My name is Dekkard Maynard. I first arrived among you on the 7th of September 2008. I lived among you for 11 and ¾ years so I could teach you my love for life. Sadly I had to leave you all on the 20th of June 2020. I had completed my mission, it was time to go. This is part of my story, if you want the rest, talk to my mum and dad, my Nanny and Poppy, my brother and sister, my teachers and friends.

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I’m not going into details about the hurdles I had to face, we’ve all heard that before. I would much rather talk about the fun stuff. I was a natural sportsman. Having Lissencephaly and being profoundly disabled never stopped me. I loved wheelchair racing and won many medals at my school sports carnivals. To anyone out there who is interested the trick is to pick a good pusher for your chair and make sure they understand that you love speed. Feeling the wind in your hair is awesome, weather on the track or in the Liberty Swing.

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I used to like going out to the school garden. Being out in nature surrounded by the chickens and plants always made me feel good. My sister Jakayla, my brother Isaac, my dad and mum all share this love of gardening and nature.

I loved going to school and I loved my teachers at Hunter River Community School. Tracey, my Principal who was always happy to see me in the morning when dad dropped me off. Tash, my year 7 teacher, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together due to the bushfires and the CCP Virus but she was always there for me. 

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My favourite teacher was Mandy. She was my teacher, on and off from Kindergarten through to 6th class. We shared the same birthday (7th September). We loved the same footy team (the Newcastle Knights). I loved Mandy she was my best friend outside my family. We used to have so much fun together. When it was time for me to go Tracey, Tash and Mandy all came to see me. Mandy gave me a massage and sang to me for one last time. It really meant a lot to me.

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My Nanny and Poppy were always special to me. I always loved my conversations with Nanny and getting cuddles from her. I would look up into her eyes and be lost for hours smiling and talking to her. Whenever Poppy walked into the house I would start looking around for him as soon as I heard his voice. We used to love talking about footy together.

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My sister Jakayla used to climb into my bed to play with me. We used to have fun sharing our toys and talking together. I used to love it when she read me stories and gave me cuddles. One of my best memories is visiting her in hospital after she was born, lying beside her on the bed and giving her our first cuddle together.

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My brother Isaac also used to like to climb into bed with me and play. He would show me all his favourite cars and we would play with them together. Sometimes he would leave them with me to keep me company through the night. We would cuddle together, listen to music and stories together and talk. I loved being able to share things with my little brother.

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What can I say about mum? There aren’t enough words. I used love the way she sang to me, her cuddles when I felt upset or just because a cuddle was a good idea, the chats we used to have. I always used to hate people touching or washing my face, unless it was mum. Whenever I was upset or had a hard day she would run her fingers through my hair talk to me and it would always make me feel better. I’d always make her smile with my cheeky attitude to life and my sense of humour. What made mummy the most happy? Watching me play with my brother and sister and seeing the bond we shared.

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So what about dad? Whenever things went wrong he was always there for me. We had a pact “until the bitter end” and we both honoured that agreement. But let’s talk about the good, not the bad. We used to love listening to the footy together on a Saturday afternoon. We also used to like listening to my collection of classical and 80’s albums and talking about music. We used to smile and laugh together. Sometimes I’d like to hide behind my pet Efelent (elephant) and call out to my dad to come and find me. We used to talk so much together about so many things.

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I had some friends keep me company when I was in my bed. My best friend was Efelent, a blue elephant, we used to go everywhere together and I always knew where he was. He was always with me, when I went to Bear Cottage on holidays or when I was sick in hospital and he was there right till the end, my best mate. My other best friend was Croccie the Crocodile. I never felt comfy unless he was under my cheek or next to my hand. I’d wake him up in the morning and flip him onto his back at night for bedtime. Leafy Eyes Owl and Starry Eyes Elephant, I loved petting you guys to make you sing to me in the middle of the night when everything was quiet and everyone was asleep. Spiderman, Superman and Batman, we used to enjoy having super flights and games together.

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Well, that’s who I was. These were some of my friends, family and favourite things that I loved while I was among you. There is, like everybody, so much more to my story. I encourage you to talk to my family and friends about me as they all have so many more stories to tell. 

I look forward to meeting you in a place where no shadows fall,

Dekkard Isaac Maynard