Health Update

I am blown away by how fast the end of the year is approaching. Thankfully the weather has warmed up here in QLD and I’ve felt a renewed focus on achieving my goals of getting better, one day at a time, and intend to finish 2022 on an awesome high!

I have faced a few challenges over the past couple of months. Just niggling things like very sore ingrown toenails can take so much of my attention – ouch! I’ve also been doing a bit more walking and have found my ankle is now rolling, causing my left knee to twist and become painful. But, irrespective of all these hurdles, I have still managed to make some amazing improvements in other areas, which I wanted to share with you.

A recent accomplishment is boosting the muscle strength in my mouth, jaw and tongue (combined with a good dose of sheer will and determination of course!), which means I can now drink from a cup instead of using a syringe. This is a massive step forward for me. Development in this muscle tone also means I no longer need to wear a bib outside of eating and drinking, as I’m better able to control my swallowing reflex. I still occasionally need the bib when there is a lot of pain as my saliva tends to increase at this time. These two adjustments may sound minor, but they are a huge breakthrough for me and are improvements that are very rarely observed in people with MND.

Another achievement is that I am now able to stand up by myself from sitting, supported only by my hands. Check out the video of me with my trainer Kylee. I can’t begin to describe what a great feeling this is for me to be able to do this again! You can see it on my face!!

But, there’s more! By far my biggest accomplishment has been walking upstairs, one step at a time. I have managed to do this twice recently, first with Steve helping me and then with three carers, two behind and one in front. This is something I have not been able to do for more than 18 months now, but I never gave up trying!

As always, a huge thanks goes to my dedicated team who go above and beyond to help me achieve things that many other MND people may only dream of. I continue to be so grateful for every day and everything I am able to do, and will always strive relentlessly to achieve simple tasks like this which many take for granted. It really feels like Xmas has come early for me this year!

I hope your Xmas and new year are awesome and you get everything you wish for.