Well, time for another update and what a week or two I have just had. With the fabulous contributions now starting to be deposited to the 'fighting fund' I have been able to clear the payment to the solicitor I saw last month. What a feeling to get that done in full and well before the due date.
I've also been able to clear the last couple of payments to the advocate. I have to publicly acknowledge that she has been amazing. After nine years of trying she was the first person with a legal or advocate background to actually offer to help me out in this battle. However she's based down near Invercargill and the long-distance coupled with the complexity of my situation has become problematic but she will still be part of the team as we take things forward.
In the last week a local advocate who has been mentioned to me time and time again as 'one of the best in the business' has agreed to look at my ACC files.
This was a hugely positive move for me....HUGELY positive because although she is still very busy she will look through them to see what we might be able to do together. So I have instructed ACC to provide me with all of my files from 1 November 2011 to date.....can you imagine the size of that email?!.....or likely a few emails and a USB stick just to be safe :o)
Another local solicitor / advocate has been in contact with me. He's still available to help me out. This comes after some chasing on my part, some initial disappointment and a dip into 'Plan B'. There is still an initial appointment to be arranged....(sigh)....but please keep your fingers crossed that it will be set soon.
And the icing on the cake - I managed to get on the air on Magic Talk and speak about what I had been through to Peter Williams. A huge thanks to Louise H for giving me the heads-up about the talkback discussion. I wasn't the only one who shared their problems with ACC but it was very cathartic for me and surely an eye-opener for Peter Williams and many of the listeners NZ wide.
In addition, thanks also to Franciska N who put me onto a local student journalist from the NZ Broadcasting School here in Christchurch who was writing an article for METRONEWS about people's dealings with ACC. I have left a couple of messages and no response yet but who knows what may come from it. Ya gotta be in it to win it, right?
Meantime thank you all again for your support & please keep those positive vibes, thoughts, ideas and contacts coming and please share...share...SHARE.
