Today is International Cochlear Implant Day. If you’ve not heard of cochlear implants, they are an amazing technology that enables profoundly deaf children and adults to ‘hear’ sound, and so learn to communicate primarily by speech (often supplemented by lip-reading and use of sign language). The technology and medical science involved is really quite extraordinary.

My son Sam, now 24, has been a cochlear implant user since he was two, having been left profoundly deaf by severe pneumococcal meningitis in infancy. And, six years ago, I wrote on this blog about the difference that Sam thought having cochlear implants had made to his life so far. This included being able to get matey with Turkish pirates, swap hospital stories with an Olympic champion, become something of a dance floor legend (much like his Dad, tbh), and hear a stadium full of Harlequins fans moaning about how useless Harlequins are as we watch them lose, again.

That year, 2018, Sam was in his final year at school (the residential deaf school Mary Hare, near Newbury). So the six years since have seen some big changes in his life. And many of these changes were facilitated – if not made possible – by Sam’s cochlear implants enabling him to use speech as his primary means of communication. Because, while Sam is also a fluent user of Sign Supported English, that’s not much help if the person he’s trying to talk to does not sign. And only 0.02 of the UK population do sign.

Perhaps the biggest change is that Sam has abandoned his previous allegiance to Harlequins – our local Premiership rugby team – in favour of Saracens, about three million miles away in north London. But this is not because he is fickle. In 2019, Sam joined the disability rugby programme run by Saracens Foundation, and was soon developing essential life skills, improving his communication skills, and emerging as a leader and role model to other disabled young adults.

Sam’s personality, commitment and hard work – together with his shameless switch of allegiance to Saracens – soon secured him a staff role on the Foundation’s Special Educational Needs holiday camps, helping children with learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities reap the mental and physical benefits of sporting activity.

With the active support of Saracens stars such as Jackson Wray, Sean Maitland and Ella Wyrwas, Sam continued to blossom, and in early 2023 he became an assistant coach of the newly-launched Saracens Foundation junior rugby programme, working with disabled children aged 8-13.

By then, Sam’s volunteering with Ben Lampert of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust had led to his appointment as a casual assistant sports coach, helping Ben deliver multi-sports sessions in west London primary schools, as well as sports days, holiday camps and outings. And all this while playing mixed ability rugby with Surrey Chargers at Chobham RFC on Saturdays.

Along the way, Sam has met and downed a beer or two with rugby legends such as Owen Farrell, Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Billy Vunipola, been interviewed on stage by David ‘Flats’ Flatman at the Saracens Foundation annual fundraising dinner, completed Level 1 and 2 coaching qualifications, scored a try for Surrey Chargers and enjoyed the craic at the International Mixed Ability Rugby Tournament in Cork, starred alongside Marios and Memnos Costi and Steph Hanratty in an episode of the TV series Deaf Away Days, run several 10Ks to raise money for the Cochlear Implanted Children’s Support Group, played on the Twickenham pitch with Project Rugby during half-time of the Gallagher Premiership final between Leicester and Saracens, and attended Jackson Wray’s testimonial dinner at the Oxo Tower restaurant. And he’s loved every moment.

It goes without saying that all of this has made me and Sam’s mum, Joanna, very proud. And perhaps my favourite moment came last summer, when Sam was nominated and then shortlisted for the Rugby Ambassador award at the Premiership Rugby Community Awards 2023, in my old stamping ground, the House of Commons. Sam didn’t win, but then one of the values that Sam has acquired through his participation in the Saracens Foundation disability rugby programme – and which he now works to instil in others – is that it’s not really the winning that counts.

No doubt Sam would be having a great life without access to sound, as a user of sign language only. But Joanna and I are deeply grateful to the numerous surgeons, doctors, audiologists, speech & language therapists, and teachers of the deaf for giving Sam the opportunity to enjoy the world in ways that might otherwise not have been available to him. And we’re immensely grateful to Sean Maitland, Ella Wyrwas, Jackson Wray, Charlie White, Ryan Eaton, Paul Tanner and all the staff and volunteers at Saracens Foundation for helping Sam make the very most of that opportunity.

No one appreciates all this amazing support more than Sam. So on 7 April, Sam will run the London Landmarks Half Marathon to raise money for Saracens Foundation. And I’d be chuffed if you could sponsor Sam by visiting his fundraising page. (Suffice to say, I will not be running the Half Marathon with Sam – I’m more a Full Mars Bar man, these days.)