You were to visit your friend today --- tell us
about her. Your last note said she could feel the
bed under her; that is indeed a good sign.
I know of 13 other people in this group or the
Transverse Myelitis Association who were fully
quadriplegic in the beginning. Five of them have
recovered enough to walk. There are others who
regained the use of their arms and/or ability to
breathe.
However, recovery will almost certainly take
many months, may not start for months, and will
come gradually, not all at once. One man, for
example, was also a C3 quadriplegic; his recovery
took two full years.
It will be very important to her recovery that
she be able to obtain emotional support for a
long time. This group can be a major source. I
hope you will be an intermediary for a rather
long time. She will feel despair, so you and
we must continue to show her that hope is more
appropriate. Hope has a real basis; it is not
based on nice but empty words. Reinforced by
faith, her hope can lead her to a full life no
matter what the degree of physical recovery.
You asked about facilities in Europe that
specialize in transverse myelitis. I don't
think there is any place in the world that does.
There are places that specialize in spinal
injury rehabilitation. That may be appropriate
after a few weeks.
Roberta, does your friend have a name? Age?
Details of the initial symptoms and timing?
Alton, who wishes he knew Italian as well as
you know English