11 replies to this topic

[Apparelyzed]

How bad do you want to walk?

If someone came to you tomorrow, offered you the chance of walking, but said you had to forfit everything around you including family, friends etc, a bit like a witness protection plan, would you do it?

Personally, I don't think I would take the above offer, as my quality of life at the moment is very good, and there are plenty of able bodied people who have a harder life than I do.

I guess my glass is half full!

Regards

Simon

[kanga2433]

Simon, you are right! This is a no-brainer. Yes, I am sure everyone would like a cure and to be back to whatever we call normal, but the price of losing friends and family is not a price worth paying.

It does make me think, though, of various people who did think it was worth it. We must all remember PC Olds who, having tried everything there was to get walking finally killed himself. This guy had a life ahead of him, a desk job with the police, family and friends, who gave up everything because I could not get a cure. It was a salutory lesson for anyone newly disabled.

I suppose it is the hardest thing to so; to accept one's body as it is, paralysed, and to move on to new things, but it seems that most people manage the transition into a new life and whilst there are things one can no longer do, there always seem to be compensations. Perhaps, we need to tell people about the good things we have found and done to show them that a life paralysed is not just another way of 'enjoying' hell, but a full and meaningful existence. Or, to put it in less flowery language ...

We still have fun!!!!!!!

[wheelie182]

i would definatly try and find ways or cures to walk again, but at what cost is the question though,

if it meant time and money, then yes i would spend these to walk again,

but i would never do it if it meant further risks, such as higher paralysis,

but i believe that if there was to be a cure, for me it would have to be in the next 5-10 years or probaly less, because after that, depending on your injury, the bits you cant control will have been so wasted away, it would take forever to build them up again, and by that time you will be so use to your chair, you might not want to walk again, because would you want to spend another say 2-3 years learning how to walk again?

i suppose it all depends on how long you've had your injury, whether its from birth or from an accident, if you've never known walking, and happy the way you are, why change things?

but i truly believe that people who have disabilitys that affect their daily life such as cancer, paralysis, etc are much mentally stronger people, and if there is a next life we'll all be rock stars or movies stars and incredably rich!!!!! LOL


with BBQ's everynight LOL

[Joed]

Quote

and if there is a next life we'll all be rock stars or movies stars and incredably rich!!!!! LOL 

LOL....I'm gonna be an ice skater.

I'd choose good friends and family over walking any day.

But there are other things I would give up to walk again....and that would include anything that isn't family and friends.

[AHolland]

I guess the answer would depend on the quality of life we have right now.

If we have a resonable life, family, friends etc then we are not likely to give all that up to walk again. Those of us who do not have much in our lives really are not going to give up much. Gaining the ability to walk would open up a lot for those people.

I have never really thought of the ability of walking as my major disability. As we all know, bowels, bladder, pain etc are higher on the list of things for a lot of us than walking. Actually, I read your question as being: If we could go back to being totally "normal", would we give up all that we have. I would still say no at this time. Ask me again in 6 months. By then the pain might have chewed me up enough that I would say yes, just to get it over with.

[kanga2433]

Well, I certainly agree with the last guest to post; non-walking is the easy part. I think I would be more interested in a restoration of bowel and bladder function, something I suspect everyone here would probalbly want first. I think walking is something that would be nice.

Of course, if the original post means brought back to 'normal', i.e. all damage repaired I suppose that would solve some of the more difficult areas of life, but I don't think I would want to change now; after 20 something years. I've just got used to it I suppose.

[hillarymcarter]

Walking is just a luxury. I do agree the hard part is all the rest of it!