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Living With SMA
Living With SMA
Ep: 35 Festivities & Highlights of 2023
Welcome to a festive and reflective episode of our podcast, where Ross and Luis take you on a delightful journey through the holiday season and the highlights of 2023. As the year comes to a close, join us in celebrating the joy of Christmas while unravelling Luis's potential undercover Grinch tendencies.
In this special episode, we'll rewind the tape and revisit the incredible year we've had on the podcast. From thought-provoking conversations to inspiring guest interviews, 2023 has been a year of growth, learning, and memorable moments. We'll share some of our favourite episodes, insights gained, and the impact we've had on our community.
But that's not all—we're also setting our sights on the horizon and diving into our exciting plans for 2024. Whether it's new topics, innovative formats, or engaging collaborations, we'll give you a sneak peek into what the future holds for our podcast.
Join us as we wrap up 2023 with laughter, gratitude, and a sprinkle of holiday magic. Whether you're a loyal listener or joining us for the first time, this episode is a warm invitation to reflect, rejoice, and look forward to the adventures that await in the new year. Tune in now and let's spread the festive cheer together! 🎄🎉🎁
#PodcastRewind #FestiveReflections #UndercoverGrinch
THIS PODCAST IS NOT JUST FOR PEOPLE WITH SMA This content is not solely for the SMA Community. We hope this discussion will be helpful to everyone. ❤️
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Living With SMA Disclaimer: The views expressed in this episode belong to the Podcast Participants and not the charity SMA UK, its partners, or its employees. All opinions expressed by the Podcast Participants are solely their current opinions and do not reflect the opinions of SMA UK. The Podcast Participants' opinions are based upon information they consider reliable, but neither SMA UK, nor the companies with which such participants are affiliated, warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such.
One, two, three, four. Hi everyone, and a big welcome to the Living with SMA podcast. We talk about all things Spinal Muscular Atrophy related, the topics discussed are not exclusively for individuals with SMA, so there should be something here for everyone. We also do things differently. For starters, our charity, SMA UK uses different hosts and everyone involved gets a final say in the creative process of making these episodes. We cut through the jargon and the content is accessible for everyone. All the stories are individual, and we are committed to sharing as many different perspectives as we can for our listeners. So, if you're listening to this and have a burning desire to talk about a particular subject, then please reach out to us on our social media channels or send us a quick email. And remember, no topic is off the table. If there is something the SMA community wants to talk about, this is the place, we really hope you enjoy the podcast. And please do connect with our charity and share your comments online and let us know what you think from all the team at SMA UK. Thank you for listening. Three, two, one. Go. Hello everyone and welcome back to the Living with SMA podcast. Welcome back. And today's episode is a very special one because it is actually our final episode of the year 2023, done, dusted, and we thought, what better way to end this year's podcast with a little bit of Christmas chat. If you are watching the visuals of today's podcast, you will see both myself and Luis are dressed to our festive best, doing our best today to keep things festive. So yeah, today's podcast is gonna be a little bit of Christmas chat. We're gonna be talking through some traditions, having a bit of lighthearted fun along the way as well. And we're also gonna be having a little bit of a reflection as well over the past 12 months of the Living with SMA podcast. We're gonna be talking through some of our highlights and just having a bit of a discussion about some of the episodes we've recorded this year, because it has definitely been a successful year for living with SMA. So yeah, let's jump into it. I'm excited for this because it feels quite intimate. It's just me and you, Luis, you are the producer of the podcast. You're the man behind the scenes usually. I'm obviously a regular host, so it's nice that we get to have this moment between us to reflect. Oh, absolutely. I mean, it's great to be back and it does feel a bit different since I've taken a step back as a guest and really focusing on... Yeah. On what we at SMA UK can do around the podcast and making sure that it's things that... Yeah. Our community wants to share and protect and engage with. So yeah, I'm really excited to be back and talking about a really awesome time of the year as well and just arguing with you a little bit on traditions. Yeah. So I think there will be differences, even though I'm from a country where usually this time of the year consists of summer. So, I'm used to having barbecues for Christmas instead of proper Christmas dinners. So yeah, I look forward to talking to you a little bit more about that and obviously reflecting on the amazing year we've had this year. Yeah. I think, I feel like it's best that we start whilst we're here, whilst we're festive, let's start with Christmas