Tracy Todd — Inspirational Speaker, Mom, Business Woman, Author, Quadriplegic

And what's more, it is what's involved. Man, have I got a fantastic guest for you at this time. And the weird part is, it's a guest that I've been wanting to talk to for a very long time, and it's somebody I've actually known. I wouldn't go so fast to say we were bosom baddies, but hopefully, you know, the fact that we've known her and she will acknowledge that she's known me for a while will help. Who is she? Well, she's the author of a fantastic book called Brave Lotus Flower Rides the Dragon. And she is none other than Tracy Todd. Hello, Tracy. Hello, David, thank you very much for having me. It's an absolute pleasure. It's one of those things that I can't really figure out why I haven't chatted to you before, because I've wanted to and it's just never ever kind of worked out and yet now it has. So I think that's wonderful. So you're an author, a published author of a great book. We're going to get into the book in just a little bit as well. But you also do a bunch of other things. But now one of the things that people listening to this are not going to know by just hearing your voice is that you are in fact a quadriplegic. Am I correct? Yes, that's correct. I'm paralyzed from the neck down. From the neck down. So all of your writing and all of your everything happens literally from your head and you're tapping and you're getting mobile and everything like that.

That's correct. Mostly by voice. Everything I do is by voice. I wanted to get into that because I see you. I wanted to say now talk to me about this, the title for the book, because I know you, as you said, you use some software now, but the title of your book is Brave Lotus Flower Rides the Dragon. Now, where did that come from and why that title? Okay, so that was a bit of an interesting one. I did an online writing course and in preparation for publishing the book or getting my book published. So together with my writing coach at the time, we came up with the title together. So the name Tracy actually means brave. And then my second name is Lian, which is of Chinese origin. And it means lotus flower. I think my journey has been very similar to that of a lotus flower, where the lotus flower seed, you know, germinates in the muddy sediment of the swamp. And then it pushes up through the murky swamp waters to seek the light where it finally blossoms. And then ride, I ride through life on a battery powered tin controlled wheelchair and the dragon. So the pro the voice program that I use on my computer, the voice activated software is called Dragon Naturally Speaking. And also, I would say that paralysis is probably the worst dragon that I've ever had to face in my life. And I can't honestly say that I've managed to slay the dragon. But I have managed to make peace with the dragon in order to live alongside it and carry on living a full, meaningful life. And you know what, just just the never mind anything else, just the fact that you have managed to tame dragon naturally speaking, I take my hat off to you because I got it. So a lot of times for me, it's easier to speak my thoughts than to write them down. And dragon naturally speaking, and I just don't get along. We do not get along. And it just it makes me feel like I'm a dumb stupid. It certainly is not an easy program to to manage. But when you've got no other choice, there's no other way for me to operate the computer. Look, there are, look, there's all sorts of other software where you can put a mouse on your forehead and you can do things by with a tapping stick.

But for me, that's just not I don't know, for me, that's not practical. Maybe, I don't know, put it down to vanity. I don't know. I don't want to find a thing on my head where I have to, you know, move my head around to, to move a mouse around the screen. And keeping a tapping stick in my mouth all the time and drilling down it is not happening. Each one to their own. One can't do that. I mean, we'd hate you to mess up the makeup and everything. Now, Tasi, you weren't always a paraplegic, in fact. And this is, I think, where we got to know of each other. I used to live in Nelsprite as well. And you were you were a very fit, strong, young lady at that time. And if I remember, you played hockey as well, you were an athlete. And then along came and you were you were married as well. Hey, and you had a little, you had Chad at that stage, didn't you? Yes, that's correct. So, yeah, I was very active. I used to run marathons. I used to play club hockey. I was teaching at the local school, Nelsprite primary grade twos, coaching sports. I had my own gymnastics club. I used to collect money for the SPCA. I was married. I was a mother to a 10 month old baby. Yeah, very active. And then whatever you would like to call it stepped in. And there was a car wreck. Miraculously, you know, the rest of the family that were in the car with you, that your husband at the time, your son, and I believe there was a staff here as well. They came out unscathed, but you not.

Yeah, unfortunately, for me not. So the car actually rolled. And I had climbed over into the backseat of the car to change my baby's nappy. And so at that stage was not buckled in and frighteningly is neither was my baby. I'd already taken him out of his car chair just to quickly change his nappy. And but miraculously, he was not injured. And what happened is I actually hit my head on the roof of the car as it rolled. And the car landed on its roof. And I just remember seeing my hand fall from above my head and just land limply in my lap. And I don't know how I knew, but I just knew immediately that I was paralyzed, because I could see my entire body, but I couldn't feel it. And I don't remember feeling any pain at the time. But I couldn't move.

