30 years ago, May 1995, Jen aged 13 lay on a blanket under the pear tree in the garden whilst we planted an orchard.  She was incapable of doing anything else.  Jen had already been receiving medical intervention for 3 weeks. 1 day later she was in hospital and we were advised that she was terminally ill.  At best she had 3 weeks left to live.

With expert care from doctors and nurses, aided and abetted by her one and only trusty friend, her flute, Zenika, she defied the odds.  We took it in turns becoming adept at sleeping in a chair beside her bed, responding to her every move, hoping against the odds that she would pull through.

Months of convalescence followed during which Jen experienced increasing ostracization from school.  For a year we battled with the education system trying to find appropriate solutions resulting in us finally pulling out and home schooling believing that we, her parents who loved her unconditionally, could support her and educate her more effectively by surrounding her with copious amounts of love and TLC rather than expecting her to cope and reengage by throwing her in at the deep end.

From a toddler, dance has always been Jen’s language.  Music was a common language between Jen and me, and miraculously with daily opportunity, Jen began to sing in tune!

We were grounded by 2 adorable golden retriever puppies who frequently sought to distract us, and to this day, I have no idea how I would have coped with Tinker and Blitz if I hadn’t had Jen as a constant companion by my side at that time.  We worked together, laughed together, sang together, faced life’s challenges together.

Our local community responded when I reached out.  They were amazing.  For 6 months individuals rallied round some of whom we’d never met before.  They provided weekly support for health and wellbeing, volunteering at the local charity shop, work at the florists, maths, french, english and attending a choir.  Alongside the all important opportunity of 30 minutes dedicated 1:1 dance tuition from dance tutors who were not only paid to work with Jen, but wanted to work with Jen deriving huge job satisfaction as they watched the enormity of the impact on her as she slowly slowly became increasingly skilled and confident.

One of the huge benefits of this ‘village’ curriculum was that Jen became able to travel alone from those initial steps of crossing the road safely, to walking to another location, to using the buses and coping with money for her fare.  She was taking her first steps to being an independent traveler.  Now she travels all over the country and the world with her latest achievement being to fly from the US to the UK alone.

I cannot help but marvel how far we have come in 30 years.  Dr (h.c.) Jen, BEM.  This incredible journey through life has been crafted one step at a time.  Unlike those without a disability, at no time have we had a blueprint to follow.  At no time did we know if we were making a good decision.  It was always just what we considered to be the best decision at that time.

I rejoice that the world is becoming more receptive of people who have a disability.  I am hugely indebted to all those who support Jen, who surround her with love every minute of every day, to those who recognize that society can gain hugely by embracing her and her talents and aspirations, and who see her as a human being deserving of equal human rights and opportunities in her life.  Jen is loving the living.

Thank you All who have the eyes to see the Art of the Possible.