then. I feel like the best way to describe our relationship about talking about this is, imagine me as the excitable Buddy the Elf, and then we've got The Grinch over here. Oh my goodness. Do we not agree? That's a little unfair. I mean, I have mixed emotions around Christmas and this time of the year, so I love that it's a time when families can get together and really just enjoy that time together, most of the time people are on leave and unable to spend more time with their families than usual. But I mean, she doesn't love getting a present and opening a present, let's be honest. It's always good. And I think, I just, I guess for me, I find that the world is bringing Christmas into the picture earlier and earlier and earlier, when we go to some of the stores Halloween time, there's already Christmas decorations on sale. Yeah. And I'm presuming it's because they want to cater to those who'll want to get ready early. And so I understand the dynamic climate. It's just, I think that sometimes it can be too much. Maybe I am a bit of a Grinch, I don't know. I think... I love that. We'll leave that up to the listeners and to the viewers on YouTube to put in the comments whether I'm a Grinch or not. But I mean I do enjoy Christmas. And I think since coming to the UK I've probably seen a very different side to Christmas, right? So, being able to drink hot chocolate and sit by a fire and the traditional... Yeah. Like movie scene time, Christmas is something that I never got to experience until I had come here some years ago. So from that, and itself was really awesome to experience. Especially the first year that I was here we actually had snow right before Christmas, and that was even more amazing. Not exactly a white Christmas, but a little bit of a white Christmas. Yeah. So, I guess I'm a Grinch, excited kid, hybrid. Let's describe it that way. I love that moment of realization earlier when you kind of just paused and you were like, maybe I am a Grinch. It was almost like a meme. It was set as, the more you talked, the more you realized actually maybe I'm the problem. No, it's all good. It's all good. And it's like you said as well, it is kind of starting earlier and earlier each year. Although, to counteract your argument there, I read an article online a while back that according to a survey or, whatever, it basically said that those who put up their decorations earlier are generally happier. So, I live by that motto. Yeah, true. But I'm all about a bit of self care and a bit of anything to make you happy. You have to prioritise happiness in this life. So, if that means putting your tree up in September, you do you. I sense a hint that you're trying to say I'm not happy, Ross. No. You are I'm only messing. I mean. Let's... I mean it's a really interesting statistic. And, I guess, I can see the correlation because, it is a happy time of the year for a lot of people, myself included. There are moments of joy, I guess. It's just seeing people put up their Christmas lights outside their house in the middle of November. It's like, "Oh my goodness." Like maybe for me, it's more the realisation that I'm running out of time. Like the end of the year is approaching, really quickly. Maybe that's why there's a little bit of anxiety around starting too soon. But, I mean, if we look at some of the negative stories around Christmas, those societal pressures of spending more money than we actually have because we want to make sure we're giving the best gift, it's really positive to hear that there also are other side to the coin being told. The fact that people are happier and that's why they're enjoying it more. And yeah, it's great to see contrast. No, it is. It definitely is. It's a fair balance and I think you do have to tread that line. Talk me through then, a traditional Christmas, a traditional UK Christmas in the Luis household. What does a Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day kinda look like for you. Well, I noticed you added the UK part to that, very strategically there. So, I think, again, referencing my past having barbecue on Christmas Day, it was very exciting being able to do a traditional Christmas dinner or lunch or however you'd like to call it. And that usually just consists of the whole family getting together and doing things. So, my partner's family all come to us and we just have a whale of a time together. So usually Christmas Eve is my partner's parents preparing the meat for Christmas Day and we are prepping our portion of Christmas dinner, which is usually roast potatoes that are going to be roasted in goose fat or duck fat, depending on what we find. My partner's sister is... My partner is usually preparing this amazing, amazing dish of Brussels sprouts, carrots and bacon. It is so good. The Brussels sprouts are not boiled, they are fried. So, it's a different dynamic. They're not soft and gooey like you would usually have Brussels sprouts. I love Brussels sprouts, so I'll eat them any way I get them, but that dish is really amazing. So, I'll be honest, like right now, all the Christmas presents are already bought'cause we strategically buy our gifts throughout the year. And that means that we currently have a lounge that's almost too full for me to drive around in my power chair 'cause of this. 