Passion in Darkness

Barry Blomkamp is an incredibly motivating and inspiring personality. At the top of his career as a highly qualified, Grade A Motor mechanic, he had attained his vision of owning his own business, His excellent reputation for client service created the success he dreamed of and fulfilled another passion - to own and race an exotic sports car.

Then destiny stepped in on December 16 th 1988. Barry made a fateful driving error and crashed his Lotus Super 7 into a parked car. His life was in the balance for the next few hours with a team of doctors battling to save him, trying to rebuild his legs and rescue both his eyes.

Barry's very real story is one of how he coped with the sudden trauma of going totally blind. He awoke in his hospital bed, his life instantly changed from independence to a life of disability - something that "only happens to others". He bravely speaks of how he reached to the deepest depths of his soul to reconstruct his own and his family's life. The strength-of-character and love-of-life is very evident in Barry's story.

Since his blindness, Barry runs his own Public Relations/Fund-Raising consulting business. In addition, he has trained as a computer consultant and received his National Training Certificate in Information Technology, assisting many differently-abled people with their special computer needs. He is also busy renovating his home and garden, doing much of the work himself in his spare time.

Barry has over 8 years' public speaking and presentation experience and is well known to the local speaking circuit. He also consults on disability issues, doing over 100 sessions a year.