Latest / Tom's Hirschsprung's Podcast / Episode 60 - With Gemma Keir

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Episode 60 - With Gemma Keir · Tom's Hirschsprung's Podcast

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Speaker 1: You are listening to Tom's Hirshprung's Podcast, where I provide
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Speaker 1: a look into the remarkable experiences of the most inspiring
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Speaker 1: people around Hirshprung's disease and sports. Hello and welcome to
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Speaker 1: episode sixty of Tom's Hirshprung's Podcast. I have a very
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Speaker 1: special guest with me. She is a devoted mother of three,
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Speaker 1: an entrepreneur, and also the author and founder of the
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Speaker 1: Abilities in the Foundation. Welcome to the podcast, Jemma Kiah.
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Speaker 2: Thank you. I see you that I can't see every
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Speaker 2: but I will think you're see me.
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Speaker 1: But they'll see you, you just won't see them. It's
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Speaker 1: strange like that. But thank you so much for coming
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Speaker 1: on now. In this episode, we will talk about various
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Speaker 1: various different things to do with your foundation, your books,
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Speaker 1: one book specially in particular, but we'll leave that for
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Speaker 1: the sort of midway through the episode. But if you'd
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Speaker 1: like to take us to the beginning, really, because as
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Speaker 1: you mentioned at the start, you're the author and founder
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Speaker 1: of the Abilities in the Foundation. How did that all
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Speaker 1: kick off? How did that start?
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Speaker 2: So that we go back now to the year of
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Speaker 2: twenty eighteen and Logan he was very young at the
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Speaker 2: time he was in a reception at school. He was
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Speaker 2: non verbal, and I remember at this point like there
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Speaker 2: was a lot of he'd only just been diagnosed so
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Speaker 2: long ago with twenty two Q deletion, which we were
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Speaker 2: learning about ourselves as parents, but I didn't really have
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Speaker 2: anything to explain to him what it was that he had.
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Speaker 2: But then the children in his school they would come
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Speaker 2: out and say, oh, Logan was taken out of class today,
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Speaker 2: or Logan doesn't talk to me. And I started to go, oh, okay,
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Speaker 2: maybe I could make like a PowerPoint presentation. And I
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Speaker 2: just failed miserably trying to put together a PowerPoint presentation
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Speaker 2: because I didn't know really what to write or how
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Speaker 2: to put it. And then when I was putting, when
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Speaker 2: I was writing things down and putting them on what
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Speaker 2: they called like speech bubbles and graphs and things, it
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Speaker 2: just didn't seem like the children would grasp it at
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Speaker 2: that age. And it was a bit too much of
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Speaker 2: an overload, which you know we always get with the
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Speaker 2: doctors ourselves as the parents. They overload you with medical jargon.
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Speaker 2: And I was like, no, this is this doesn't look right.
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Speaker 2: And then I thought, do you know what I'm going
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Speaker 2: to make a little book, just thinking of like a
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Speaker 2: little book i'd put together on Vista print. You know,
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Speaker 2: we don't even now what we've got now, all these
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Speaker 2: zaps and everything. We didn't have them back those years ago.
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Speaker 2: It wasn't long ago, but no, it was. But even
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Speaker 2: just to make up something common Vista print and you
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Speaker 2: have to use that word document. And again I was
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Speaker 2: just like, oh, I wonder if I could find somebody
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Speaker 2: that does like illustration or children's images. And my friend
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Speaker 2: Elizabeth on Facebook, she was like a social media friend
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Speaker 2: that I found through the heart community. When Logan had
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Speaker 2: heart surgery. She said, out my husband's and children's book Illustraight,
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Speaker 2: I like to have a chat with him. So I
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Speaker 2: messaged him and I told him sort of the idea
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Speaker 2: of wanting to do Logan a book and then potentially
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Speaker 2: you know, like having other characters I think within the book,
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Speaker 2: or or maybe do some more books around other children
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Speaker 2: to help them. So he was like, oh, yeah, we
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Speaker 2: could do that. We put down the original cost to
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Speaker 2: get the book made because he could do all the
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Speaker 2: illustrations and then he could form it into basically a
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Speaker 2: book for me. So I then went on to social
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Speaker 2: media because he sent me an image of Logan and
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Speaker 2: then the cover image, which was our very first original
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Speaker 2: image with five characters, and that was sort of the
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Speaker 2: vision and that went straight onto social media. I hadn't
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Speaker 2: even read the book. I was just like, this is
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Speaker 2: the believes in me. I'm going to write a book
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Speaker 2: for Logan on twenty two Q and within days I
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Speaker 2: had one thousand followers. So I was like, I better
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Speaker 2: sit and write this book. There you go on deliver exactly.
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Speaker 2: So I then and yeah, it doesn't take me long
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Speaker 2: to write. I don't know. I wasn't very good at school.
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Speaker 2: I always struggle when I was in school learning. My
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Speaker 2: brain gets very distracted easily, like I'd be the girl
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Speaker 2: looking out the window at the bird picking at something
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Speaker 2: and the teacher's like Jemma, and yeah, I always struggled
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Speaker 2: with that. And I got bullied at school as well,
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Speaker 2: so I didn't actually be at school, and I would
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Speaker 2: really struggle to ever want to go into school. And
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Speaker 2: I just struggled learning in general, which now i'm older,
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Speaker 2: I found out I've got moderate dyslexia, so that's probably
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Speaker 2: why I never really I found it hard and I
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Speaker 2: failed all my grades. But the poetry I've always been
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Speaker 2: good at. I don't know why I can do things
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Speaker 2: in rhyme really nicely, and I just I found a
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Speaker 2: way to write about this condition. And my mom was like,
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Speaker 2: that's crazy. You know you've written this whole poem about
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Speaker 2: twenty two QI like that's clever. Like, and then as
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Speaker 2: I did more books over the years, again everyone's just like,
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Speaker 2: that's so amazing, Like how do you put an entire
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Speaker 2: condition and their abilities in twelve pages in a book?
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Speaker 2: Like and make it wry that keep it very basic
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Speaker 2: because I was I wanted it to keep to Logan's
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Speaker 2: attention span as well, and when we've done other books,
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Speaker 2: it's keeping it to that, you know, a child's attention
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Speaker 2: span so they don't get too bored or anything like that.
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Speaker 2: So yeah, we sent off for that book to be done.
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Speaker 2: It's got done. Over the Christmas period. We formatted it
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Speaker 2: and I learned how to format the book. So normally
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Speaker 2: a book killer straight are they Adam does them now
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Speaker 2: for me, But when we first started the book, I
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Speaker 2: took on the formatting stage. So I had to put
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Speaker 2: the book. I had to download a dobe and try
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Speaker 2: and work out how you form it to size and print.
