[via Gayathri]
A father, Micheal Quinn received a cassette with his daughter’s first step as his 44th birthday gift. His eyes were filled with tears to see his 20 year old daughter walking. It was his daughter’s first step since a decade, since an accident had paralysed her.
Gemma Quinn, a Briton born, led a normal life that any of us led until the age of 7. In the year of 1992, she met with an accident due to which she suffered severe spinal injuries. She was paralysed from the neck down. Doctors had informed her parents that she will not be able to walk or breathe on her own.
After the accident, she lost the use of all her four limbs and was unable to do anything for herself on her own. She lived with the help of her parents and 24-hour carers. Not just for her chores, but even to breathe she needed help.
She didn’t lose hope. Neither did her parents. They tried all possible means to get her cured. They were there next to her at any time of the day at her service. Their lives had changed and so they did too.
It took Gemma almost nine months to be able to breathe without a ventilator. Doctors were surprised. The only thing they could give credit to was her determination.
At the hospital, she became the darling of the spinal injuries unit. She helped deliver meals to the patients and encouraged them to eat. “You must eat to build up your strength. You won’t want to be fed by tube. I’ve had that. Its horrible. Now eat up.” She became the motivation for the hospitalised.
In 1995, when Superman star Christopher Reeve broke his spinal cord, Gemma wrote to him: “I know it seems like the end of the world, but you will be surprised. It took me three years to adjust, but now I am a happy girl.” The clarity in thinking that Gemma had, is not something that is achievable easily. Even when a catheter caused an undiagnosed kidney infection which could have killed her, she consoled her dad saying, “The doctors didn’t mean to screw it up”. In 1996, she was awarded the “Child of Courage” award.
Although she could not walk or use her hands, she passed five subjects in General Certificate in Secondary Education and four subjects in A-level by dictating answers to her caregivers. Then she saw a problem. “After finishing my education at 18, I didn’t know what I wanted to do exactly with my life. I was probably at my lowest … before I found my mind instructor.”
In February 2003, she joined Mind Instructor run by Mr. Hratch Ogali. He is a former Armenian jeweller and has no formal medical training. The therapy involved intensive mental exercises, such as focusing on feeling her toes, breathing exercises, meditation and physical exercises. Her therapy started with a 1 hour session. The sessions are intense and require a lot of strength. Now her therapist gives her a session for three and a half hours. Later on, she practises for five or more hours. She moved to London in order to concentrate completely on the therapy.
It took a decade for her determination to finally see some results. She can now walk 20 steps without aid, kick a football and cycle. She filmed this and sent it to her dad on his birthday. “I wanted to do something special for my dad because we have a really strong bond and he’s always been so supportive of me”, she says, “By the end of it, everyone in the room was crying. There wasn’t a dry eye, but I didn’t. I always thought it would feel different when I walked, but it didn’t. It was instinctive. I didn’t even think about it. I just did it.”
Gemma’s “Never say die” attitude never did die. She even started an international spinal research fund raising appeal and has raised more than 100, 000 pounds. “I just see myself as someone getting on with life. I’m quite happy. I just want to see the world, do things and live normally.”
“My ultimate aim is to make a full recovery. I just want an improved quality of life. I’m always pushing myself, thinking about how to use what I’ve gained and where to go next.”
When asked for a message to other people with disabilities, “You can still live a life and be happy despite your condition and maybe there’ll be a solution within the next few years to improve the quality of life. Once you have accepted your condition and overcome it, you can move on.”
Some say it’s a medical miracle. Some say over time people recover. What she said is “It’s a real battle of wills, but I always win.”
Links
Mind Instructor: “Dad, We’re going to be Allright”
Today Singapore: September 12, 2005, page 20
Telegraph News: “This accident has made me who I am”
BBC News: Paralysed girl’s ‘miracle’ steps.
