It's been a strange year.

Indeed, 2020 has been one the most wackiest, devastating years I’ve seen in my life so far and something that people will talk about long into the future of how our country locked down, lost lives and everything was put on hold for – as of now – almost six months.

It’s also been the most quiet our outlet here at the DIA has ever been. One of the goals for the website this year was to be more productive in our online content. While we may be active in schools around Manchester, England, upping our social media and online content was one of our goals for 2020.

However, in the midst of a world-altering pandemic and the global protests in response to police brutality in between, it felt like everything else took a back and didn’t feel like the time to be able to produce content regarding limb-different conversations and topics.

The lockdown also stood in the way of what is usually our busiest month of the year – April’s Limb-Difference Awareness campaign. With schools shutting, everything was on hold. It didn’t seem the time in many mind’s and my own, also, to talk motivational, inspirational or encouraging messages. It hasn’t been the easiest time for any of us and the last thing we would want would be for our content to come across in poor taste.

As we enter July, this will also be the first time in five years the DIA has not headed out to the USA to work, meet and speak with limb-different families as well as those we meet during the trip across the country. Arguably our favourite time of the year; coming home with many stories to share, memories made, skills acquired and witnessing magical moments and amazing breakthroughs.

For many kids, this is the only time a year they get to see people just like them. Having spoken to some families who require prosthetic limbs, they have also been put on hold during this peak of COVID-19. Every time we think about how and who this affects, it runs deeper than we know.

With things beginning to reopen, it seems fitting that we begin to relaunch our content that is beginning to build back up in the second half of 2020 and that you enjoy the content that will be coming soon. There is a lot still to talk about, bring forward and discuss in an open forum.

We hope you and your families are safe and well in this ultimately strange time we have been going through. We will come out stronger from this and hopefully appreciate the little moments that little bit more. Stay strong and keep fighting the good fight!