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Speaker 2: I did it. I don't know how. It's about three
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Speaker 2: days of training myself on YouTube and that's my life.
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Speaker 2: I trained myself on YouTube for everything. And then we
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Speaker 2: released the book, and obviously I didn't realize there was
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Speaker 2: no children's books for twenty two Q for children, and
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Speaker 2: the book just went worldwide from Amazon through social media
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Speaker 2: and we got back quite a few thousand royalties, and
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Speaker 2: then I just turned to Adam and I was like, well,
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Speaker 2: I don't need this money. Let's make another one. Let's
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Speaker 2: do one for you know. He h had a sun
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Speaker 2: with autism, so I was like, we could do you know,
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Speaker 2: one for your summ of autism. And then my other
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Speaker 2: friend had a little girl of a heart defect. Then
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Speaker 2: my brother had Type one diabetes. So every time a
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Speaker 2: book came out and the basically the sales from one
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Speaker 2: book basically paid for the next book to get made.
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Speaker 2: So it's been kind of very successful in that way
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Speaker 2: where it's gone like that. But the Autism book has
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Speaker 2: been my number One's been a number one best seller
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Speaker 2: on the autism category. It's the best selling book I
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Speaker 2: think we've ever made because it's very common. But when
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Speaker 2: we first put it out. It just didn't go out
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Speaker 2: on sale. Nobody was buying it. I was like, oh no,
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Speaker 2: We've worked so hard, like this is such a lovely book,
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Speaker 2: Like why is no one buying it? Like it's really crazy.
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Speaker 2: But then I thought, you know, I'm going to sit
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Speaker 2: and do a book read video and it went viral
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Speaker 2: and then ever since that, the book's been like really busy.
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Speaker 2: So yeah, it's just yeah, I don't know if I've
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Speaker 2: just drifted off into like a completely old over. That's
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Speaker 2: literally how it'll become. And Logan receiving the book was
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Speaker 2: probably the most magical thing I'd ever seen because he
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Speaker 2: was non verbal, but he did point and he knew
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Speaker 2: that that was that was load going and he was
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Speaker 2: smiling and he was just pointing throughout the book. And
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Speaker 2: when he started to become verbal, he actually just spoke.
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Speaker 2: He can speak to the book out by memory, and
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Speaker 2: that was from hecoun verbal.
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Speaker 1: Yeah that's amazing. That's absolutely fantastic. But obviously different forms
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Speaker 1: of media that you've used to either get your message
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Speaker 1: across or, like you said, with the book wasn't selling, right,
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Speaker 1: I'll do I'll do a video, I'll do YouTube, I'll
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Speaker 1: do this that the other so and I know one
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Speaker 1: of the things I know we were talking a little
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Speaker 1: bit as well off air, that you've you've learned so
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Speaker 1: many things over the span of well since twenty eighteen
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Speaker 1: and beyond some of the things I know you've mentioned
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Speaker 1: about creating books, creating websites. I know there's lots to
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Speaker 1: lots to come in there as well, cake baking.
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Speaker 2: Some.
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Speaker 1: Logo design as well. So is this all sort of
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Speaker 1: self taught?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, no, because I think the ability has just taught me.
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Speaker 2: One thing is that we always should seek what we
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Speaker 2: can do. I'm a bit competitive over the world, and
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Speaker 2: I'm like, if they can do it, so can If
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Speaker 2: someone else to do it, I can try, Like I'm
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Speaker 2: very much. I don't know, maybe because it's charitable and
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Speaker 2: I've tried to save money and left, right and corner,
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Speaker 2: and I'm like, okay, if that's going to cost five
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Speaker 2: hundred pounds, how much it will be free if I
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Speaker 2: just sit and do it, you know. And it's like
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Speaker 2: the current that like we did get a website, but
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Speaker 2: now I'm making a new website and it's going to
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Speaker 2: cost to the charity nothing because I'm throwing in all
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Speaker 2: the time. I can to make it for them. But yeah,
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Speaker 2: the cake bacon. I've loved it since I was little,
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Speaker 2: but I've become really good at it, and I think
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Speaker 2: that's my personal thing that I love to do that. Yeah,
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Speaker 2: with the books, like you said, like the formatting of them,
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Speaker 2: the feelings in me spin off. I did the logo
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Speaker 2: to that because I wouldn't get to be similar to
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Speaker 2: the abilities. So I learned procreate at that time. And
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Speaker 2: then I started learning like basic illustrations because I was like,
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Speaker 2: you never know who you like. If I don't have
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Speaker 2: an illustrator. I could draw, but I'm not very good
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Speaker 2: at drawing. I'll just try and but yeah, everything from
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Speaker 2: like event planning. We've like organized major events like that.
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Speaker 2: I've had six hundred people come to and so a
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Speaker 2: bit of skills of trades of all sorts. And everyone's
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Speaker 2: always saying to me, they're like, what can't you do?
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Speaker 2: I'm like, swim, I can't swim.
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Speaker 1: Well that's not if you could do everything else in life,
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Speaker 1: but just not swim. I think most people would take that.
11:56
Speaker 2: My husband's are lifeguards.
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Speaker 1: I'm all right, so you can cover and save you.
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Speaker 1: It's all right.
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Speaker 2: He laughs at me when I'm going down in the water.
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Speaker 1: I'll laugh and I'm like, maybe you won't come and
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Speaker 1: save you though.
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Speaker 2: Ooops.
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Speaker 1: But I know you touched a little bit on the
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Speaker 1: feelings in me and the abilities in me, and I
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Speaker 1: think that's one of the first things that struck me
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Speaker 1: with the books was the it's so positive the abilities
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Speaker 1: in me because we see, we hear, especially a lot
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Speaker 1: of the books that you've written about about disabled, they're
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Speaker 1: disabled because X, Y, and Z, whereas you flipped that
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Speaker 1: round and said, no, actually, there's so much positivity around
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Speaker 1: these people, these children with these conditions. How did you
12:45
Speaker 1: sort of come up with the name? What did the
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Speaker 1: abilities in Me?
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Speaker 2: I remember the night it came up, because my idea
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Speaker 2: of it was that with the doctor and the schools
13:01
Speaker 2: and your education plans and your medical stuff, it's really
13:06
Speaker 2: stressful to hear as a parent. It's all about things
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Speaker 2: a child can't do and they can't do this, or
13:10
Speaker 2: they might not be able to do this, and they've
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Speaker 2: got this condition and it can meanness and there's and
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Speaker 2: it's a real downer, even though some of it's true.
