‘I try to think of the positive side of whatever’s happening’

Newtowngore woman Danika McManus has made the shortlist for Manager of the Year in the Retail Excellence Awards 2024.

One month ago, the 3 Store Athlone Manager got a call from the retail excellence team to say she has reached the last five contenders.

“Well I’ve been on cloud nine since, I’m just absolutely honoured to have reached the top five.

“I never thought I would,” she revealed.

Her path to Athlone began with a flair for travel. After completing her Leaving Certificate in Carrigallen Vocational School, she went on to study travel agency skills in Killybegs and later Front Office & Tourism Skills in Athlone IT for a further four years.

During her higher level studies, Danika worked in hospitality in the Callanan Hotel Group where she was assistant manager in Karma Nightclub for eight years However in 2013 her love of travel brought her to Australia, where she lived with her sister and her then newborn nephew. She continued her hospitality career in Le Pub in Sydney.

“I was lucky enough to get a job and I was working away,” she said.

One day at work, Danika didn’t “feel well” and went home and later made the 10 minute journey to the emergency department.

“They put me on a drip and sent me home, and within a couple of days the power in my legs started to go,” she said, describing how she had “visited the hospital a couple of times” at this stage. Danika decided to call an ambulance.

“They admitted me,” she said, detailing the fear of losing power in her “whole body” at this stage.

“Mam and Dad and all them were obviously ringing to see how I was and I had to tell them, on the last call with them, that it was going to be my last call because I couldn't hold the phone anymore.

“They knew then they had to fly over,” she said.

Danika was diagnosed with Guillian-Barre Syndrome, an auto-immune disease that affects the nerve endings, and within 24 hours, while her family were on a flight over, Danika was moved to ICU and put on a life support machine.

“I couldn’t breathe on my own anymore,” she said, detailing how she was put into a coma.

Upon waking up she remembered: “I was completely paralysed, the only thing I could really move was a flicker of my eyelids” which was her means of communication for the following three months.

“I couldn’t talk.”

Twelve weeks later, she “slowly but surely” came off life support, confronted with the challenge of re-learning how to walk.

“They said to my parents that I’d be in hospital for at least 12 months, before I’d even be able to go for rehab.

“I said absolutely not.”

“Within six months I was able to leave the hospital,” she said.

Upon flying home, it took another two years before she was able to return to work.

“I was still getting rehab over here but thankfully it worked itself out, I had age on my side and thankfully the healthcare system over there was excellent.”Now living in Athlone over ten years on, Danika said she is back to herself 100%.

“There would be some things like tiredness that would get me,” she said. “I’m as back to 100% as I’ll ever get,” she said.

“I would never have said I’d be in the top five managers in the awards, it is lovely when you work with people who have belief in you.

“It’s so lovely to have that support behind you and the belief beyond you,” she beamed.

“I work extremely hard. If I put my mind to something I give 100% to everything I do. Not only in my own store, I’m known for helping all the other managers in my areas.”

Danika has since noticed “it’s scary” how common Guillian-Barre Syndrome is. “It’s just not well known.”

“There’s very little said about it,” she observed.

She revealed her story has given her a new outlook on life.

“As much as possible I try to think of the positive side of whatever’s happening and have the belief that things will get better.

“Things do get better, it might take a little bit of time but there is light at the end of the tunnel as such, if you keep your positivity and just work hard, things will work out for you.”