Wow. And then you did you were in Stanetton, I think, and you went to hospital there, they couldn't deal with it. So you had to come to a hospital in Pretoria.

What was I don't know, a large part of the book is about this, but and so many people are, you know, I am in a position where I've grown up with my sister, who is she's just paralyzed from the waist down. She was born with spina bifida. So I know some of the challenges, but not all of them. How when they first said to you, listen, Tracy, this is it, you're not going to be able to walk again. How was that? Because, you know, now you look at Tracy and you say, Okay, well, sure. Wow, she's doing well, but you must have gone through a very long dark tea time of the soul. Yeah, absolutely. Look, the news was actually broken to me when I was in ICU attached to a ventilator. So I was unable to breathe on my own at that stage. And my husband at the time, broke the news to me and he just, he just gently said to me, you're going to be paralyzed from the neck down. The tears rolled down his face and mine. And one thing I've always had a terrible fear of is being kept alive artificially on the machine. But he did assure me that the doctors had given him some hope and said that there was a good chance because I was young and fit and healthy at the time, that they would manage to wean me off the ventilator, which they eventually did. And then they moved me down into the spinal unit for rehabilitation.

And that was the start of a long hard road to recovery and rebuilding a completely different life in a completely immobile body. Yeah, so I think initially I was in total denial. And I think that's what kept me fighting. I believed with every fiber of my being that I was going to get up and walk out of that hospital. I didn't for one second believe that I was going to stay paralyzed. I even remember during the rehab days when the occupational therapist was trying to get me to look at a catalog to try and order a wheelchair. I wasn't very interested in what she was trying to show me because in my mind, I really didn't want to go and spend thousands of rounds on a wheelchair. And in my mind, I wasn't going to need it for very long, if at all. But fortunately, she was one of those very professional and pushy type of occupational therapist and she ended up getting me the right wheelchair. So I think probably reality only hit for me was when I went home for the first time after coming out of hospital, which is so basically I left home to go on a holiday with my baby on my hip dragging a suitcase full of beach clothes, got into the car went on a holiday down to the Eastern Cape to the beach with my husband and 10 month old baby and our staff for our first family holiday.

And seven and a half weeks later, I was pushed back through my front door in a wheelchair, unable to move anything except my head. And that's been reality really, really setting. Wow. My special guest is Tracy Todd, the author of an incredible book called Brave Lotus Flower Rides the Dragon. Now I know what the title means. I'm a much happier person. We'll be back with Tracy in just a bit. This is what's involved. So good to have you along with us. And we're back with my special guest. It is Tracy Todd. She's the author of Brave Lotus Flower Rides the Dragon. So Tracy, just before the break, we got to the point where you were now pushed back through your front door. The only thing that could move is your head. Fortunately, your diaphragm, we're still, you know, played the game and you are able to at least breathe on your own. But that was just the start of life happening in incredibly challenging ways because suddenly you go from this healthy, active young woman who could do everything for herself to somebody who couldn't even scratch your nose. Right. And yeah, I think it was a very traumatic time trying to deal with

everything. I think probably the most important part of my survival and my farts was probably the fact that I was a mum and my little 10-month-old just still needed me to be his mum. But, you know, remember back then, this happened in 1998. There was no internet. There was no Google.

We didn't have social media. We didn't have the support that we have today via online platforms like we do today. I lived in a small town away from the city centers, away from the support groups and associations that actually helped people in my circumstances. And I think it was an extreme situation for a young couple to have to go through. And unfortunately, our marriage ended up in divorce a year later. I had to contend with getting divorced. And I just think down into a deep, deep hole of depression. It was a very difficult time. I would say it probably took me about

four years to really come to terms with what had happened. And interestingly enough, the professionals and the psychologists will say that, look, you can't put a time frame to anything when it comes to recovering and grief. I went through a definite process of grief and grieving the loss of my body and grieving the loss of life as I knew it. But they reckon for a quadriplegic, it takes up to four years, if not more, sometimes less depending on the personality and what you have to go through. And yet, through that all and in your writing of the book, and the book was written, when did you first published in what, 2017, I think? 2016, actually. 2016. See, it's only taken me like this many years, but okay, that's my fault. But there are still moments when you're relating the story and you're relating, because the next thing on the list then, of course, is, you know, you need caregivers. It's just a fact. You need people to look after you. And you went through a whole host of them. Yeah, well, I need 24-hour care, 24/7. I need somebody to wash me, dress me, feed me, brush my teeth, and even turn me over at night in bed. I need somebody to do absolutely everything for me. And I think that's probably the most difficult thing to come to terms with is my total loss of privacy and my total loss of independence. So yes, went through a host of care assistants. Very difficult trying to train them, trying to get qualified carers, costs an absolute fortune. So getting them trained and getting them