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Speaker 2: It's just like ah. But then there was just moments
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Speaker 2: where I was sitting at home and Logan was just
13:24
Speaker 2: doing little things here and there, and I was just like,
13:27
Speaker 2: do you know what, he doesn't have that stress or
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Speaker 2: the knowledge, like the knowledge that we've been given yet
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Speaker 2: you know, he's just a kid and he just wants
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Speaker 2: to watch movies or play with toys and laugh and
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Speaker 2: walk around and be silly. Like he was like pointing
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Speaker 2: at things in a way of communicating. And I was
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Speaker 2: just I just saw everything he did as an ability.
13:51
Speaker 2: And it was like even you know, when he was
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Speaker 2: going to the hospital, and it was his ability to
13:55
Speaker 2: be strong when he was choosing his options without being
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Speaker 2: able to speak, his ability to find a way to
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Speaker 2: communicate that you know, he couldn't through speech. And he
14:07
Speaker 2: suffered like so much when he was little because he
14:11
Speaker 2: had open heart surgery and then he had a lot
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Speaker 2: of guest stro issues. He was very, very sick, and
14:18
Speaker 2: there were times where he would just be throwing up,
14:21
Speaker 2: like he couldn't keep anything in his stomach. But then
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Speaker 2: he would like cuddle and then have a little giggle
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Speaker 2: and a smile, and I was just like, it's just
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Speaker 2: that ability to have hope and be happy, and I
14:31
Speaker 2: don't know, there was just yeah, and I thought, do
14:33
Speaker 2: you know what we see a lot more as parents
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Speaker 2: at home than the doctors see that, you know, the
14:39
Speaker 2: teachers might see. And I just thought, that's what I
14:43
Speaker 2: want the series to be about, because I want the
14:45
Speaker 2: children to read the books, but do it through their eyes.
14:49
Speaker 2: So every time I've written a book for a child,
14:52
Speaker 2: because every book's inspired by a child in real life,
14:56
Speaker 2: I will sit with a child and I'll say, right, okay,
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Speaker 2: you've got this condition. A lot of the time, the
15:01
Speaker 2: children will know that they've got something, but they don't
15:03
Speaker 2: know too much right and there are no very basic
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Speaker 2: or they won't understand that they even have it. So
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Speaker 2: we'll go. I'll go to them so abilities of things
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Speaker 2: you can do, what you love to do, like what
15:18
Speaker 2: do you love to do? And they've always just got
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Speaker 2: loads of information about all the things that they love.
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Speaker 2: They love the park, they love going here. You know,
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Speaker 2: there's a little boy that I worked with as a
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Speaker 2: track yoes to me and a lot of people he's
15:30
Speaker 2: you know, he was being bullied and a lot of
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Speaker 2: people around him would think, oh, he can't do this
15:34
Speaker 2: in this because he's got a track yos to me,
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Speaker 2: he's like a fragile piece, you know, got to be
15:38
Speaker 2: very careful. He plays tennis, he loves to sing, and
15:43
Speaker 2: there was all these things and that taught me as well,
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Speaker 2: just like wow, like you can do all these things
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Speaker 2: and you've got a trackos to me, you're amazing. But
15:51
Speaker 2: then in their rise, it's just what they see as
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Speaker 2: a child. Yeah, and just that to be educated, because
16:01
Speaker 2: I think in schools a lot of when we go
16:03
Speaker 2: and do workshops and stuff, the children will be like,
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Speaker 2: oh my god, so they've got this, but they can
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Speaker 2: still do this. Yeah exactly.
16:15
Speaker 1: I think that's that's absolutely brilliant and a fantastic message.
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Speaker 1: I really really really really like that, really like that
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Speaker 1: if we moved towards the foundation and what the foundation
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Speaker 1: does in terms of the books, and you mentioned a
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Speaker 1: little bit, they are based on real life stories. So
16:38
Speaker 1: how how does that work to people come to you
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Speaker 1: and say, can you write a book about someone in
16:43
Speaker 1: my condition? Or do you go to them or does
16:45
Speaker 1: it sort of how does that work?
16:47
Speaker 2: Yeah? They come to me now, So I originally just
16:51
Speaker 2: had a group of friends that had different children with
16:54
Speaker 2: different conditions, So like the first few of being books
16:57
Speaker 2: are literally my friends kids. But they would come to me,
17:04
Speaker 2: but all different things a lot of the children had
17:06
Speaker 2: heart problems from the heart community. So our troup reading book,
17:12
Speaker 2: our Dancing during book, our trackicostomy book, all those kids
17:16
Speaker 2: have heart conditions. But it was like exploring outside because
17:20
Speaker 2: we've done a book call and a heart condition, and
17:22
Speaker 2: it's like, you know, what else you know do his
17:24
Speaker 2: children have that we could educate on. So there's some
17:28
Speaker 2: of the other books that we've done. But now, yeah,
17:31
Speaker 2: the families were coming to me like can you do
17:33
Speaker 2: a book on this? Can you do a book on
17:36
Speaker 2: this condition? I've got over seventy in my request folder.
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Speaker 1: Oh wow, okay wow.
17:42
Speaker 2: And we've I've published thirty books and there's another seventy.
17:45
Speaker 2: That's one hundred books.
17:47
Speaker 1: You'll be busy for a while.
17:48
Speaker 2: Then I said to add it. And he'll say, hey,
17:52
Speaker 2: they borrow you till you're like sixty.
17:55
Speaker 1: You're not retiring like ever.
17:59
Speaker 2: No, But I just love I love it And every
18:03
Speaker 2: time I've released a book. So for me personally, I
18:09
Speaker 2: like to write the book, say, for example, I like
18:13
Speaker 2: to write the book for the child and get their
18:18
Speaker 2: story and make their awareness, you know, around them, and
18:22
Speaker 2: then I love to give the book to them and
18:24
Speaker 2: see their reaction and to see them like, oh my gosh,
18:27
Speaker 2: I'm in the book. And then what I don't well,
18:31
Speaker 2: I always forget to see is like then actually it
18:34
Speaker 2: goes out to the world and we will post up
18:36
Speaker 2: say oh, this book's come out, and then you're start
18:38
Speaker 2: seeing kids around the world holding the same book. And
18:41
Speaker 2: obviously I don't get to see their reactions as much
18:43
Speaker 2: to reading the book. But yeah, it's just really nice.
