Just got an invitation for the first private industry event I ever went to, a multimedia show in Cannes, France. I was 15; my mother snuck me in. She helped me learn to program, ran a computer club so I could have exposure to high-end PCs and Macs when we couldn't have one ourselves. I owe her my career, and so much more. I'm sitting 5 minutes away from her hospital ward. There aren't enough hugs, there isn't enough time, I can never do enough. I aim to pay it forward; when I have a family, I want to show them the love, the support and the encouragement that she has always shown me.