working well with each other, it was really difficult. And obviously, I think I was a very angry, bitter, resentful human being during those first few years. And I probably, and no, not probably, I admit I took my frustrations out on my care assistants. And I took my frustrations and my anger and bitterness and resentment out on the people closest to me. And unfortunately, boundaries become very blurred in your personal relationships. That's why I think my marriage broke down between friends, between my family, my parents, my brother. All those boundaries become blurred because now suddenly I need them to do things for me that I didn't need before. I'm a very independent personality, like to do things myself. And now I was stuck and having to ask everybody to do everything for me. So it was very difficult time of adjustment. But eventually I learned, carry on. Sorry, one of the things that I just want to touch on that stood out for me was the one caregiver that you had and they were busy replacing the batteries in your wheelchair. And you asked to just check that the wheelchair was in fact working. And she had a bit of a challenge with that. And she was trying to check if it was working by using your little chin giddy from the back. Eventually in frustration, Tracy yells out, just use your damn hands.

It's funny and it's kind of sad. But that's what grabbed me about the book is that you still have at this point in your life, you still have a sense of humor. I think it's you've got even more of a sense of humor now and you probably have to. No, absolutely. You have to learn to laugh at yourself and with others. And I have to tell you that as small as he was, my son told me that I'm very, very young. I remember laughing for the very first time and it was him I was out with my mum and my little boy. We'd gone to the shop to go and buy some groceries. And he was on my lap. He didn't walk anywhere, by the way, he always had a free ride on my lap. And so we were actually, mum was standing in the queue to pay. And I had gone outside with him. And I ended up bumping into an old friend with your that I hadn't seen for many years. And he walks up to me to say hi. And while I was chatting to him, my little boy out of the blue, just lifted up my blouse above my head and said, baby's mommy because he wanted to have a drink. And there was nothing I could do. Oh, my goodness. So we just ended up having an absolute laugh. And that's the day that I actually learned to actually laugh at myself and, and with others.

Yeah, I think it's it's something that's so important. And it's kind of weird. I mean, like I said, I've grown up with my sister with her having spina bifida and being in a wheelchair, etc, etc. And it's just amazing how some people can totally relate and it's not a problem. And other people, it just freaks them out. And I mean, there's so many times when somebody sees me out with with my sister, and they'll still to this day go, hello, Jenny. And she's like paralyzed. Yeah, baby, the rest of me works fine. So yeah, no, it is very frustrating. Okay, when we come back, though, because you know, this this would have been for most people enough of a life, okay, enough of a challenge. When we come back, though, we're going to dig deeper into some more of Tracy's life. My special guest is Tracy Todd. She is the author of that incredible book, Brave Lotus Flower Rides the Dragon. It's one of those must read books. Okay. And you know me, I don't always say that. But this one is because I always try and choose the best. So we'll be back. This is what's involved. It's an absolute pleasure having you with us. And we're back with my special guest, Tracy Todd. Okay, so you've gone through that whole story and the embarrassment and everything. Part of that of your story, though, was out of the blue, because you'd gone around the country. And you were speaking to raise funds, because that's just part of what who Tracy is.

But then you got an email from a man. And tell me this to be the condensed version of that story, because that was quite horrific, as far as I'm concerned.

That's your I don't know what what his motive was. But anyway, so obviously, I've now been alone, single for the for an entire decade. And I got an email from a man that came from my website. And he said that that he would like to bring it down to the low fowls to do team building exercise. And, you know, he'd come across my website. So anyway, we got chatting, he told me a lot about himself, told him a lot about myself. And the emails just sort of flowed between us. And eventually said, you know, he'd love to meet me, and he'd like to take me out. And I still joke and he said, well, you know, well, do you realize that you're gonna have to feed me? I'm thinking, does this man actually realize what, what it means to be a quadriplegic? Anyway, you know, he drove down from Victoria to the low fowls. He took me out, we got on like a house on fire. And, yeah, we got into a relationship. And he traveled backwards and forwards between Victoria and Nalsprit. He was doing that every second or third weekend, he was coming down. And we were going out and he was spoiling me rotten and we were talking marriage. And then a bombshell hit. A good friend of mine found out that he was actually married. And I confronted him. And he said, Oh, no, but he's in the process of getting divorced. And I said, Look, I am not a homemaker.