18:46
Speaker 2: And I don't sometimes realize how big it is until
18:50
Speaker 2: we get like our report back and it's sold in
18:52
Speaker 2: Australia or I know all these plases and I'm like, oh, wow,
18:55
Speaker 2: like loads of people have it now. So but if
18:58
Speaker 2: it's helping them like that's literally if it makes them
19:02
Speaker 2: feel represented, like they're not alone, and that it helps
19:06
Speaker 2: the parent open up a conversation to them about what
19:12
Speaker 2: they've got, because it must be very confusing if you
19:16
Speaker 2: don't have sort of things to look at. And I
19:18
Speaker 2: found that with Logan, where it's like twenty two Q.
19:20
Speaker 2: I'm like, how would I explain it? How would he
19:24
Speaker 2: understand it? If I didn't have the book now, he
19:26
Speaker 2: probably still wouldn't really know what it is because but
19:30
Speaker 2: he embraces I don't know if it's because of the book,
19:33
Speaker 2: but every time he'll do like videos and stuff, he's like,
19:35
Speaker 2: I'm logo to have twenty two Q. Like he sort
19:38
Speaker 2: of embraces it in a way and celebrates it. And
19:41
Speaker 2: that's my message is that you can have a condition,
19:45
Speaker 2: you can go through things, you can be really brave,
19:48
Speaker 2: but you're also like got with the amazing things that
19:51
Speaker 2: you know, you're just kids and you're out to have
19:54
Speaker 2: fun and educate people that you know. There are so
19:58
Speaker 2: many things you can do, not just like oh, that
20:02
Speaker 2: child's different. You know, it's yeah, I'm different, but I'm also.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely absolutely and just as well on the foundation themselves,
20:12
Speaker 1: because you're not just writing books selling books. You do
20:16
Speaker 1: so so so much more more than that. And it's
20:19
Speaker 1: just a couple of things. I'd love to bring up,
20:21
Speaker 1: things like providing equipment and sensory room projects, which I
20:26
Speaker 1: think is fantastic, and donating books to hospitals and charities
20:32
Speaker 1: as well, which is which is fantastic. I recently saw
20:35
Speaker 1: there was a I think it was the last censoring
20:38
Speaker 1: you did, sensory room that you did looked absolutely fantastic.
20:43
Speaker 1: I thought that was absolutely amazing.
20:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, see this is something I really want to go
20:47
Speaker 2: forward with and do more of. So we actually haven't
20:51
Speaker 2: applied for any grants as a charity, maybe just because
20:55
Speaker 2: there's a few amount of us on the team, but
21:00
Speaker 2: we're a CEO registered charity, like we should be applying
21:03
Speaker 2: for children in need and all these big grants and everything,
21:05
Speaker 2: but we've just literally got three with the booksells over
21:08
Speaker 2: the years, so we don't. We're not want these charities
21:10
Speaker 2: that have a huge, huge amount of money. But that
21:14
Speaker 2: would change because we're going to start applying for grants
21:16
Speaker 2: a shit, because I was like, no, you know if
21:19
Speaker 2: we you know, the the Sensory Room. Actually did that
21:22
Speaker 2: out of my own pocket before we registered as a charity.
21:25
Speaker 2: Oh wow, that's really just because it was a school
21:28
Speaker 2: and I was like, oh, how can we give more
21:30
Speaker 2: give back to the school, give the abilities books to
21:34
Speaker 2: it and everything, And that's a big project. I'd like
21:37
Speaker 2: to go forward with the sensory station. I'd like to
21:39
Speaker 2: put them in holiday parks, you know, whether it's like
21:42
Speaker 2: a quiet space for children, but having them at events
21:46
Speaker 2: and yeah, and then trying to install them into schools
21:49
Speaker 2: and give them schools you know, struggle with sem budgets
21:53
Speaker 2: a place for children that do have needs that might
21:55
Speaker 2: be waiting or stuck, you know if waiting for school places,
21:58
Speaker 2: give them somewhere that they can have that can help them.
22:04
Speaker 2: And is there is their brains as well, because it's
22:07
Speaker 2: such a lovely thing and helpful and resourceful. Yeah.
22:11
Speaker 1: Absolutely, And speaking of schools as well, you do a
22:15
Speaker 1: lot of workshops, a lot of sort of inclusive inclusivity workshops.
22:21
Speaker 1: And is that you or is that some people members
22:24
Speaker 1: of the team that go and do all of those.
22:27
Speaker 2: No, it's me, just chat Max. But we are going
22:35
Speaker 2: online because my health isn't great this year and yeah
22:40
Speaker 2: I've got Logan at home ed now as well. But
22:43
Speaker 2: we were touring the UK, we did Ireland, we did Wales,
22:47
Speaker 2: we need to do Scotland. Yeah, but we're putting everything
22:51
Speaker 2: online this year because but it's going to be the
22:54
Speaker 2: same sort of presentation and it's going to be videos
22:57
Speaker 2: with me and Max in the corner going to be
23:00
Speaker 2: putting up YouTube videos. We're going to be giving the
23:03
Speaker 2: schools actually a lot more access now, so every school
23:06
Speaker 2: can download and have an abilities workshop wherever they are.
23:12
Speaker 2: And the one with me in maxim as well, which
23:14
Speaker 2: the kids always love, and yeah, I'm really excited. That's
23:17
Speaker 2: one thing I'm working on to have out around Easter
23:20
Speaker 2: time is to have inclusive resources, the workshops and some
23:25
Speaker 2: training courses as well that I'm really focusing on courses
23:30
Speaker 2: around empathy and compassion because I feel like a lot
23:34
Speaker 2: of staff could do with the training around empathy and compassion,
23:39
Speaker 2: whether you're dealing with a child of disability or a
23:42
Speaker 2: family member that has it, or a parent even just
23:46
Speaker 2: it's a really good thing to put out there and do.
23:50
Speaker 2: So Yeah, with the schools, I will get back out
23:53
Speaker 2: one day. I just need my kidney operation and my
23:56
Speaker 2: mobility back in gear. And yeah, I'm hoping there's some
24:00
Speaker 2: big things to come in the future as well. So
24:03
Speaker 2: hopefully it would be really nice to go around to
24:07
Speaker 2: the schools and keep on educating the abilities, because they
24:11
Speaker 2: always say the teachers are like you and Max are
24:12
Speaker 2: so fun, Like I don't know how you do it,
24:14
Speaker 2: but you engage. We can engage a whole entire assembly
24:17
Speaker 2: for forty five minutes, and some of those children have
24:19
Speaker 2: been young a nursery and that we don't know how
24:22
Speaker 2: you do it, but I'm like, it's in the abilities
24:25
Speaker 2: because it's really actually the children are like, you know,
24:29
Speaker 2: it's want to learn what it is.
