Alex will walk again

December 14th 2006… i was injured.. now i’m recovering.. then i will walk again!

i have been waiting for a while.. but finally my leg braces have turned up!! so this week end i will be standing for the first time since 14th dec 2006, in rehab and here at home i can stand using a standing chair.. at the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital i would rarely get above 50 degrees without my blood pressure playing up.. now here at home i have worked up to 85 degrees withonly a knee block, in the standing chair.. this allows me to work on balance, blood pressure, trunk stability and my quads, re-learning muscle memory throughout my body… now with the use of he leg brace’s, a harness and some crutches, i will stand fully upright!

soon i will get a tread mill.. this will then allow me to then (to start with) simulate walking… and working up to taking my first steps… with this at home and the extreme physio at standing start, things are speeding up.

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT

The first fundraiser has been such a success. So many people have come together from all walks of life to show support, not only financially but personally to. I  can’t thank everyone enough - they say recovery stops when the money does.. because of the generosity of friends, family even complete strangers.. you’ve given me the kick start in physiotherapy that i need.

Thanks again

Forget what has happened in the past that can not be changed… work on what you have today - it can alway’s be built on and improved… who knows what the future holds! 

when i came home from the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital, i had a “care package” this is supplied to me through the goverment.. it included a 24hr carer (live in), another for 2hrs in the morning and one for an hr in the evening additional to the live in carer.. between the hrs of 2-4am two fully trained nurse’s would come in to turn me (as my consultant said i would never even roll in bed…) and every other day a district nurse in the morning this was last june…

today i stopped the 2nd carer altogether, i still have the 24 hr carer (for the time being..) through the year the night time carer was first to go (they would come at 2030hrs, i’m 29yrs old.. i don’t need to go to bed then) the night time nurses went next (i can now turn myself) and the district nurse in the morning, i was given just 6 weeks physio to come home with (then sadly people give up..) this was to learn transfers.. when i first came home they had the ceiling track hoist installed for health and saftey.. and two people had to transfer me from chair to bed and vis-versa, i now can do a self transfer.. i need someone to stand in front of me (for confidence) my physio (Stephen Barwise) will not allow me to lean on him.. 

like i said the progress is slow,(at least there is progress its just frustating!!) if the money was used properly to start with, it might be possible to be more independant a lot quicker, for future cases…

with the help from everyone in Ireland and everyone through my website so far (all the people around me), i have been able to speed eveything up a notch - for that i can not thank people enough.. 

again with your help and my hard work www.alexwillwalkagain.com

Currently Becky Pearson is travelling Austrailia, next week she will be in Taupo-New Zealand, where she will be hurling herself out of a plane!! to show support or just to give her the push please press the donation button here on my site

 

Thank you

As from the photos it was a sucsess - thank you becky - thank you for money raised

Yesterday i was interviewed for a video to promote the charity Regain, they supplied me with the upper torso part to the RTI 300 FES bike and the Tracker bike. It is thanks to them that people who have become tetraplegic through a sporting injury, can get help financing equipment for recovery and rehabilitation or just to make life easier. For more information about Regain please follow the link.

using the ceiling track hoist already installed, along with a harness and some crutches i am going to attempt fully upright weight bearing, due to the lack of grip i will not be able to use parallel bars, but i have “quad” gloves that i can use to stabilize myself on the crutches, using the hoist to get in place, i can then try and activate my quad muscles and properly stand for the first time since December 14th 2006. I then can try and “walk” by doing the same but with a tread mill and the post-op knee braces.

i will be attending standing start on the 10th of November, but plan to continue with physio at home with Stephen Barwise.

Approx 160-200 people took part in the walk and gave donations (this doesn’t include donations at the match on the 12th Oct), without the support and help of the following people, the walk would not have been possible.. Thanks to Sarah, Noel, Kate, Michael & Orla Hynes, Jacinta, Linda, Gina, Joe & Yvette, Clarrie and Martin. Alot of work goes on behind the scenes, and the above mentioned were exellent support along the way.

I have researched leg braces that i can use.. (with the help of my physio Stephen Barwise) the Innovator Premium post-op knee brace, looks like something that with the use of a ceiling track (for now) and later as my grip improves i should be able to use parralel bars, this will hopefully eliminate the need for my standing chair, in the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital, my blood pressure would drop at 50 degrees on the standing frame, now i stand with only the knee block at 85 degrees, these braces should allow a complete upright position.. another step forward to my first step..