'Cause we're normally like 11 people around the table for Christmas. Wow. But then we have a lot of dessert as well, usually. There will be copious amounts of snowballs being drunk. There'll be copious amounts of beer, maybe some Rocking Rudolph ales. I went to a local Christmas fair recently, and there was a vendor selling maple whisky, and I thought, I'll try this in my coffee. I think I've just found my new Christmas drink 'cause it tastes like whisky with a sweet maple taste at the end, and it doesn't burn as much when it goes down. So, I think I'm going to be having a lot of Christmas coffees on Christmas Day. But it's just a really busy time. I guess my partner is running around frantically trying to make sure that things are going according to plan. So, on Christmas Day, we don't open presents straight away. It's really trying to move the furniture around in the living room to accommodate for the table that we extend in the center of the lounge. And decorations on the tables and making sure everything looks just right before the family arrives. So this year, we've got a blue, like a royal blue and a silver theme. So, we've got everything royal blue and silver. Like clutter and stuff all over the place, yeah. My partner and her daughter went buck wild. So, every year we have a different theme on the table and... Usually, Christmas jumpers to match, but this year I'm reusing my white one that I'm wearing now because it fits into the theme anyway and yeah, it's just a great time for the family to get together. Enjoying in the gift sharing and eating probably way too much food and Boxing Day Would consist of trying to eat as much of the leftovers as possible so that we're not wasting food. Yeah. No, I think a lot of households are in a similar position there. I think that's the nice thing about Christmas for the majority of people, it is about just getting the family together. I know in my situation, I'm a much smaller family, so you... Sort of between the four of us that is our traditional Christmas Day, parents, me and my sister, and it's usually just the four of us for the majority of the day. And then the evening we tend to go and visit grandparents. And then Boxing Day is more of a chilled day. But yeah it is about that family and I guess it must be a lot harder if you are a bigger family 'cause with bigger families, come bigger dynamics and there's always the Christmas tensions and stuff that come with that, which is really interesting. So, yeah I'm quite lucky in the sense of, it's just we're a small family and my sister has a partner this year, so she'll be going off and doing things with her partner on Boxing Day I believe. So, that will change the dynamic again shortly. But yeah, it's just nice. Isn't it, just to get everyone around together. Yeah. That's what it's all about. Yeah, absolutely. I guess I'm very lucky. So, there are no real awkward moments around the Christmas table, which is really nice. Growing up it was very rare that we had a big Christmas of like a big group of people, even in South Africa. So, in South Africa it was usually my mom, if she has the time and then me and my sister, so a group of four. And when we were lucky enough to go down to visit the grandparents, it would be all of us plus the grandparents. So, a group of six instead of four. But I never ever was part of a big dynamic like we are having at the moment. So, I am really enjoying that to just have that big group of people over, like you see in the movies and just really enjoying the time together. Probably drinking way too much and eating way too much. But I guess it's all part of the experience that we want to create, right? It is. Absolutely. Talk to me about, we've touched a little bit on it there, Christmas food. 'Cause I'm a foodie, massive foodie at heart and for me it's that pressure, isn't it? You think it's just a roast dinner. It's just one day, just like any other Christmas dinner, but it's not, there's a pressure on this one meal of the year, isn't it? I'm very lucky in the sense of my mom just kind of takes on that responsibility, bless her. But yeah, talk to me about your Christmas dinner. I wanna ask you on your plated Christmas lunch, what's your top three items? What has to be essential for you? Wow, that's so hard to answer. So... I know. Yorkshire pudding. Oh, yes. Brussels sprouts. Especially the ones that my sister's partner makes and... The silence after sprouts says it all. It's just... That's not acceptable. And probably. He's struggling. He's struggling. It's hard. It's really hard. No. The goose potatoes trump any of the meat hands down. Okay. Yeah So... Yeah, I know. Goose fat potatoes, Yorkshire pudding with gravy on top and the Brussels sprouts which are just amazing. Okay. I can't believe, I know you say your sister's Brussels spouts are something different, but the fact that Brussels spouts in general have made your top three is quite shameful, Louis, because there's a famous saying, isn't there? I'm gonna really butcher this saying now, but it's something like, if you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. So, I don't care how you fry your Brussels sprouts, they're still Brussels sprouts and it's just not okay. Do you know what I mean? I have to argue with you because number one, you haven't tried them so you cannot judge. And number two, I'm the one that eats them. And I can tell you right now that they are out of this world. But I mean, it'll be great to share yours as well, right? So, every household is different and we all have our own