24:32
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, no. I think that's sounds absolutely brilliant.
24:37
Speaker 1: And when you said about compassion and empathy for teachers,
24:42
Speaker 1: because I was a pe teacher for a decade and
24:46
Speaker 1: one of the things I learned whilst I was teaching
24:49
Speaker 1: is that one in four, because I mainly taught primary,
24:53
Speaker 1: one in four children have a disability of some kind. Now,
24:58
Speaker 1: it might not be a disability you can necessarily see,
25:02
Speaker 1: it might not be a disability that affects them all
25:04
Speaker 1: the time, but it is definitely there. And so in
25:07
Speaker 1: a class of let's take well let's take twenty eight,
25:10
Speaker 1: you'll have seven children in there who will have a
25:13
Speaker 1: disability of some kind. So that kind of empathy and
25:18
Speaker 1: compassion I think is just so so important in everybody.
25:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, it really is. And I think even you know,
25:27
Speaker 2: shop workers and things like that is just taking a
25:30
Speaker 2: moment to go. I've had a few I'm trying to
25:33
Speaker 2: reach out to the holiday parks at the moment because
25:36
Speaker 2: I had a lot of families. They'll come back and
25:40
Speaker 2: you know, they'll say, oh, when they've gone on holiday.
25:43
Speaker 2: The biggest thing I think is the age different, So
25:46
Speaker 2: they'll have kids clubs and things like that or activities
25:48
Speaker 2: where you've got to be like eight years old. But
25:51
Speaker 2: then it could be like someone like Logan who's mentally
25:54
Speaker 2: five six year old tiny, Like a five six year
25:57
Speaker 2: old wouldn't be big enough for the over activity because
26:01
Speaker 2: he's too small. But then there would say, well, no,
26:04
Speaker 2: he's you know, he's too old or he's too young,
26:07
Speaker 2: and they go by the age of it rather than
26:10
Speaker 2: the accessibility of actually the body weight or the capability
26:13
Speaker 2: of the child. So yeah, there's still a lot more
26:17
Speaker 2: to work. And so I feel like I'm although like
26:20
Speaker 2: i'm with the books and with the abilities. I feel
26:23
Speaker 2: like the abilities is so big it could expand in
26:27
Speaker 2: so many places and help other people and educate. I
26:31
Speaker 2: think that's what I'll always. I think that's what in
26:33
Speaker 2: my head is all educate, Like, no matter what it is,
26:36
Speaker 2: longs to educating you know about things.
26:39
Speaker 1: And I'm there, absolutely absolutely, And speaking of sort of
26:45
Speaker 1: one way that you've expanded the foundation is to have
26:50
Speaker 1: a patron on board. So you do have a patron,
26:55
Speaker 1: and I have interviewed her son on this podcast as well.
27:00
Speaker 1: Patron is Denise Welch. How did that come about?
27:04
Speaker 2: So, first of all, she's amazing. She has been so
27:09
Speaker 2: so supportive of everything. So she is so we're so
27:15
Speaker 2: I was friends with I am friends with her with Lincoln,
27:21
Speaker 2: her husband, his brother, Duncan. I'm friends with Duncan. And
27:26
Speaker 2: I was sitting down with Douncan one night and he
27:28
Speaker 2: was like, give me, give me your books. I'll take
27:31
Speaker 2: them to Denise's at the weekend. And I'm like He's like, yeah, yeah,
27:37
Speaker 2: I'll just take them up to her and just show
27:38
Speaker 2: her what you do with something. I was like, oh, okay.
27:41
Speaker 2: So he took them up to her house. And then
27:43
Speaker 2: the next thing I remember, like a week later, she
27:45
Speaker 2: tagged it on her Instagram. I said, I've got these books.
27:49
Speaker 2: So just to have that tag from Denise Welch, I
27:52
Speaker 2: was like lose in my mind. I was like, oh
27:54
Speaker 2: my god, like them. And then we started following each other,
28:00
Speaker 2: so I think she could see more of what we
28:02
Speaker 2: were doing. And then last year or the year before now,
28:06
Speaker 2: remember Logan got invited onto ITV this morning and I
28:10
Speaker 2: was like, oh my gosh, like this is crazy, and
28:12
Speaker 2: I was really nervous, and she messaged me and she
28:15
Speaker 2: gave me a number and she's like, message me when
28:17
Speaker 2: you go on the show, and she'll be watching. And yeah,
28:23
Speaker 2: before we went on, I was really nervous. That's another
28:26
Speaker 2: thing even doing this now, like my chest goes tired.
28:29
Speaker 2: I get really nervous talking. And we were going on
28:33
Speaker 2: the ITV this morning and I was even when you
28:36
Speaker 2: watch it back, gum litterally like, I'm so nervous. And
28:41
Speaker 2: she called me beforehand, she was like, just be yourself,
28:44
Speaker 2: la la, loh, it's fine. I was nervous, cheek because
28:47
Speaker 2: I was like, I don't know how Logan's going to
28:49
Speaker 2: be live on TV, like he could go two ways.
28:54
Speaker 2: He was absolutely fine, and he was really interested in that.
28:57
Speaker 2: And then he kept like picking up the books trying
29:00
Speaker 2: to be like it was salesman. He's like, you got
29:01
Speaker 2: this one and this one. I was like, who is
29:04
Speaker 2: this kid? Like amazing, Okay, he did such a but
29:09
Speaker 2: he kicked really well with Craig, who was a presenter.
29:13
Speaker 2: And then when we came out of there, Denise rang me.
29:16
Speaker 2: She's like, you were so amazing. She's like, oh, I'm
29:20
Speaker 2: outside by the way, I'm at the White Horse. Come down.
29:24
Speaker 2: We'll love some breakfast.
29:26
Speaker 1: Amazing.
