One woman wants to walk down the aisle of her sister's wedding, wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes.
One man states: "You gotta crawl before you can walk. I gotta retrain everything. I'm like a giant kid -- a big baby." (Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post)
- "I will walk again."
- "Will I walk again?"
(www.denverpost.com/paralysis)
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I wanted to walk around the track. I did.
I want to run.
How far? When?
God?
All similar, yet each an individual, each very unique.
Walking. Writing. Reaching. Bathroom.
Running. Dreaming. Doing. Step by small step.
No Cure.
Look Up. Plead. Bang fists on ground. Yell at God.
Progress in the absence of a cure.
"Locomotor therapy."
Stimulate nerves using electrodes to deliver shocks to dormant muscles; Remind muscles how they are supposed to move.
Bioness. A device which sends signals directly to muscles to help lift the foot. Approved for incomplete spinal cord injuries. Considered experimental for MS. Muscles strengthen.
Ampyra.
Improve nerve conduction.
Walk. Strengthen. Hope.
Physical therapy. A constant, for life.
Hope. Hope does not disappoint; hope encourages. Never give up, ever.
Continued progress. Kneel down at ground level and rise up, using a chair to teach mucles how this works. Try again. Eliminate chair. Try again. Think quads; push up. Think butt muscles. Push up harder. Think back muscles. Reach. Hold. Balance. Hold. Sit down.
Look Up. Smile. Give thanks to God. As for more.
Get back to work.
Individuals. Individual needs.
Critical support from family and friends.
Individual. Unique. Alone. One woman working toward wearing heels for her sister's wedding; another man working on crawling; another person using exoskeleton;
Me, my walker, Bioness. God?
Alone. Yet there are other people who are alone. And then we are, together.
I have new incentive to get back and test limits instead of dwelling on alone and leaning about why bother.
Peace.
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