preferences. So, what does Ross like to do on his plate? Well, I'm gonna probably match you in the potatoes because I am the biggest potato head going. I love potato with a passion. I could eat that with every meal. So yeah, the potatoes are definitely up there as a number one. I will just say one year we had chips with our roast instead of roasties for a change... Wow. Which was quite different. I think we even had both one year,'cause we did like a challenge where, again, I'm so sorry to my mom, I do not know why she agreed to take on all this work. But we all wrote down, I think we had to write down three items each that we wanted on our plate. And I think one year I think my dad wrote chips, I wrote roasty and my sister wrote mash. So, we have like three different potatoes on one plate. It was insane. So yeah, potato is up there. Probably second, you can't have a Christmas lunch without pig in blanket essentially me, I am the pig in the blanket. Was it... And thirdly, I love a bit of stuffing. I do love a bit of stuffing. Like some people have strict rules, don't they? You can't have stuffing with certain meats. Like, whereas I don't believe in that. I think stuffing just should be on any and every roast really. I don't disagree. I think absolutely... I think the only difference in that for me would be is our pigs in the blanket are pre snacks, not part of the main meal. So, we're eating pigs in the blanket when people arrive and getting comfortable and starting to enjoy the day. And then we've all had a drink or a coffee by the time we start having pigs in the blanket. And then usually an hour to two hours after that where dishing up the main meal always consists of literally everything on the plate. Stuffing is definitely on my plate, but it still wouldn't tramp the Brussels sprouts. I'm sorry. Alright. Well I feel like the fact that you have pigs in blanket as like appetizers makes me want to still come and, you know, get involved in your Christmas. I can accept that. That's fine. Talk to me a little bit about, you know, as well as Christmas, you know, Christmas is all about not just family, it's not just food, it's a lot of other things that add up to the overall environment and the atmosphere of Christmas. And I'm talking movies and I'm talking music. So, do you have any like go to traditions when it comes to like, favorite Christmas film, favorite Christmas song. Again the Grinch in me cannot really do the classic, carols and Christmas music. I think that, shopping complexes have destroyed that for me, unfortunately. Luckily I found alternatives, so, one of the songs I play a lot over this time of the year is 'Carol of the Bells', but it's, done by Lyric Noel, which is like heavy metal version of the classic, which is really, really good. Every time I listen to it reminds me of Home Alone and Home Alone is definitely on my top five Christmas movies and the OG Home Alone, not the other spinoffs. I think Home Alone 2 wasn't as good as one and all the others after that were even worse. Die hard, absolutely best Christmas film on the planet. I knew that. I knew that was coming. I knew that. I think, it's what's accidentally become a tradition in the family is watching all the Harry Potters. So, literally from next week up until the end of December, we would've watched literally all the Harry Potter movies, in sequence. So, that has somehow become a tradition. And I have no problem with that because I'm a fan and I enjoy Harry Potter and I usually find that every time I watch it again, I'm seeing something that I never saw last time, 'cause I'm observing it differently. So yeah, I think that that's a great tradition that we've made as a team of decisions. I don't really do well with the normal Christmas movies of like this moment, this dad has broken up and you know, it's a Christmas miracle and like now I'm back together again, type of vibe. I don't know why I've not really enjoyed those type of movies, but I'm definitely open to Christmas movies. Yeah, good. I'm glad we are pretty much the same. I like the fact you said Harry Potter 'cause that's not traditionally a Christmas film, is it? That's kind of an all year round thing. So, I like it when people have those like niche little moments. For me every year our family go to film is The Santa Clause movies. So there's like a trilogy of them. Again, you can't beat the original number one is always, always the best in most cases. But yeah, The Santa Clause films with Tim Allen, those are definitely a favorite of our household. We kind of make it a tradition on Christmas Eve. We get together and we watch The Santa Clause with like, the nibbly foods. That's kind of our film and chill and watch that. So yeah, I do love a Christmas film. Cheesier the better in my opinion but, yeah. Alright. Well, I struggle with that. I think, I'm more into the rebellious side of things. So, like I do love The Grinch... Stole Christmas. I did enjoy that. I mean, Jim Carrey is one of my favorite actors, so I think that that's probably why. But also movies like is it Office Christmas Party where they're not supposed to have a Christmas party, but the CEO decides to do it and like it turns into like a complete battle where they're burning down the office and it's a really funny movie. I would highly recommend that. And also, you know, like Bad Santa, Bad Santa is something that I watch on Christmas as well. I see. So