29:27
Speaker 2: I was like, oh my gosh. And we went out
29:31
Speaker 2: on this and we gave each other a hug and
29:33
Speaker 2: we were just talking and I met her sister as
29:36
Speaker 2: well and the family, and I was telling her, you
29:40
Speaker 2: know what I do basically, and just how small it
29:43
Speaker 2: is kind of really like it's just me and my
29:47
Speaker 2: husband and like the small family. And she goes, so
29:53
Speaker 2: she's like, I've never offered before to anyone. She's like,
29:56
Speaker 2: but do you want me to be your patron? And
29:58
Speaker 2: I was like, yes, that'd be so amazing and then
30:06
Speaker 2: so but I didn't really know because you know, I've
30:09
Speaker 2: set up a whole charity and everything and I'm still
30:11
Speaker 2: learning now, like how do you run a charity? How
30:14
Speaker 2: do you what do you do? And you know, people
30:18
Speaker 2: can ask a lot from patrons, but I just love
30:21
Speaker 2: having just Denise there that I can just text in
30:24
Speaker 2: the evening they hey, you know, like it's just she's
30:27
Speaker 2: so lovely, but just her sharing things at times, you know,
30:31
Speaker 2: just boosts things for us. And I think anything I've
30:35
Speaker 2: ever like tried to look at or go and do,
30:37
Speaker 2: like we've tried to get a celebrity football mat. And
30:40
Speaker 2: she pick up the phone and she's like Denise Welch, like,
30:42
Speaker 2: come on, like she she's it's a really good person.
30:46
Speaker 2: She's a really good person to have. But I genuinely
30:49
Speaker 2: just I just care about her as well, Like I
30:51
Speaker 2: see similarities in me and her in that personal ways,
30:57
Speaker 2: and I'm just yeah, I just absolutely love everything that
31:00
Speaker 2: she's like sort of just been there for me and
31:02
Speaker 2: given to us. And that morning as well, at the
31:08
Speaker 2: ITV studios, we came out and I am like the
31:12
Speaker 2: biggest fan girl of Sam Riider, you know, legend. Yeah,
31:18
Speaker 2: and we come out and he's obviously going to the studio.
31:22
Speaker 2: He's come and I just went she's up where well,
31:28
Speaker 2: oh damn, Sam, go for it. I was like, literally,
31:32
Speaker 2: so we've got this picture of like Sam Ryder and
31:34
Speaker 2: Denise and Neil Loader and we're like that's amazing. Yeah. No,
31:40
Speaker 2: she was like she was like she'll bring him in,
31:43
Speaker 2: but yeah. And then obviously we run a choir as well,
31:46
Speaker 2: and she showed up to our local town as a
31:50
Speaker 2: surprise for the children on Christmas and they just were
31:54
Speaker 2: absolutely like starstruck because they were like, oh my god,
31:57
Speaker 2: like she's actually showed up but her husban then Tea's
32:00
Speaker 2: from my hometown, Lincoln, and so yeah, it's I think
32:06
Speaker 2: it's in their heart to be around the Thererea at times.
32:09
Speaker 2: But yeah, she's she's She's done a lot for me
32:14
Speaker 2: in so many ways and just have her support and
32:17
Speaker 2: kindness like everything. So and she's amazing with the kids,
32:21
Speaker 2: and she obviously has a very big part with the
32:23
Speaker 2: Hirsch Browns community.
32:26
Speaker 1: Absolutely, absolutely, no, that's that's a fantastic story. I love that.
32:31
Speaker 1: I love that story so much. And you mentioned as
32:34
Speaker 1: well a little bit that she came to one of
32:37
Speaker 1: your events that you ran with the choir, which is
32:41
Speaker 1: something you've you've set up sort of through the foundation.
32:45
Speaker 1: Would you like to talk a little bit about how
32:47
Speaker 1: that all came about and how that's going.
32:50
Speaker 2: So that came about because we were looking at having
32:54
Speaker 2: a community group, but the community was so big, and
33:00
Speaker 2: every time we had an event, it was like four
33:02
Speaker 2: to six hundred people, sometimes two hundred, three hundred, four
33:07
Speaker 2: hundred and one event I think in the summer it
33:09
Speaker 2: was like six hundred. Then we had to get vendors
33:11
Speaker 2: in and we were just doing these really big family
33:14
Speaker 2: fund events almost every month in one year, and it
33:20
Speaker 2: absolutely took me to the ground and I was like
33:23
Speaker 2: it's so big, I don't know how to help or
33:26
Speaker 2: cut people off who don't want to and include everybody
33:29
Speaker 2: and do everything. But it was a lot, it was
33:32
Speaker 2: a lot of money, it was a lot of time.
33:35
Speaker 2: And then so we sort of pulled back from that,
33:37
Speaker 2: but I was like, I still want to do something
33:39
Speaker 2: in the community. And there were a few other like
33:41
Speaker 2: community groups as well and stuff. And then my husband,
33:44
Speaker 2: who's an absolute phenomenal talented singer, who still hadn't done
33:49
Speaker 2: anything with that voice that he just was like, well,
33:55
Speaker 2: I could run like a singing club or something, and
33:58
Speaker 2: I'd just like take on any help. So I was like, okay.
34:02
Speaker 2: So then we announced the abilities of me Quiet Club
34:05
Speaker 2: and instantly the choir was full. Oh wow, we got
34:11
Speaker 2: we got yeah enough to fit them in the hole.
34:14
Speaker 2: And then when all the children first came in, one
34:19
Speaker 2: of the first things I think we did was to
34:21
Speaker 2: perform at the Christmas Lights. So the kids had a
34:23
Speaker 2: month from meeting each other to learn in a song
34:25
Speaker 2: and standing on the stage at the Christmas Lights. And
34:27
Speaker 2: that's why Denise came in as well to support them.
34:31
Speaker 2: And from that moment it was just like a solid
34:36
Speaker 2: like oh my gosh, This is a whole new level
34:39
Speaker 2: of feeling like a community and being around the children
34:43
Speaker 2: because I love doing the books and like working with
34:45
Speaker 2: the children, but then having this group as well, and
34:49
Speaker 2: actually so like me, I'm nervous more talking to you,
34:53
Speaker 2: but if I was presenting or talking to a child,
34:58
Speaker 2: so different it's really strange. I'm like, and that's been
35:01
Speaker 2: schools as well, Like everything goes away when I'm talking
35:04
Speaker 2: to the kids. I turned into like this complete life
35:07
Speaker 2: just me. I'm not like with going up and what
35:11
Speaker 2: was scary to talk to? No, But yeah, they just
35:14
Speaker 2: being with that group, they're also they're finding the talent.
