Let us be a statistic of ONE!
Article written by Corinne Jeanmaire, Nov.1st, 2024
Back in 2001, after an accident landed me in hospitals in Indonesia and Singapore, the diagnosis was brutal. Just three days after my arrival in the ICU and following excruciating physical pain, a well-meaning nurse told me I had to learn to suffer and accept my future—in a wheelchair. Later, the orthopedic surgeon came by and offered me a book written by a woman who became paralyzed after an accident. I was initially thrilled, expecting a testimony of how to fight and overcome paralysis. Instead, it was about accepting, not winning or even fighting. Two weeks after the trauma, my central nervous system was already deemed a “cold case.” Based on what? Mainly statistics and a very basic, even archaic, “pinprick” sensory test. If you don’t have sensations in certain parts of your body, your spinal cord injury is classified as “complete,” as in “full, permanent, and hopeless.” Cases of spontaneous recovery for people initially diagnosed with “complete” paralysis do exist, but they are far from the majority.
As a determined person, you mostly think these grim statistics won’t apply to you. YOU and your willpower are going to BEAT THE ODDS. You put everything in place to become your own statistic—a statistic of one. So you fight in whatever way you can: seeking a second opinion, undergoing a second (spinal cord decompression) surgery. Also, you keep walking and cycling in your head; instinctively, you know that your brain will soon forget how to get your legs to move, and you are NOT going to allow that. Furthermore, you aren’t eligible for innovative physiotherapy aiming at neuro-recovery, but you find your own path, abroad. There, you participate in intensive physiotherapy programs to change this doomed status. Because you need to try, at least!
Let’s face reality: statistics often win, and doctors are often right. In my case, they turned out to be right. Yes,… But at least I’ve tried. I have done everything in my power to change the status quo, and I am now at peace with the outcome.
A few months ago, my sister received a very grim diagnosis of her own: cancer—the very worst type, currently inoperable. The odds are not on her side, but she is courageous and positive. Testimonies from people who have survived that horrible cancer all advise patients to “own their disease” and to BECOME A STATISTIC OF ONE.
My sister keeps fighting the disease, and the treatment side effects. And I am just as determined to help her in her battle. Shaving my head was an option, but I went for something just as difficult for me. I set up a challenge consisting of lifestyle improvements for both of us: basically, eating better and moving more. Indeed, various scientific publications show that a healthy diet and regular physical activity have the potential to improve the outcomes of conventional cancer treatment. As far as I am concerned, this challenge aims to encourage her, but also possibly improve my own health.
Would you like to support both of us? Help my sister beat the statistics, or at least try to. You can do so by making a donation through the Donate Now button on the challenge page (see below). Many thanks for supporting us, even with a small donation. For the sake of clarity, your gift is not going to cure my sister or me, but it will strongly encourage us both to stick to our challenge and continue the fight. She has always supported my own willingness to contribute to spinal cord injury regenerative research. Therefore, 100% of the funds received through this challenge will go to the endParalysis foundation and be allocated to research aimed at curing chronic spinal cord injury.
