When Worlds Collide
Hi, I’m Michael and I’m a stroke survivor.
I recently discovered that an old friend of mine - my godfather’s daughter - works with a new business associate. We grew up together, went camping as kids, and we’re around the same age. I knew she lived in Melbourne, married with a couple of kids, but we hadn’t seen each other in over twenty years.
After a recent lunch meeting with me, her colleague returned to the office and mentioned he’d just met a “Michael Maher.” When he showed her my Disabled CEO website, she got quite the surprise!
The Coffee Catch-Up
The next time I saw my associate, he told me how delighted his colleague had been to discover it was me and insisted on arranging a coffee catch-up as soon as possible.
Finally, the day arrived. The three of us met for coffee and conversation. After we finished our business chat, my associate left, leaving just the two of us to catch up properly - two old friends reconnecting after decades apart.
We covered a lot of ground in half an hour.
Talking About the Stroke
She asked me about the stroke - what happened, how rehab went, how I was now. She recognised the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower wristband from my website and mentioned she had read all of my blog posts.
Then she said something that always catches me off guard: “Your blogs made me cry.”
When People Say They Cried
I understand that reaction - truly, I do - but it always makes me pause. My blogs aren’t written to make people cry. They’re written to share hope, to offer insight, to show the journey as it really is - sometimes tough, sometimes inspiring, but always real.
If tears come, that’s okay. But what I really want is for people to walk away feeling that no matter what life throws at them, there’s always a way forward.
Full Circle
Before we parted, we traded mobile numbers and took a selfie. By the time I shared it with my family, word had already spread - my mum had heard from her mum about our catch-up.
It was a wonderful surprise to reconnect after all these years. I look forward to meeting her family soon - proof that even after life’s biggest detours, some connections are just waiting to find their way back.