35:17
Speaker 2: But then also I think it's more important. Some of
35:19
Speaker 2: these children were being bullied in school, not having many friendships,
35:23
Speaker 2: and you know, it took them a few months, but
35:25
Speaker 2: now they've found their friends in the choir club. They
35:29
Speaker 2: founding that, you know, they found the voice and it's
35:32
Speaker 2: an inclusive club. And I can't describe the connection, but
35:38
Speaker 2: just seeing them with the little talent and singing and
35:42
Speaker 2: it gives them an opportunity. We're very laid back, Like
35:45
Speaker 2: it's a very laid back club. We've actually got a
35:48
Speaker 2: sign a signer coming in like to do sign language
35:55
Speaker 2: with the children this year, So when we're practicing a song,
35:57
Speaker 2: she's going to teach them to sign for it. Someone
36:00
Speaker 2: We do our next like because we always see like
36:02
Speaker 2: a little music video and we've got a local studio
36:05
Speaker 2: where they go and they've recorded songs. So now they're
36:07
Speaker 2: on Apple Music and iTunes in the Spotify so if
36:11
Speaker 2: you got the abilities to require, their songs are on there,
36:15
Speaker 2: which is really lovely. So we want to we want
36:17
Speaker 2: to give them sort of that like, oh my god,
36:20
Speaker 2: I've made you know, a VisiC track. How cool is that?
36:23
Speaker 2: And I was in a music video because a lot
36:25
Speaker 2: of these children have life threatening conditions and you know
36:29
Speaker 2: that we don't know what could happen at any point
36:32
Speaker 2: to anyone, and we want them to have those memories
36:35
Speaker 2: and look back and sounds that music video.
36:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's really cool. That's really really cool, And I
36:44
Speaker 1: love I love the fact that it was it was
36:47
Speaker 1: booked out pretty much straight away, so you said to
36:50
Speaker 1: put the advert out there and then they all come in.
36:54
Speaker 2: It's a free club, so well but.
36:57
Speaker 1: Still but still, I mean, that's that's that's amazing the
37:01
Speaker 1: amount of people that want to come because, as you said, singing,
37:05
Speaker 1: you know, not necessarily everybody's cup of tea can be
37:09
Speaker 1: a little bit nerve wracking for Star, it would especially
37:12
Speaker 1: for me as I can't sing at all, and yeah,
37:17
Speaker 1: so but to have have the confidence to go and
37:20
Speaker 1: do that, and I guess that speaks volumes as well
37:22
Speaker 1: to you and Max and how much then trust they
37:25
Speaker 1: have with you that, yeah, that they feel comfortable that
37:31
Speaker 1: they're going to sing and whatnot. And I think that's
37:33
Speaker 1: that's amazing we have.
37:36
Speaker 2: So this year as well, we're going to open up
37:38
Speaker 2: back up to our Hertfordshire like community and have or
37:42
Speaker 2: even a national and just invite anybody to come along
37:45
Speaker 2: to like Whipsney to. Last year we went to chet
37:48
Speaker 2: It and we've done a day out of Gulliver's so
37:51
Speaker 2: we do have family fun days like just one day.
37:55
Speaker 2: But last year we just went out with the choir family.
37:58
Speaker 2: It's because a local company donate five thousand pounds to
38:02
Speaker 2: give back to the children, so we thought we would
38:05
Speaker 2: just pay and have a massive day out for them.
38:07
Speaker 2: And it was so lovely because some of these children,
38:11
Speaker 2: you know that they have been able to go to
38:13
Speaker 2: places like that and it was just so nice. It
38:16
Speaker 2: all come together and just have fun in that way,
38:18
Speaker 2: so we do kind of go beyond and also as
38:21
Speaker 2: well for the children that are like more shy or
38:22
Speaker 2: they won't sing, it's very laid back, like we just
38:25
Speaker 2: want to be part of the club and like listen
38:27
Speaker 2: to the music. And you know, sometimes some of the
38:30
Speaker 2: children won't sing, but there's no pressure, Like we don't
38:34
Speaker 2: pressure the club at all, and we'll go, all right,
38:36
Speaker 2: we're singing along to this song. A lot of them
38:38
Speaker 2: will pick it up because we do it over a
38:40
Speaker 2: longer amount of time. But yeah, they just have fun
38:45
Speaker 2: and just watching them have friends and run around together,
38:48
Speaker 2: and you know, they include like the children that may
38:51
Speaker 2: have adoptions and they're in wheelchairs and you know, and
38:54
Speaker 2: they just they don't see any of that. Like everybody's
38:57
Speaker 2: just friends and it's just, yeah, it's a beautiful place.
39:00
Speaker 1: So cool. That's so cool, And kudos to you for
39:03
Speaker 1: doing that because I think that that's amazing. And just
39:07
Speaker 1: as we sort of go towards the end here, it's
39:09
Speaker 1: just a couple of things that I wanted to mention
39:11
Speaker 1: that you've released some more merch I've just seen recently
39:16
Speaker 1: from that you can can order from the shot. Would
39:19
Speaker 1: you like to talk a little bit about the merchandise.
39:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, i'd say it's coming soon, but when this podcast
39:24
Speaker 2: is out, it might be out already on our website.
39:27
Speaker 2: So we'll go with that. For years and years, everyone
39:31
Speaker 2: sees us wearing our ability shirts, so we have always
39:34
Speaker 2: privately just put a loadgo on T shirts for volunteers
39:37
Speaker 2: and for events and things, and everyone said, we want
39:40
Speaker 2: T shirts, you know, we want merchandise, want pens, and
39:44
Speaker 2: at the events we'll do mugs and things. But yeah,
39:48
Speaker 2: I've been spending the last couple of weeks literally making
39:52
Speaker 2: up so much match a lot of collection items as
39:56
Speaker 2: well that we were trying to make gifts for teachers
39:59
Speaker 2: and hospital teams. Yeah, and eventually I want to do
40:03
Speaker 2: collections and that match the books as well. So it
40:06
Speaker 2: could be like something that you know, has the heart
40:10
Speaker 2: logo when it was the patch on for HD awareness,
40:14
Speaker 2: so sort of like an awareness collection as well would
40:17
Speaker 2: be really nice. But all the profit goes back to
40:20
Speaker 2: our foundation. So I'm just trying to find, you know,
40:23
Speaker 2: ways that you know, things can can be gifted to
40:27
Speaker 2: people and people can represent us and the logo and
40:30
Speaker 2: then it supports the charity in return. So everything yeah,
40:33
Speaker 2: I've always gone out and done is for the best
40:37
Speaker 2: interest to come back because then with the charity this year,
40:40
Speaker 2: their main goal is to donate the books to hospitals
40:44
Speaker 2: and we're going to be applying for grants. Well, we
40:46
Speaker 2: can also have a sensory pack to schools so that
40:51
Speaker 2: they can receive like a book set and they can
40:54
Speaker 2: get some books in or you know, maybe like sensory
40:57
Speaker 2: pack with sensory toys and the abilities books and schools
41:00
Speaker 2: then can apply and have a pack sent to them
41:03
Speaker 2: for free. So yeah, this is win need to apply
41:07
Speaker 2: to the grants because I need to get out because
41:10
Speaker 2: they can get discount if they order books. But I
41:13
Speaker 2: want the schools and hospitals to be donated packs because
41:18
Speaker 2: it really works both ways. There's a lot of educating
41:21
Speaker 2: going on in hospitals that you don't think of that
41:23
Speaker 2: they play specialist team are amazing, but they'll be. They're
41:28
Speaker 2: the ones that go around they take the abilities books
41:30
Speaker 2: for the kids, you know, if they've just been diagnosed,
41:32
Speaker 2: and they will say, oh, you know, if you've got
41:33
Speaker 2: cheap feed, look at this book like a little girl.