yeah, definitely not the norm of films, but still Christmas films. Yeah. And just to sort of finalize on that, talking of The Grinch, there again, there's an amazing feature which I've got. I've got one of these sort of ring doorbells, you know, where it records outside your house. And there's an amazing Christmas feature this year where you can set an automatic reply when someone presses your doorbell. And it's in the voice of The Grinch and... No way. It's amazing. A friend of mine told me about it, and I got straight on it and added mine. So, essentially I've got the best video of like a delivery man coming to my door, and then The Grinch just starts speaking to him and he looks so confused. It's incredible. Oh my goodness. I'm gonna have to... So yeah, there's a little... Yeah, I'm gonna have to. That sounds great. You've gotta do it. Yeah. If anyone out there has one of these doorbells, check your settings because you can add The Grinch in there. And yeah, finally just about music, like being a radio host myself, we launched Christmas songs on the radio, sort of back in November, sort of mid to late November. So I've kind of, you know, I've been surrounded by them already for quite a while now. So, it doesn't really bother me too much because that's kind of just ingrained into my every day. But I guess for Grinches, like yourself, you don't like to hear them. So... I mean, I mean, I highly recommend you add, Lyric Noel, 'Carol of The Bells' to the playlist. Shock some of your listeners if you dare it. But I think it's a really great transition to that song. I love it. It speaks to me. Yeah. Alright. We love a recommendation. Thank you for that. Alright. So, we've talked quite a bit of Christmas now. We do love our Christmas and I feel like to sort of end our podcast, you know, it's our final episode. We need to have a bit of a reflection on the year we've had here on the podcast.'Cause it's been a great year, hasn't it? For the living with SMA podcast. We've had some great engagement, which we always encourage and really, really appreciate. I know myself, we've had 10 episodes this year, which has been fantastic. And I just thought it'd be nice for us just to, go through some of those episodes and just sort of have a little bit of a recap really. So, the first episode we kicked off, this year was, we were looking at care and you was involved in this one yourself, Luis, alongside McKayla and Katie as well. It was almost like a recap. 'Cause that was one year on from a previous episode we'd done. And I think this is the great thing about the podcast this year, is that we have really tackled some really important issues and subjects this year, which I think the greatest thing about that is that it has not just been specific for the SMA community. This is, we're talking the community in general. It can apply to so many people with disabilities and people who are in receipt of care and other subjects we've talked about. So, it was really nice to start the year, wasn't it, with that sort of reflection of care one year on? Absolutely. I mean, I think it's still an issue that's pertinent to our community and as someone who relies on care myself, it's still a press pertinent issue for me. I have no doubt that there will be another iteration of that episode at some point in the future because I think that that's a story that still needs telling. I will say that I've been very fortunate because I've improved my care situation quite a lot since my last two episodes on care. Which I'm really thankful for. But I know that there were still so many people out there who are struggling and I guess that was probably one of the episodes that were really close to my heart. And I think definitely that's a topic that will continue, 'cause the problem still exist. But yeah absolutely spot on. We've had a really good year of episodes and, I'm so grateful that we've got such a great audience, right? Because it's the listeners that motivate me to want to do better every episode and to, you know, take their feedback and take their interest in topics and turn them into things that people can listen to or watch on YouTube. So, I'm really grateful for that. I think it's been a privilege for me to see the stories of the community that we at SMA UK are trying to serve and giving people a platform to come tell their story. And if they're not brave enough to come on the platform at least coming to us and saying, you know, we would really like to hear about this or about that. It just makes us as an organization feel that what we're doing is working, number one, but also that we have less work to do in thinking, okay, well what's the next episode gonna be? Because it's really hard to be subjective when living with SMA myself. There are things that I think are really important, but I don't always know how they translate to my community unless they speak to it, you know? So, I'm really grateful for that. Yeah. And I think as well, just to add to that, from a host point of view, the variety that we've had this year has been what's made it such a privilege to be a part of, because like It's just such great variety because you never almost know what you're gonna get. Like I get that call from you guys and it's like, right, we're talking about care, or we're talking about mental health, or really important, hard hitting subjects. And then another month. It's like, right, we're talking a bit more