'Ireland feels like it’s daring me to complete an obstacle course when I leave the house'

Monaghan-based author Tracy Martin tells Helen O’Callaghan about a day when she tipped backwards in her manual wheelchair coming out over a makeshift ramp, and how the emotional impact was what stayed with her

Tracy Martin: ‘Rather than ask why wasn’t I more careful, I’d quieten the voice that beats myself up.’ Picture: Philip Fitzpatrick

When I was 18, I was in a car accident. My boyfriend was killed. I was paralysed from my chest down. It’s 37 years ago now. I’ve a lot of chronic pain and, at this stage, a lot of deterioration.

I’ve had many life-changing moments — obviously impactful moments like the day of the accident, or my daughter’s birth. But also quieter, seemingly innocuous moments that say something about how a single day can shift your understanding of yourself, and the world around you.