Most people really don’t understand just how easily they can be seriously injured as a result of everyday activities. They also have very little perception of the sorts of issues they are likely to face if the worst should ever happen to them. Andrew’s powerful story brings home the potential consequences of not having the right insurance in place, and at the same time gives insurance salespeople a better understanding of the real value and necessity of the products they are selling. Andrew has a much better understanding than most of just what insurance means to the financial security of accident victims and their families. Unable to return to anything like full-time work after his accident, but without income protection cover, he found himself in the ACC system – and it wasn’t quite as he expected.
Great as far as the medical care and equipment it provided, it was a very different story when it came to income compensation, leaving Andrew to struggle on a meagre $14 000 a year payout. It took him 10 years to return to his passion and start skiing again after his accident – not because of the physical challenges, but because of financial ones. He believes lack of planning cost him 10 years of living his passion – a passion that now makes his life a lot more fulfilling. People survive all sorts of accidents and illnesses, but Andrew asks: is surviving enough? What about a fulfilling life doing what you are passionate about? What will it cost to live your passions in a disability world? If the worst should happen, do you want to just survive, or thrive? 
Andrew’s biggest passion was snow skiing. He tried sit skiing soon after his accident and enjoyed it. He could see he needed his own equipment in order to progress at it. A sit ski has a $10,000 price tag. Having to invest all the money he had into securing his financial future, sit skiing had to take a back seat. It has taken him ten years to justify spending the money on his passion. A passion that makes his life a lot more fulfilling. He feels that lack of planning has cost him 10 years of skiing. Do you have a plan to live your passion?
Andrew’s talk delivered exactly what we had hoped for… was well structured and delivered with clarity and sincerity. The audience listened intently and it was obvious that this was an effective way of giving context to all that they had learned and practiced that day. Andrew was a pleasure to deal with and I would b e happy to invite him to speak to similar groups in the future.