Today, May 17th, makes 21 years since I became a ventilator dependent
quadriplegic due to acute transverse myelitis. I was 21 when it happened
so it has now been half my life. I woke up that morning with a sore
shoulder. Thinking I just slept in a wrong position I went to work. After
about 30 minutes the pain in my shoulder increased and I started feeling
dizzy. I tried to stand up but could not. Someone helped me lay down. In
a short amount of time I remember a paramedic asking me my age, I tried
to answer but could not talk. I found out I had stopped breathing. The
next memory I have is waking up in the hospital unable to move or speak.
Transverse Myelitis is an inflammatory attack in the spinal cord. It is
an auto immune disorder where a persons own immune system mistakenly
attacks and destroys myelin, the insulating material that surrounds
nerves. There is no known cause or cure. It can happen to anyone at any
age.
In 2008, the Transverse Myelitis Association has established the James
Timothy Lubin Fellowship in Rare Neuroimmunologic Disorders. The purpose
of the Fellowship is to encourage the development of medical
specializations in TM, ADEM and NMO through a year of study under a
leading TM, ADEM or NMO specialist. If you think this is a worthy cause
and would like to make a tax deductible donation to support it, you can
do so using this link
http://www.myelitis.org/fellowship-donation
Jim
Lubin
jlu...@eskimo.com
http://makoa.org/jim
disAbility Resources:
http://www.makoa.org