And I basically told him in not very nice language that I can't repeat now, but I told him to words and one of them was off. That's two words and one of them was all never contact me again. And I said, it's sad that there are people like that out there, because I can only imagine. I mean, if I if I look at my sister, and I don't know, maybe you did feel the same, you do feel the same. But my sister is scared of being alone and being left alone and not having anybody. And, you know, it's a it's a real fear, because without somebody like me or a caregiver around, she's basically stuffed. Lately, but I don't think that was the reason I actually wanted to I actually didn't believe that anyone could love anybody like me. I'm paralyzed from the neck downer. I just assumed that romantically, yeah, I wasn't ever going to find a man to to love me again. And then you know, the interesting thing about that is that that relationship, it was yes, it was the wrong relationship. He wasn't meant to be. But he opened my eyes and he opened my mind to, hey, there are actually men out there that would actually like to get involved, or wouldn't let's say that the paralysis and the wheelchair would not be a barrier for them. And, and but after that, I was so heartbroken.

And also went back into the a bit of a depression. But then eventually I decided, you know what, through a friend story who'd actually been on an online dating site. She said to me, Tracy, why don't you just give it a go? And I thought, well, you know, what have I got to lose? And I actually put a profile on an online dating site. I thought that the worst that I can that can happen is I can meet a few male friends and get a few get a male perspective in my life and just, you know, just have someone to chat to. And I met some amazing men on the dating site. The dating site took the total barrier of being paralyzed and the wheelchair away, although most of them started the conversations by asking me questions about my wheelchair and

my wheels and whatever, because that's a typical man. They like to know the mechanics of everything. So that was an opening for me and it gave them an opportunity to get to know me

as a woman, as a human, as a person, and without the barrier of of having this wheelchair turn control. Yeah, if I can interrupt you with there, because I think I might maybe I've messed up the timeline here a bit. So the failed relationship with this guy from Pretoria was that before, after the helicopter incident, because that blew my mind.

No, that was after and the helicopter. OK, you want me to go back. You know what? Because when I was reading that and I actually knew about it anyway, but I mean, but just to read it again and to be reminded of that, I'm like, holy heck, how much is this woman going to go through? So so tell me helicopter incident. OK, so I always had let me let me go back to the to the microlight incident or the micro life. It's a micro thought that was an incident. But what actually happened was a friend of mine organized a fight for me in a microlight. And I at that stage thought, well, I've also got nothing to lose. You know, I've always loved flying. I had a I was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. So before my accident, I flew, I jumped out of an airplane, I did skydiving. I was a real adrenaline junkie. So yes, she went, she organized me this part in the microlight. I never gave it a second thought and just said, well, absolutely. And and when I was flying strapped in behind this guy in the microlight, I actually had a bit of a spiritual and an emotional experience right behind him without him even being aware of it. And I just felt so free, so love, so normal and realized that I could still lead an active, normal life. And I remember feeling so normal flying up there. And when we came down to land, I remember seeing my empty wheelchair, waiting for me to get back into it. And I thought, oh, my word, I don't believe that I have to get back into this wheelchair. But I think from that day onwards, my mind transformation where I realized that my wheelchair was not a barrier, my wheelchair was my, my freedom and my independence. And I remember the children at my son's school, they put that into perspective for me as well, because whenever I went to go and fetch him, the little kids, especially the boys, you know, they'd run around my wheelchair and say, Wow, you're so lucky, you know, and then I realized I am so incredibly lucky to, to have the technology and to have the independence and the freedom of having a wheelchair. I mean, I've been into our rural areas.