lighthearted this time. We've had episodes about sport, we've had episodes about holidays. So, there's been a real variety of subjects, which I think is the perfect balance of, that's life, isn't it? Life is full of ups and downs. And I think this year we've really managed to highlight that both the positives and the negatives in a realistic point of view. We're not here to sell a full stream or anything. We've had some guests on this year that have really opened up and shared some really hard hitting and really heartfelt stories, but we've also been able to have some fun with it as well, which I think is really important. Yeah. Absolutely. I think, we are in a very privileged position to tell the stories of others. And the whole idea around living with SMA podcast was to do that exact thing is tell the stories of what it's like to live with SMA and in reality it's not all negative. There are a lot of positives, as much as negatives, it is quite balanced. And I think that for me, this particular piece of work that I am responsible for is really about paving the way for the generations behind us, right? So, there are stories here that are going to advantage people's lives, for as long as these videos remain on the internet that's something that I can be proud of, it's really something I'm very passionate about. Yeah. And some of the subjects we've talked about as well, have even gone on to be two parters because sometimes you can't fit everything just into one podcast. These subjects are so varied and people have such experiences that they want to share, that we want to give people that opportunity to really sort of share their story. So, yeah, we've had a few, two parters this year. We had the mental health and long term condition chat with Becca and Ellie, which was amazing. And we also looked at schooling and that transition as well. And we had a primary school episode and we had a secondary school episode. And I really think those were fantastic 'cause we managed to cover so much ground as well. Absolutely. I think a lot of what we talk about can be two episodes but as you said once we're in it, it's only then that we realize, okay, this is going to be a really really impactful conversation, so maybe we should split it up into two. I always enjoy when that happens. It makes life a little bit harder when you come up with an annual strategy of what you wanna do on a podcast. But I'm grateful that I have the ability to take that eternity and say that we are gonna have to be agile because I really think that this is a powerful conversation and it needs more air time, you know? So, I'm grateful for that flexibility that I'm afforded as well. And I want that to continue. I think that as this podcast grows and develops, we're gonna be able to, I can really identify more and more topics that are gonna need to be spoken about for longer. I have no doubt about that. We're already brainstorming what we're gonna do for next year. We're already thinking about what's gonna work, what isn't. And I think that it's all down to the support that we're getting from the community and those who are coming forward asking to be on the podcast or just putting their contributions just by saying, "Oh, can we do something about this? Or can you get people to talk about that?" It really helps. Yeah, exactly. Like without that community and that engagement, we wouldn't be able to do what we do. So, yeah, absolutely. We're gonna push for more of that next year. What has been your highlight, Luis? Is there any sort of standout moments or standout episodes that you think deserve a special mention this year? I mean, that's a really big question, Ross, and probably a little bit unfair because I don't necessarily want to pick out one particular episode and say, "Oh, that was my best episode." I think that all of them were really impactful. And I mean, what excites me and what is probably my biggest highlight from this year is to see that our engagement on our podcast in comparison to the year before was a lot higher. I'm really glad to see that it means that all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, it's paying off. I think that sometimes people don't realize what goes into getting an episode ready for viewing. And having the opportunity to see the analytics behind the scenes to see that the numbers are growing up and there's more engagement. It just highlights to me that we're doing the right thing and that we're telling the right stories. I think a big thank you to you as well, Ross, because you've been really flexible this year. There's been times when people have had to pull out because of illness or something going on in their lives the last minute, that can't be controlled, very much like life with SMA, right? So, the fact that you've given us that flexibility and adapted to when and how we need you has been really, really awesome and we're very grateful for that. I think if I had to pick one episode, it'll probably be... Gosh, this is hard I don't think I can do that. You don't have to. Don't have to. No. I don't think I can do that. What I will say is the episodes that have resonated the most is a lot of the positivity type episodes around mental well being and having the right mindset. 