Hello everyone. I need to offload a bit so this is a different sort of blog for me.
I’ve been loving the football in #euros2024 Regular readers of my blog will know I used to play football quite seriously. It was the fact that the defenders were catching me up as I ran down the wing that was my first clue that something wasn’t right. This ultimately led to the blood cancer diagnosis and the ongoing complications I still have to this day. None of that dents my passion for football. I love all the international tournaments and as you’ve seen, I have the football shirts to prove it.
You can’t imagine my delight when I won two tickets to see a Euros last 16 match in Frankfurt with #coca-cola plus £1000 towards expenses.
After the excitement wore off, I started to get slightly anxious as I’ve not been on a plane since well before the pandemic. Planes and public transport are very high risk when you don’t have a working immune system. To explain this in simple terms, I needed to have a stem cell transplant to hopefully cure my rare blood cancer Myelo Dysplastic Syndrome. The treatment for this and added complications means I developed hypogammaglobulinaemia. To translate that means certain white cells are permanently low and I don’t produce antibodies to fight infection. I’m very lucky to have my IVIG once a month which gives me antibodies collected from generous blood and plasma donors. This will be for life with current medical knowledge. I’m of course always hopeful that in the future something will change.
All of the treatment I’ve had has left me with multifactorial disability issues such as:
Compromised immune system
Muscle weakness
Breathlessness
Constant pain
This means I walk with a stick really short distances. For anything else I use a mobility scooter. It’s small, lightweight and compact, just like me! I don’t use public transport as a rule. I shop at quieter times. I wear a mask when inside while I’m out and limit my activities to not be in interior crowded places. These limitations have all been since the pandemic and have become a way of life after 4 years.
When I entered the competition, I wasn’t asked to declare any disabilities. I’ve not heard back yet from my enquiry to Coke about whether they can accommodate my request for accessible tickets into the stadium in Frankfurt. As I always live in hope I decided to book a flight and accommodation.
I wanted to fly from London City Airport as it’s very near to me so hardly any public transport needed. Also it’s a small and less busy place unlike Heathrow which I think is just too risky. It said on the webpage to ring if there was any accessibility issues. Maggie rang and was told it was no problem and to book and then fill in the special assistance details in the “my bookings” part of the app. We booked good flights and a lovely hotel. When we tried to fill in the online info for the mobility scooter we couldn’t input the data. The form states that it’s for wheelchairs, scooters and mobility aids. My problem was the accessibility device couldn’t be longer than 104cms. In frustration I rang the accessibility team in Newcastle. I said it was a really small scooter but was told there may be a problem as they only use small aircraft from City. That to me is a failure of the booking system. Maggie rang before booking and was given the wrong advice and then the website lets you book saying scooters are ok then you find out this isn’t the case. I’ve now asked the accessibility team if the scooter is broken down, can it be taken? I also asked if they could hire something for me for the trip because f mine wasn’t possible. I’m desperate. It feels like disabled travellers are not able to use London City Airport with BA I’ve psyched myself up to take this risk. I’ve put a plan in place to minimise my risk as much as possible but I’m being given obstacles at every turn.
I now have an agonising wait till Monday to find out if British Airways can accommodate my special needs. I hope also to hear from Coca Cola by then too.
Winning a nice prize shouldn’t be this difficult! I’m shocked how the Disability Discrimination Act is still not being met in full. Please send me lots of positive vibes to see me through this quagmire and hopefully “bug” free out the other side