There are many people that do not have the privilege and the resources that I do or the support that I do. And many of them have left lying in a bed or get pushed around in a wheelbarrow. And so I learned to become very grateful. But now the helicopter incident was a friend invited me on a helicopter flight. And I went with my son and a friend's daughter, who was busy writing my trick at the time. And myself and we went on this flight, we flew over the hull of the low felt. And it was absolutely amazing. We flew over God's window over Mac Mac falls. It was just the most incredible experience. And we were coming back to land at the airport via hazy view. And I could smell something burning that you know, when you paralyzed, it's interesting, but your senses become very, very sort of aware. And I immediately smelt on I said, I said to the pilot, something's burning. And he checked his, his things. And he said, Oh, yeah, he's gonna have to find a place to land. There's, there's an oil leak. And the next thing there was this alarm sounding, and the engine cuts. And the pilot just said, Oh, shit. And I said to him, are we going down? Meantime, I know that we're going down the engines cut, but it's just like you need that, you know, you need him to clarify that. Are we going down? And then he just said yes. And the next thing he just nosed out. And then he pulled the helicopter back, and he basically brought the helicopter down via auto rotation, but we crashed landed in a banana plantation in hazy view. And the the thick bananas, they actually questioned our impact and saved all of our lives. And again, you know, most people would go and you know, yay, they got to walk away from it. But I mean, you kind of already, you know, not in the best position. And then to tell me, have you flown in helicopters again since then? I went in that exact same helicopter. So they actually managed to repair it. And I'm just one of those types of people that, you know, you got to face this head on. And I didn't want to lose my love for flying. And he actually invited me to go flying with him again. And I did, I was very nervous, but, but absolutely loved it. And, and we went on a night flight, which I must say I don't enjoy the night flight too much.

You can't see where you're going. You can't see the wonderful scenery. It's a very different experience. And he's got a totally fly on instruments only. But you know, it was good for my fears. Because when we when we got came down to land again, I felt sure that adrenaline was pumping, but I just was so proud of myself for going again. Well, that's one of the amazing things. And that's where that brave part comes in, because you are you're truly an inspiration, because you've had so many experiences that would have broken many, many people, and nobody would have judged you for it. But yet, you have decided that you're going to not do this. And you're going to keep on and you're going to do your work. When we come back, we're going to wrap it up with Tracy. And we're going to find out because that wasn't the last she's just done another thing just recently, which had I think, collectively, hundreds and thousands of people sort of with their hearts in their stomachs. We'll talk about that when we come back, my special guest Tracy Todd, author of Brave Lotus Flower Rides the Dragon will be back. This is what's involved. I went back with my special guest. So Tracy, the book is brilliant. Did you write the book and then come across the publisher your your namesake Tracy? Or how did that work?

You have to write a book? Yes, no, no, no, I actually wanted to write a book. And I've actually had been writing the book. It took me many years to actually write the book. Because firstly, I had to learn the I had to learn how to use a computer, I had to learn how to use the software I had to learn how to write. So basically, I think because I realized that life was just so fragile and so short. I wanted to leave my story behind for my son, I wanted him to know his mom, if anything had happened to me. I realized how easily I could have died on that fateful day that I broke my neck and then again in the helicopter. Excellent. And I just thought I need my boy to know his mom. And so that was my main motivation, I think initially. And as I got to do more and more motivational speaking gigs, more and more people were asking me, you know, do you have a book? Do you have a book? And that's when I got more and more serious about writing a book. And eventually I got the book written. And unfortunately, in South Africa, if you are not very famous, nobody's really interested in, in publishing or none of the big publishing houses anyway, are interested in publishing your memoir, because it's all about random sense at the end of the day. But I managed to find Tracy McDonald. And she, I sent her my book, and she was so impressed. And she actually agreed then to hold my hand to a crowd funding campaign. And we did a crowdfunding funding campaign on Thunderfund, we managed to raise all the money that we needed to publish the book within two weeks. And that's how the book came to be published. And yeah, it's been doing really well ever since. Yeah, she's an amazing woman, Tracy. And once you get her teeth into something, she doesn't let go. But now she's a very special lady. But then she's got a special name. She's brave, just like I am. Exactly. Then, as though this wasn't enough. And we, as I said, we're heading towards wrapping this up. But just recently, you know, because you didn't give people enough excitement in their lives. You got COVID as well.

Oh, yes, that was, that was the worst experience I've ever had in my life. And that includes that I'm being paralyzed. And I'll tell you why. And, you know, like I said earlier, when I was initially paralyzed, I was in denial. But I was never sick. And I also believed that I was going to get well and get better. But this COVID hit me now because I'm paralyzed. And I've got no muscles other than my diaphragm in my chest. I can't cuss. I can't blow my nose. I can't even sneeze, believe it or not. I can't spit. And basically COVID being a respiratory disease,

