My motto is Expect Success. Here's why...
The medical profession does not encourage those of us with a spinal cord injury to expect success in our healing....quite the opposite actually. With no medical cure in sight, doctors continue to offer little or no hope of recovery.
Their focus is entirely on promoting acceptance and teaching newly injured paraplegics and tetraplegics how to use a wheelchair, and "manage" their bodies as they now are. As a result, people turn their brains off to any prospect of recovery or walking again.
Game over or game on?
Once you tell your body it is paralysed and chose to believe you'll never walk again, your body gives up repairing itself, and it's definitely game over. I know because that is exactly what I did when the doctors told me...There's no cure, we don't know enough about neurology, you'll never walk again.
I believed them and for 30-years I got on with life. I disconnected from my legs and thought from the waist up. Never once did I consider there was anything I could do to help my body heal; never mind escape my wheelchair and walk again. Healing was not an option.
Speak no harm
While I have the greatest respect and appreciation for all the excellent doctors that have treated my spinal cord injury over the years, I cannot help wonder if we're all missing something so obvious. Doctors have a tremendous responsibility and their words can unintentionally put a hex on us patients. A simple misplaced word can condemn one to life in a wheelchair....when perhaps it doesn't have to be that way. I've come to appreciate that it's a mistake to assume that just because there's no medical cure for spinal cord injury, there's nothing I can do to aid my recovery and expect success.
What if there was another way to view your health?
What would you being doing now if your doctor had said to you something like this...
While we may not have a medical cure for spinal cord injury, given the right circumstances, love and support, there is much you can do to take responsibility for your recovery and help your body to heal. It's going to take a lot of hard work, but I would urge you to keep an open-mind and expect success in your healing?
Life is more fun when you're healthy
These days I see things differently to most doctors and expect success in my healing. I believe life is more fun when you're healthy and that regular exercise-therapy is the key to reorganising the central nervous system, and overcoming paralysis.
I train my mind and whole body everyday with my Personal Trainer and Assistant, Andrea, who assists and pushes me towards recovery five days per week. Together we develop new ideas and exercise-therapies (both in the gym and hydrotherapy pool) that you wouldn't expect a paraplegic and wheelchair-user to consider, let alone accomplish.
Discovering what works
Andrea and I learn something new and exciting every day. For me healing my Paraplegia is an enormous problem solving challenge, but it is also pioneering and fun. We laugh a lot as I flounder to master the latest step in my recovery programme.
One thing we don't do is quit when things get tough. We trial and error (which I call healing experiences) new exercises and write down everything we do in Martin's Progress Book (note: we do not call it a "treatment" or even a "therapy" book). We're fast learning what works, what's good and where to invest our energies and resources for the best results.
Expect Success exercise-therapy
We've set up Expect Success to share our discoveries and new approach to exercise-therapy with other disabled people who seek more than the National Health Service can offer. We're developing ways to enable disabled people to stay well, exercise and have fun.
For more information, please email me.
Meanwhile...
Want to attract good in your life today?
Wearing a Martin's Miracle Expect Success Wristband is a great way to stay positive and attract good in your life today. It also shows your support for my intention to manifest a miracle, and walk again.
I appreciate your support. Thanks for joining with me and expecting success.
If you're feeling really generous, there's a donate button at the top left of this page. |