41:36
Speaker 2: And I mean did a hospital book recently as well,
41:39
Speaker 2: and they love it. Because they're like, ah, so we're
41:42
Speaker 2: educating schools and hospitals. So yeah, that's my gosh.
41:47
Speaker 1: I love that. I love that. And you talked a
41:50
Speaker 1: little bit as well, or posted a little bit should
41:52
Speaker 1: I say about a YouTube channel coming soon or beautube
41:57
Speaker 1: channel is up, But yeah, doing little bits and pieces
41:59
Speaker 1: with that that we'll definitely look out for as well.
42:04
Speaker 2: I've been trying to set up and create studio where
42:07
Speaker 2: it's like an intro character. I did one with Logan
42:11
Speaker 2: and then me. We're still trying to learn how that works,
42:14
Speaker 2: but it'd be really cool to sort of have that
42:16
Speaker 2: and then like reading the books, or I might just
42:20
Speaker 2: jump on and do like a book reads as near
42:23
Speaker 2: as a person. So a lot of people said it'd
42:24
Speaker 2: be nice to have an awful book read, So yeah, again,
42:28
Speaker 2: it's just sort of getting the books out there, but
42:31
Speaker 2: then ways that people can just click on and watch
42:34
Speaker 2: it and the kids can learn about it. But there's
42:36
Speaker 2: just so much more to do. I just got to
42:39
Speaker 2: get me and Logan's health sorted out this side of
42:43
Speaker 2: the year, and then we'll be off and keep going
42:46
Speaker 2: with everything that we set to do, and I'll be
42:49
Speaker 2: back with the books again later on this year so fantastic.
42:53
Speaker 1: Well, well, we'll definitely look out for those because they
42:55
Speaker 1: sound like very exciting times ahead. And just very quickly,
42:59
Speaker 1: as a wrap up, where can people purchase the books?
43:03
Speaker 1: Where can people find them?
43:05
Speaker 2: So the books are so Originally we had the books
43:09
Speaker 2: just on Amazon. If you wanted to buy them in
43:12
Speaker 2: bulk with an education or hospital discount, you'd go online
43:16
Speaker 2: and submit a form. However, this year I've changed things
43:21
Speaker 2: up where we're going to sell the books also on
43:24
Speaker 2: our website. I'm just trying to find a way to
43:28
Speaker 2: connect the printer to sell them individually, but we're going
43:30
Speaker 2: to sell the bulk orders to everybody now, so everybody
43:35
Speaker 2: can buy the entire set as a bundle. Basically that
43:41
Speaker 2: was before it was just for education and hospitals would
43:44
Speaker 2: get a discount. But now I was like, one, no,
43:46
Speaker 2: We'll just we'll put like a certain percent of the
43:50
Speaker 2: bundle and it will be available on our website and
43:52
Speaker 2: then they can just order it directly rather than having
43:55
Speaker 2: to go through and do the whole invoice process. Like
43:57
Speaker 2: trying to make it easier around for everybody. Give everybody
44:00
Speaker 2: a chance to because we get parents a lot that
44:03
Speaker 2: will go oh, I want to give the score books that.
44:06
Speaker 2: But then there's been rules down to say, oh, it
44:09
Speaker 2: has to be the school, it has to come from school.
44:12
Speaker 2: But I'm like, no, let's let's make it for everybody.
44:16
Speaker 2: So that should be it now februe.
44:20
Speaker 1: Much end of third when people are listening.
44:22
Speaker 2: To this, yeah, give me a bargain.
44:26
Speaker 1: Absolutely absolutely, And where can people Where can people follow
44:31
Speaker 1: the Abilities in the Foundation online?
44:34
Speaker 2: So we're on Facebook, which is the Abilities in the
44:37
Speaker 2: Book series at handle and then it's the Handle the
44:41
Speaker 2: Abilities Foundation on Instagram, which I'm trying to work with
44:45
Speaker 2: Instagram because we've got nearly half a million followers on Facebook.
44:49
Speaker 2: We've got nearly half a million followers on TikTok and
44:53
Speaker 2: Instagram we've put thirty. Ok. I'm like no, like, I'm
44:58
Speaker 2: trying this is again. I'm learning things like I'm trying
45:01
Speaker 2: to work out how to work which app so yeah,
45:05
Speaker 2: we're learning that. But really TikTok is at the Abilities Family.
45:09
Speaker 2: So TikTok is very much Logan's channel, and Logan loves
45:15
Speaker 2: going on TikTok. We've had a little bit of a
45:18
Speaker 2: breather from Christmas because he got over nearly eight hundred
45:23
Speaker 2: Christmas cards from around the world. Yes, certainly six countries
45:28
Speaker 2: he reached and there's a lot of posts and I
45:32
Speaker 2: actually gave my hand nerve damage from opening all the letters.
45:37
Speaker 2: I'm not even joking. I hadn't tinkered, like my hand
45:39
Speaker 2: was numb at Christmas because I was like, it's just
45:44
Speaker 2: every day. I was like, oh gosh, just so much.
45:47
Speaker 2: It's amazing and a lot of people and I just think, again,
45:50
Speaker 2: it's just spreading that awareness and his joy is contagious.
45:56
Speaker 2: So yeah, that's.
46:00
Speaker 1: The sentiment to finish on. But I just wanted to
46:01
Speaker 1: say thank you so so much for joining me. It
46:05
Speaker 1: has been an absolute pleasure to meet you, to have
46:09
Speaker 1: you on, and I wish you and the rest of
46:13
Speaker 1: your family and the entire foundation all the very very
46:16
Speaker 1: best for the future and to what is to come.
46:19
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me.
46:25
Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the podcast. Find us on
46:27
Speaker 1: Instagram Tom's Underscore Hirshbrung's Underscore podcast. Listen to previous episodes
46:33
Speaker 1: on Spotify by searching Tom's Hirshbrung's Podcast.