We sat down and ordered our drinks and as it goes, if I’m blessed then I like to return the blessings. I shared an effect with our waitress and it instantly brightened up her day.

Gabriela looks at me and says, “So Russell I know what you do and how good you are, but that’s not what I’m interested in. Tell me your story.” I did. This would be the first time that I would share my story with anyone other than family and friends. It started when I was a young child, born with Epilepsy, Asthma and many other challenges. Later, I would discover that I was also Dyslexic and labelled as “ineducable”.

I was told that I would never live a normal life, that I wouldn’t be able to work, to drive, etc. Even more so later in life, I found out that I was also living with a mild form of Tourette’s.

She sat in her chair, stunned but also fascinated at how I had achieved everything so far against all of the physical and psychological odds I had stacked against me. I told her about how I healed or managed to find ways to overcome my Epilepsy and most of the other challenges that I faced. I realised that what I was burdened with was not a curse, but in fact a blessing.