I am afraid disabled people like me won’t be saved from Covid-19

Samantha Renke, Metro News, April 7, 2020
Mike Marsland says: I have been referred to as vulnerable a lot over the past few weeks. Although, as someone with a disability, I am no stranger to the word, according to society, vulnerable is almost synonymous with having an impairment. Up until now, however, I had not realised the potential power and damage of this label. The word vulnerable has taken on a different, much more sinister meaning in the current situation. That is because being labelled vulnerable could mean that you don’t get access to a hospital bed or life-saving treatment such as a ventilator. I say this after myself and many within the disability community were hit with devastating news after the publication of the British Medical Association’s ethical guidelines for doctors dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak. In the event that medical resources become scarce, which may happen as coronavirus stretches the NHS. The guidelines suggest that Health professionals may be obliged to withdraw treatment from some patients to enable treatment of other patients with a higher survival probability. From the moment I was born and diagnosed with brittle bone condition, doctors said I would not live very long. I am now 34 years old. They also said that I would never attend a mainstream school or live independently. But I have been to university, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in languages and completed a postgraduate certificate in education to qualify as a language teacher. I also reside alone and independently in an apartment in central London and am currently living my best life despite all of my health conditions. Yet, to this day, some medical professionals still ignore me, talking to my personal assistant, friend or family member at appointments, or gazing at me in astonishment when I tell them I work in television and am self-sufficient.