Dillon Maydon and Lauren Dewhirst have been selected as finalists for the 2021 Attitude Awards which recognise people for their contributions to the lives of those in the disabled community.
Both Mr Maydon and Ms Dewhirst were nominated in the Spirit of Attitude Award category, which recognises people operating with a "can-do" attitude who have risen to the challenges of their disabilities.
The pair are great friends — Ms Dewhirst plays for the wheelchair rugby team Mr Maydon captains.
The Attitude Awards are an annual ceremony run by the Attitude Trust, a charitable foundation that provides tertiary education scholarships for disabled youth.
It aims to properly integrate people with disabilities into all aspects of society, something both Mr Maydon and Ms Dewhirst are good examples of.
Growing up with a love for camping and a determination to overcome his disability meant a diagnosis of Friedrich’s Ataxia, a progressive neurological condition that affects the muscles and nerves, was not going to stop Mr Maydon from a pursuing his goals.
Between winning bodybuilding competitions, scoring gold at wheelchair rugby nationals and volunteering his time as a motivational speaker, Mr Maydon is most proud of his outdoor accomplishments, specifically completing Outward Bound Activate 2018.
“I found a way I could challenge myself,” Mr Maydon said.
Ms Dewhirst, who has Musculocontractural Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, also encapsulates a can-do attitude.
She is the president of the Otago Disabled Student’s Association and a member of the National Disabled Students’ Association.
She is also the current disability representative on the Otago University Students’ Association welfare committee and is a Community Health Council adviser.
She has mentored, led and advised on many more boards and committees, all while completing a degree in education.
Ms Dewhirst has worked until 2am at events in first aid to keep the pressure off the hospital’s emergency department – hours after being discharged herself.
“Disabled people are at the end of the day, just people, we just have to approach life a little bit differently and so I think it is special to have those opportunities to be recognised as it shows people are able to make the most of their situation.”
“If I can do it, what’s your excuse?”
The pair are not the only people in the South to be nominated.
Bradley Lewis and Sandra Wilson, both based in Southland, make up two-thirds of the Attitude Enterprise Award category, which invites entrepreneurs or employees with a disability as nominees.
Mr Lewis runs his own local dog treat business, K9 Munchies.
Ms Wilson is a long-standing employee of Southland Disability Enterprises who has been commended for her work as a “reliable and loyal leader with a desire to help others”.
The awards ceremony will take place on December 1 in Auckland.
