18/05/2026
1st February 2025 🇫🇮🎅
(1 year, 3 months and 17 days ago)
A memory that will stay with me forever.
Travelling to Finland nearly finished me off physically, but I was absolutely determined to meet the real Santa Claus — and I did it. ❤️
And yes… my QUICKIE Q700 was off the road at the time, so I had to make the whole trip in my old “banger” — the Puma 40 😅
Now don’t get me wrong, the Puma 40 range are actually brilliant chairs, but this particular one was probably the worst Puma 40 I ever owned. Bald tyres, snow everywhere, accessibility challenges, freezing temperatures and a chair that definitely wasn’t as quick or capable as my QUICKIE Q700 from Sunrise Medical.
At one point things got that difficult my dad stepped in and got a taxi to help me through part of the journey. Without that support, I honestly don’t know how I would have managed.
By the 2nd February I was honestly just glad to see Lyon again on the journey home. We also met an amazing Cameroonian lady working at Eurostar who helped get us through early because of the train strikes while everyone at Eurostar was rushing through.
Dad had also taken me for chicken burgers and for a p**s because we couldn’t find bogs. I still can’t believe they charge for toilets at Gare du Nord — even disabled people have to pay. I really do hope they see sense and change this one day.
Even the British passport officer had a laugh with me while trying to find where the Finnish immigration police had stamped my passport 😅 I joked to him: “I don’t recommend Finland… it nearly finished me off.”
The French passport control staff were brilliant too, although the British humour definitely didn’t translate 😅
And now I share the video of finally seeing Santa Claus — pure magic really… even if it did leave me about 90 euros lighter, which was around 70 quid at the time 😂🎅
Honestly, Finland nearly finished me off physically… but it was a once in a lifetime experience and I’m still glad I did it.
The trip really tested me physically and mentally at times.
But I was determined.
Disabled people should never be underestimated. Sometimes we fight through things most people never even see, just to experience the same magic and make memories that last forever.
Looking back now, over a year later, I’m still proud I pushed through and made it happen. ✨
