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Inspiration, as most any emotion, is fluid and dynamic relative to the message or its interpretation. A new friend of mine recently put together a brief video commemorating my 29th year post-injury and the specialness that family and a mother's love can contribute. If any are interested, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6XeOdCmvtE
I lurk more than I write, which is not say, thank you all for being here. Good day...
the vid is truly beautiful in every aspect.you are blessed my friend :)hugs and smiles :) :) :)
never ever give up hope,keep the faith,and keep smiling:)
The You Tube slide show speaks volumes for your achievements and your character. You are also very lucky to have a friend who thinks so highly of you and doesn't who all knows it! Very lucky, indeed!
As a Mom, I am moved.
The smiles jump out at me. I feel hope.
I hope to see the accomplishments in life for my young daughter. I hope that she can one day work as a teacher she truly wants.
I hope she will smile as much as you have.
I hope she will not give up and push the limits ( as you did with the lawn mower!)
For some reason my tears won't stop. I need to get ready to work this weekend.
I think they are tears of pain, of hope, of a community, of friendship... thank you for sharing... I wish for you and all you love a wonderful day..
Patricia7,
Tell your daughter that if she wants to be a teacher, she should go for it when the time comes! I was already a teacher when my accident left me a quadriplegic. When I was ready to come back to work (8 months after the accident), I don't think anyone thought I could do it. But I proved them wrong!
It did require a few adaptations, but the more time I've spent teaching 6th graders, the stronger I've become physically. I was a bit concerned about possible discipline issues. What I have discovered is that the kids try harder when things get tough because they see me struggle to do new things. I have ended up being a role model for struggling students, especially the special ed kids. And many other kids seem more tolerant and even a bit protective of me and those strugglers who are trying.
How old is your daughter? If she is old enough to be getting into details, I'd be glad to share some adaptations I use and some tips of the trade...
Thank you for your response. Ariana is now 22, four years post injury. She suffered a severe head injury as well as her spinal cord injury and her short term memory is affected. It takes much longer for her to learn not only due to the physical limitations, but the cerebral ones... She uses the Dragon Voice program that I got her for Christmas to write her papers verbally. She then is able to read her thoughts and redo them over and over until it makes sense to her. She has regained enough physical hand function to drive, but her split decision making skills that is needed in driving safely is not back. I know that would be important in her taking care of a classroom full of kids. She works hard and I want her dreams to come true in whatever capacity that she would be able to teach children. If you have any ideas to share I would certainly share them with her! Thank you for the inspiring post... Patricia
Patricia7,
It sounds like your daugher is still working hard at attempting to bridge her difficulties.
Have you tried or looked at some of the non-conventional (but also non-harmful) alternative methods out there? One method they have used to help with depression and similar mental problems, and which in at least one study seems to have helped strengthen connections from SCI injuries, similar to what extensive exercise does, is Trans Cranial Magnetic Therapy. See:
http://health.indianetzone.com/magnetic_therapy/1/transcranial_magnetic_the rapy.htm
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/college.asp?P=5155
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3701365.stm
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/about_us/press_and_media/press_releases/200 4/05/256.aspx
http://www.millipulse.com/articles_RTMS.html
One of the researchers with the initial SCI study said:
“We think it works by strengthening the information leaving the brain through the undamaged neurons in the spinal cord. It may work like physiotherapy but instead of repeating a physical task‚ the machine activates the surviving nerves to strengthen their connections.” I suspect that a little magnetic pulser, even like the Sota pulser, would do what was accomplised in the study (other magnetic pulse devices I've seen out there are a lot more expensive).
Also, another device that may help - something that studies have shown has helped with concentration and brain connectivity, is a little trans-cranial electrical stimulator, called the Brain Tuner. The technology has been around for a hundred years, it was refined and studied in the early 1970s, and was further refined by an engineer called Robert Beck in the early 1980s. The device he came up with is what is called the Brain Tuner. There are some other similar devices out there also, but from what I've been able to gather, the Brain Tuner seems to be the most refined and most successful. I've got one and use it for helping with concentration at times, and it seems to really work for me. The Brain Tuner retails for about $200, but one place sells for $175. Back in 1983 Beck gave a talk about the technology behind it(it has been around for that long) - you can listen to it at: http://www.braintuner.com/Bob-Beck-Brain-Tuner/ (near the bottom of the page). They also seem to have the best price I've been able to find so far on the Brain Tuner (made by Sota instruments out of Canada), as well as the best price on the Magnetic pulser (also something Beck designed - he actually gave away the instructions for building that device - also built by Sota). Beck died back in 2002, but the ideas he came up with still seem to work. And Sota seems to try to keep the technologies affordable. Because of the studies on accelerated learning that used the Brain Tuner, that would be the first thing I would probably try. I suspect that should help your daughter with her clarity of thoughts and organizing her thoughts, and if this can happen, it should help bridge a few more gaps.
I can't guarantee that either technology would help, but the technology seems sound, and both sound like they have helped some people make at least some progress. Both were designed for other purposes, so brain inuries and SCI were not the focus, but that may also be a benefit, since they are affordable items. From what I've heard, when Beck was alive he was somebody who was not a big fan of government red tape or restrictions, and if he could find a way around them, to keep the cost affordable for the average individual, he did that. For that reason, safety was clearly looked after, but regulatory approvals were kept to a miniumum to avoid having to surcharge any devices to pay for those approvals.
Depending on issues present, laser technology, and Scenar / Cosmodic technology, are also worth eventually looking into. But the only healing laser that I'm comfortable putting on anybody's head for more than a minute is a specialized resonating laser with soliton wave technology, and that is an expensive item ($3800). I know between that a scenar technology, these have helped get my nephew's autism under control, and helped him get so he could hold a regular job, drive, and live on his own. But that is a big investment for an unknown. And the more effective scenars and cosmodics are also not cheap.
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