Tag: paralysis

Paralyzed or not, I have the best movie recommendation.

Back in 1991/92, I met a man who had been paralyzed. He was a screenwriter, and he’d had a fall while rock climbing and suffered permanent paralysis. His name was Neal Jimenez, and he had just completed his own biographical film about his injury and recovery process .when I say completed, not only did he write his story, but he directed it too. It remains his only directorial title, and it’s still the most moving story I’ve ever seen .

This is what Neal Jimenez looked like when we met.
Best movie about recovery

Starring Eric Stoltz and Helen Hunt, The Waterdance is a brilliant piece of work/life that I can’t recommend highly enough. And you can watch it for free on Vimeo,just search for the Waterdance.

Rounding out the cast are Wesley Snipes, William Forsythe, and Elizabeth Pena, who all do an awesome job with the subject matter as well as their own fully formed characters .

I wholeheartedly believe that this film should be seen by EVERYONE on the planet, even if paralysis hasn’t touched your life, because it’s so important to understand the effort that goes into recovery, not to mention the mindset that’s required. I guarantee you’ll come away with so much respect for wheelchair users.

I’ve received positive comments regarding my seemingly endless positive attitude, and I have to tell you that this film is a big part of the reason why I knew I could get through my own paralysis. The brief time that I was able to spend as his friend was invaluable to me

Unfortunately, Neal passed away at the age of 63 of heart failure. But his life touched many. Please allow yourself to be one of the many, you won’t regret it.

So download the Vimeo app and search for The Waterdance and enjoy career making performances and the best inspirational autobiographical film that I’ve ever seen for free!

It can happen to anyone at any time.

It can happen as a result of an accident. It doesn’t have to be catastrophic either. Something as simple as a fall can do it. But being extremely cautious won’t help because it can even happen during surgery . The truly scary thing is that your own body might just be a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. What am I talking about? Paralysis!

There are many ways of being paralyzed , paraplegic, quadriplegic or hemiplegic . It could have happened due to a spinal chord injury. It could have been caused by a brain injury or even a massive stroke.

If you’re thinking that there is no way that it could happen to you because you’re super successful, healthy, and active, and YOUNG! It can and has happened to people just like you.

So the next time you see someone using a wheelchair I want you to think about all of the things that would change in your world if it were you. And treat them with all of the respect they’ve earned.

Because it’s not easy.

Feel what paralysis feels like for yourself.

I’ve posted on this topic before but it didn’t really give you, the reader the feeling of having a paralyzed body part. The way that the paralyzed part feels much heavier than before and the frustration of not being able to move it as easy as before paralysis. I’ve found that the sensation of being touched on my paralyzed side feels dulled and somehow electrified, almost like a dulled down pins and needles on my skin. It’s just as uncomfortable as it sounds. Now, for the experiment that will allow you, my gentle readers, a fleeting glimpse inside the body of a paralyzed person. WARNING! YOU MAY FEEL EMPATHY! If you’re unfamiliar with this feeling, don’t worry, it won’t hurt.

There are 2 types of paralysis the one that most affects me is spastic paralysis. What this means is the muscles of the paralyzed limb, specifically my left arm will constantly spasm. The only medication I take for this is a muscle relaxant and I take 10mgs twice daily, one with breakfast and one with dinner. The muscle relaxant stops the spasms and allows me to straighten my arm ,the muscles of which are in a constant state of firing As for my other paralyzed limb,my left leg, it still feels pins and needles type of issues and the forementioned electricity. Now an experiment that will allow you to understand what spastic paralysis feels like. Place one hand face down on a hard surface, making sure your fingers aren’t bent, now lift your ring finger up off the surface. You won’t be able to do it no matter how hard you try. That’s how my left arm, hand and fingers feel ALL THE TIME!

Another thing that I forgot to mention is how heavy a paralyzed limb feels. I’ll use the leg as an example here. Imagine that you’re in a relatively shallow pool of water, let’s say 4 feet deep, and you’re walking on the floor of the pool. Your legs get quite a workout because not only are you submerged, but the water is working against you. Now imagine the same scenario, but only one leg is in the water. The leg that is under water is what my paralyzed leg feels like, slow and heavy even on land. Because it’s just the one leg that is affected, you can see why it’s so difficult to walk.

I hope that this gives you a better understanding of what the last 7 years has been like for me physically. Once you’ve gotten your head around this, now imagine being told that it’s permanent after 6 years plus,and you’ll begin to see how I’m feeling emotionally. Mostly anger and disappointment. But both feelings are slowly ebbing, if only because it’s been 6 months since getting the news about my paralysis being permanent, and time allegedly heals, at least the emotional wounds.

Watch “Neuralink 2022 Update Is Here – Human Trials Coming!” on YouTube

I’ve been following news about Neuralink for the past couple of years and have been very impressed with what it may be capable of doing for me specifically. The fact that I’m dealing with hemiplegia, which means that my left side is permanently paralyzed because of the massive stroke I had nearly 7 years ago. Most stroke survivors are able to recover relatively quickly from their paralysis while in hospital those people have hemiperesis, which is a temporary problem, temporary meaning more than a month but less than a couple of years. I watched from my hospital bed so many people walking out of the hospital and I really hoped I would follow them but I’m still having to use a power wheelchair, because it’s my entire left side, arm included. So you can imagine why this news is exciting to me.

I don’t want to see your opinions about Elon Musk as a person or a business owner. I realize he’s a controversial guy. I also don’t want your advice regarding the fact that I don’t want to live out the rest of my life this way. It’s my life, not yours. So if you don’t have anything positive to add to the discussion please remain silent.

I’m posting this for others, like me who are also excited by the possibility of being able to use their entire body again or possibly the first time.