Stephen McCoy: My Fight to Live (2019)

This is the story of Kegworth air-crash survivor Stephen McCoy as he embarks on a journey to try to walk for the first time in 30 years following the crash of British Midland Flight 92. Unable to walk independently or make himself understood to the outside world - the programme witnesses an extraordinary life in Northern Ireland informed by courage and spirit in the face of incomparable adversity. On January 8 1989, 16-year-old All-Ireland boxing champion Stephen McCoy's dreams were shattered when he was pulled half-dead from the wreckage of the Kegworth air disaster, which left him brain damaged, paralysed down the left side of his body, confined to a wheelchair and with a motor-speech disorder for the entirety of his adult life. This film sees Stephen being introduced to - and operating - cutting-edge technology in the form of a robotic exoskeleton as he attempts to fulfill his dream of walking again. In addition to observing this personal journey, we follow Stephen's daily struggles in life. Animated sequences bring the viewer into his emotional and imaginative world, revealing his innermost hopes, dreams, memories, fears and frustrations. The film also follows Stephen on his annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, highlighting his deep faith, his eagerness to communicate through prayer and his insatiable appetite for life in spite of his circumstances.