'Cause I think that does play a vital role in our lives living with any long term condition. And being able to get people who are outside the UK community to come in and contribute for me I think has been really amazing. In specific, the episode with Alex that being able to have her come and tell her story on a podcast in a different country. Not a lot of people from other countries will do that, right? So, I'm grateful that we were able to get her onto the podcast to come and tell the story. 'Cause I do believe that there will be people in the community at some point who are going to have very similar experiences. And I thought that her story would be really impactful for our listeners, which is why we got her on the podcast. Yeah. So yeah, without picking out particular ones, that would be my best answer. Very diplomatic. I like it. What more can you expect from the producer, hey? Yeah. I was going to say, we've had some amazing guests this year. You mentioned Alex there. We went international this year. We've also had some regular guests. Maxwell has really helped us out this year. Ross has been involved in several, Portia. I really want to sort of shout out about some of the other episodes we did. We had the Positive Mindset episode with Sam and Alex. We had twins on the podcast, which is always great. And yeah, the SMA and advocacy one was a really great one to be involved in as well. We had some great conversations around social media and advocacy this year. So, so many guests to shout out. And yeah, like we said, we couldn't do it without those guests. So a big, big thank you to everyone who has got involved in that this year. Just on a final note. Sorry, Luis, you carry on. Yeah, sorry. I just wanted to say one more thing. I think what we done very well this year was, to try and tell the story from every dynamic of the SMA community. So, it wasn't just people living with SMA directly. It was also their families as well, which I thought was a really important thing to do this year. And I would really want to encourage us doing that again next year as well and every year after that, because it's not just about children or adults or families. It's about all of us together. So, I'm really glad we could do that this year. Yeah. No, I completely agree. I think that's such an important dynamic to get everybody's point of view because disability doesn't just affect the person who has the disability. It is a community. It is the family. And yeah, it's really great to get all those different viewpoints. So, if that's a mission for next year to continue that, I wanted to just end this on sort of like a final, almost like a New Year's resolution for the podcast. Where do we want this to go? What are we aiming for next year? I mean, I just want to continue doing what we're doing, right? I would really love to see the engagement continue growing the way it is and the community contributing the way that they are. In terms of bigger things, there were some big things being worked on next year and I really want to use the podcast platform to try and get that message out and contribute towards those big things that we're doing. So, I'm not going to give details, maybe a bit of mystery for now, but I think that there is a couple of big things that we as an organization are working on and this platform would be a great space for some of it. I would also like to really just do things that mean something to people. So, I'm looking forward to finding more topics and episodes that speak to people in any shape or form, because I think that that means I'm doing my job right. So, I am looking forward to the New Year. I am, between myself and my colleague, Gary who usually supports me in most of what I do. SMA UK, wouldn't be possible without him. Him and I work really well together and we're working on things always in the background, thinking, what about this? What about that? And hopefully, I think if one thing out of everything that I would like to do next year is I'd like to maybe do a podcast episode on a specific site and not online like we normally do. Actually, whether it's in a studio or at an event or something, just do something that we haven't done yet. I'm always exploring new ways of doing things and trying to keep our content dynamic. So, that might be something I want to try next year. I like the sound of that. The SMA podcast on tour, imagine. Well, yeah, that is it really from us today. It's been so nice just to have a reflection on the last 12 months, have a bit of festive chat along the way as well. And yeah, we just want to end this by saying again, a massive thank you to our listeners and supporters. And as always, if you have any thoughts or comments on anything that we've talked about today, if you want to call Luis a Grinch, if you want to hate on our Christmas food choices or anything like that, please do just get involved, interact with these posts. And it really does mean a lot. And again, if you have a subject that you're passionate about and you want to see yourself being a guest next year, just contact us here at SMA UK and we will see what we can do. But yeah, thank you so much for watching. This is our last episode of the year. We will see you again in 2024. Have an amazing Christmas, an amazing new year. And we'll see you next time. Goodbye. Merry Christmas, everyone. You've been listening to the Living with SMA podcast. We hope you can join us again next time. But in the meantime, don't forget to like and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. You can find out more on our website at smauk.org.uk.