just completely, I felt like I was drowning in my own bodily fluids. And it was the worst 15 days of my life. If it wasn't for the help of my care assistants, my physiotherapists, and my husband, I don't think I would have made it. And then eventually, I had to be hospitalized. I'm very stubborn. I wouldn't go into hospital at first, because I'm so dependent on my care assistants. And I know that the hospital staff are just overrun with COVID patients. And it's just too difficult for them to deal with a quadriplegic. And I just believed that if I went into hospital, I wouldn't make it out. So I stayed at home for as long as I could. And was oxygen dependent at home. But eventually, I had to go to hospital just to regain my strength. And yeah, came out at the end of it to live to tell the tale. Listen, I got to tell you when I first saw that post that you'd had COVID for a while, that you'd now been admitted to hospital, I literally went ice cold because I thought, oh, no, oh, no. And I got to say, it's a testament to your determination, you know, and your your sheer will to live that I find is so inspiring. And I wanted to mention you say you do motivational talks. I was telling to somebody the other day, and I said, you know, the difference between motivation and inspiration is if somebody motivates you, they tell you what you can do.

If somebody is inspirational, they show you that you can do it. And I think you're very much an inspirational speaker, not a motivational speaker, my humble opinion, my two cents. That's actually what I do like to, I prefer to market myself as an inspirational speaker. Yeah, I mean, I've, I've seen some motivational speakers that get on chairs and go raw raw. Yes, you can have some bright flashy lights and some great bouncy music. And you walk out of there feeling like a million bucks and the next day you wake up and life is the same. So yeah. So Tracy, we're not even going to we don't have time. Okay, so you did mention a husband, and I think maybe that'll be for for another chat. affectionately knows Mr. Sexy Legs. We will maybe talk about that another time. But for right now, you've not just and it's only been a recent thing with this with this with COVID and everything. Where is Tracy now? What are you doing? What is your next? Are there more books? How do people get hold of you? Give me all of that info. So people I'm very active on social media. And I love Facebook. I'm on Twitter. I'm on Instagram, although don't post very regularly on Instagram, because unfortunately, everything has to be done via your, your phone and photos, which I'm unable to do on my own. And I prefer to do things on my own. So that's why I prefer to work off my computer. And, and so yeah, I've got my website, Tracy Todd dot co dot za. And Brave Lotus Flower Ride the Dragon is available.

They can either contact me directly or Tracy McDonald publishers, if they're wanting it in a book form or hard copy. And yes, and that's it. And I'm busy. I'm tutoring. I'm still doing inspirational talks via zoom at the moment. And I am hoping to write another book. But this time, it will hopefully be a novel. And yeah, that's what my plans are read an Airbnb from home, and which took a bit of a knock during COVID. But it's picking up again now. So I'm keeping myself busy and just just living life to the full because life is so short, and I'm not ready to know. It's like all grown up now. I was shocked to see that because but all grown up and doing well looking well. Yes, he's now 24 years old. He's working. And amazingly with COVID managing to travel all over Africa. He's now he's been to Zambia has been to Nigeria. And he's now in South America for a four month student and hoping to go to the USA next year. All with work he's doing soil science for an agricultural company, South African agricultural company, doing very well. And I couldn't be prouder. And yeah, obviously, I've got two steps and that are doing very well. Yeah, that's fantastic. Now before before we let you go, just a shout out because you've got two caregivers now. And you've had them for a while that are absolutely fantastic. What are their names? Okay, so I've actually got two main caregivers. Yeah, I've got four. I've got two main caregivers. I've got Engi and Levosa. And I've got there to help us that are namsa inside.

So there's always two of them on duty. Because I need two ladies to transfer me in and out of my wheelchair on and off my wheelchair into bed onto my commode into the shower. So I need two of them at all times. And so yeah, I've got the four of them and I wouldn't have been able to, you know, I wouldn't have any life without them. And we're all very excited because the voice is actually pregnant. And we are so looking forward to our first little baby in our house. I feel like I'm becoming a granny. Wonderful stuff. Well, a special shout out to all those wonderful people. And do yourself a favor. Okay, get the book, follow Tracy on social media. She is an absolute icon. And certainly in the low felt she is, she is a legend. I don't think she can go to a shopping center without people stopping her every couple of paces to say hello and things like that. Tracy, thank you so much for taking the time out. I really do appreciate it. And all the very best to you and to the rest of the gang down there. It's a pleasure, David. Thank you for having me on what's involved. It's been an absolute pleasure chatting to you and to all your listeners. There we go. That was my special guest. Tracy Todd wraps it up for this edition of What's Involved to each and every one of you. Look after yourselves, take care and thank you for listening.