go as planned!  I’d booked a National Express coach to take me from Coventry to Gatwick Airport, which was a new venture for me – I’ve never been on a NE coach before (well, not as a wheelchair-user).  I booked it at the NE office and was assured that the coach would a) be equipped with a lift, b) have two seats removed to make room for my chair on-board, and c) be driven by a driver who would know my requirements and be prepared.  However I was maybe more than a bit panicked when the coach that arrived on the day didn’t have any of these!  It was 7am, I was hefting around my luggage – all ready to go – and there I was desperately thinking of plan Bs... how late would I be if I hot-footed it to the train station and went via rail...?  Luckily the day was saved by lovely Mr. Coach Driver who offered to carry me onboard and chuck my chair/luggage in the hold.  Where there’s a will there’s a way!

3 hours later I arrived at Gatwick’s South Terminal and was met by my lovely carer Ivana and friends Matt and his carer Paul.  We checked in and went through the usual departure rigmarole, finally boarding the plane using the ambi-lift (a little lift that takes you from floor level up to the door of the aircraft) and aisle chair (a little chair that’s transferred to and takes you down the aisle of the aircraft and to your seat).  We flew with easyJet, whom my friend booked assistance with yonks ago – so they knew of our “special requirements” and it all went really smoothly. Well done easyJet!

We flew to Murcia Airport, where we picked up our hire-car which Paul drove for around 45 minutes to Matt’s apartment in Mazarron with the help of his trusty sat-nav (he’d already downloaded some Spanish maps from the tom-tom website).  Matt bought an apartment in Spain a few months ago – he’s been a keen traveller for many years (see his website http://www.matthewlaw.co.uk) but as his ataxia has progressing he’s finding it increasingly difficult to cope with unpredictable and sometimes inadequate adaptations in hotels and apartments around the world.  So his solution was to go in with a friend, buy their own apartment and adapt it according to their own specific needs!

 
Inside the apartment...

As this was Matt’s first stay he set about making these adaptations.  His main task was to make the bathroom effort-free to use by fitting rails, shelves and a shower chair and Paul worked the room over with a screwdriver fitting things under Matt’s direction!  Together they did a really good job (see picture above). I know Matt has long-term plans to fit a super pole and adjustable bed in his bedroom, acquire a wheelchair-accessible vehicle and make the front of the apartment wheelchair-friendly (right now there is only access via the back).  He also started organising the really important stuff like wireless broadband and satellite TV.

I spent the week soaking up the sun.  In fact I turned a really funny colour - both red with the sun and green with envy!  I mean, just imagine having all this a 15-minute drive from your doorstep...

No wonder he's smiling!

I thoroughly enjoyed my week.  At home I am constantly on the lookout for things to do and places to go and as such I’m always busy which is just the way I like it.  Having an entire week of having not a lot to do would drive me up the wall, but on holiday – where I’m allowed to be lazy – I revel in being able to relax 100% and indulge myself by completely switching off.  By helping me with anything I physically struggle with (which is quite a lot these days!) my carer, Ivana, helped me to do this – in fact I couldn’t of done it without her.

I was very concerned about my physical ability to cope on holiday before I went.  In December I came down with the flu and have since seen a lot of progression in my condition over a short space of time.  As a consequence I now find things a lot more difficult, and I need help to do many things that I’ve always been able to do independently.  However, travel is a big feature in my hopes for the future – it means so much to be able to get away from it all every now and then, so I was determined not to say die!  I also had complete confidence in Ivana; her skills as a carer meant we had lots of versatility and as a person Ivana is one of the loveliest and most patient people I know.  Together we actually managed way better than I anticipated, and moreover the heat meant that I had almost no muscle spasm or stiffness throughout which helped loads.

Matt has said he’ll let me stay in his apartment again, so I look forward to my next visit! A big thank you to Matt, Paul and Ivana for making it all possible. x

PS - If anyone is stuck for things to buy me for Christmas, the apartment next door to this is currently for sale...