Saturday, 18 August 2012
Bangkok video
Friday, 29 June 2012
One year on - photos and videos
Here are the photos and videos I said I'd publish in my post earlier today.
A few weeks ago, I went back to the scene of my accident for the first time. I drive past this place pretty much every day, but this was the first time I'd got out to take a closer look. I don't know for certain but am pretty sure that this is the hole that my tyre went down. My head landed on the kerb.
The kids have started doing the Hash House Horrors runs on Sunday afternoons. Recently, I joined them to walk one of routes - and found myself on the marathon course!!!
Here are a few videos from recent training sessions with Swee Kheng. You can see the issues I still have, mainly with my right leg/ foot, and with tone when I start to move faster. But you can also see the progress, I hope.
A few weeks ago, I went back to the scene of my accident for the first time. I drive past this place pretty much every day, but this was the first time I'd got out to take a closer look. I don't know for certain but am pretty sure that this is the hole that my tyre went down. My head landed on the kerb.
The kids have started doing the Hash House Horrors runs on Sunday afternoons. Recently, I joined them to walk one of routes - and found myself on the marathon course!!!
Here are a few videos from recent training sessions with Swee Kheng. You can see the issues I still have, mainly with my right leg/ foot, and with tone when I start to move faster. But you can also see the progress, I hope.
Here's one from last week - when I seemed to find my running legs again - first time for a little while!! I was very happy with this.
One year on
Today is the first anniversary of my accident - the day that changed my life and the lives of my family forever. As you can imagine, there's a lot going through my head and today is a day of very high emotion. There's a lot I would like to say and do, but above all I want to celebrate and say thank you.
On 29th June 2011, a cycling accident left me with a spinal cord injury, unable to move and with almost no sensation, from the shoulders down. In the days that followed, Ali and I started to learn about the potentially devastating, traumatic impact of this injury - possible permanent paralysis, incontinence, breathing complications, infections, a lifetime of dependence on care, and so on. Fortunately, I showed signs of some functional recovery fairly quickly, which was encouraging. But the medics made it clear that it was impossible to predict how much I would recover and to what extent I would be left disabled. A few weeks after my accident I was told that, given the level and nature of my accident, at the date of injury I had a less than 10% chance of ever walking again.
As things stand, one year later, I can walk (and do so without walking aids). I'm learning to gallop, skip, hop and run. I can ride a bike and swim. I can play games with my kids, kick a football, hit, throw and catch a ball. I drive, without any modification. I can type and write. I'm back at work and beating the targets I set for my first 3 months back. I'm fully functional and completely independent. My motor control, sensation, muscle strength and function all continue to improve.
On 29th June 2011, a cycling accident left me with a spinal cord injury, unable to move and with almost no sensation, from the shoulders down. In the days that followed, Ali and I started to learn about the potentially devastating, traumatic impact of this injury - possible permanent paralysis, incontinence, breathing complications, infections, a lifetime of dependence on care, and so on. Fortunately, I showed signs of some functional recovery fairly quickly, which was encouraging. But the medics made it clear that it was impossible to predict how much I would recover and to what extent I would be left disabled. A few weeks after my accident I was told that, given the level and nature of my accident, at the date of injury I had a less than 10% chance of ever walking again.
Today, my biggest physical challenge is muscle tone, spasticity and tightness. That's caused by the damage to my neurological system. The tone and tightness is compounded by physical, emotional and other stresses. Over the last couple of months, I've ramped up at work and pressed on with my physical rehab whilst trying to manage through the huge uncertainties and emotional issues the family still faces. I've taken medication since the accident, but the way the drugs work is by suppressing the nervous system, which seems to me (and others) to work against the healing process, so I recently tried to reduce the dosage. The net result has been an increase in tightness these last few weeks. But I know that it will improve eventually. And I know that when it does I will be in a really good position to make even more progress at an even faster rate.
I don't know why it is that I've been able to recover this far. I think there are many reasons and I think they include the specific extent of the damage to my spinal cord; the medical care and drugs I received in the ICU; the success of my surgery; the great nursing care that followed; my extensive and intensive rehab program (physio, OT, cranio sacral therapy, meridian resistive stretching, massage, acupuncture, Qi Gong, counseling, coaching etc); my ability to finance all of that, including my six weeks at Project Walk; the energy I've drawn from the thoughts, prayers, encouragement and support of my family, friends and colleagues; the rock solid support from my employer; the inspiration I've drawn from the amazing people I've met and stories I've heard along the way; the make up of my body, spirit and mind - my level of fitness and health before the accident and the way I found myself able to choose hope over fear, believe in my recovery and keep focussed and determined to stay the course.
I'm learning and understanding more as each day of this journey goes by, but I expect I'll never really know what it is that's got me here. But I do know that things could have been so much worse for me. I know that many other SCI victims face far bigger challenges than I do. I know that many of them would love to be able to do what I can do now, and I've met many who are working extremely hard to get there. I know that I am fortunate. I'm very grateful for the fact that I am where I am today, and that I have the potential to go even further tomorrow.
I also know, for sure, that I could not have done this without all of you. My medics, nurses, therapists, trainers, family, friends and colleagues. You have energised, motivated and inspired me. I will always be grateful.
My injury has caused a huge amount of trauma, grief and upheaval for Ali, Max and Amy. Its very painful still for Ali, who saw our dreams, plans and securities torn to pieces. Whilst the kids have found new ways of being with me, I know they'd love to have me able to do the things I used to do. They are the victims of this too. But they brought me through the worst and have stuck by me. I'll find a way of marking today with them, saying thank you and letting them know how much I love them.
Today, wherever you are, please have a little celebration!!
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
17 May - my PW testimonial video
Here's a link to the video of my last day interview at PW, back in March
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3r4ltUlb4E&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3r4ltUlb4E&feature=plcp
Sunday, 29 April 2012
29 April - first bike ride!
I've been riding my stationary bike for several weeks now, but today, I rode a bike outside for the first time. Here's a clip of the first moment - a practice run near the bike hire shop, and then me off with Max & Amy through East Coast Park. A wonderful afternoon - and one more family activity regained. It feels fantastic, for all of us I think!
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
24 April - two months on
It's two months since I came home from Carlsbad - already!! So, as some of you have told me, I'm overdue an update!
I started back at work a couple of weeks ago. I'm easing back in slowly, working just two half days in the first two weeks, and aiming to increase to three full days by week 5. When I get to full days, I will start late morning to allow time for my therapy or training. As I've said many times before, the support from Diageo has been phenomenal. I had a really warm welcome back and now there are many people wanting to help ensure that my transition is successful, and that I return to full capacity over time. My boss has told me to structure work around my rehab, not the other way around, which is a fantastic way to help me keep on with my physical recovery, whilst at the same time re-building things on the work front. I'm very fortunate! Its early days, but so far so good - I've been able to get done what I planned to do, in the way I wanted to do it. I've been tired at the end of each day, but that's to be expected whilst I re-adjust. This is a really big step for me, but the timing feels right and I know I can make a success of this.
I'm driving again!! One of the local hospitals runs a driving rehabilitation assessment. There is no legal requirement to do the test (as far as I know), but it was clearly the right thing for me to do, for everyone's sake. The assessment was pretty straightforward. First, I met with an OT (if you're reading this, hi Florence), to talk through my rehab and my physical and mental condition; and to perform some tests on basic functionality. A week later I had an on road test with a driving instructor. That went really well - except that I completely stuffed up an attempt at reverse parking!! The instructor didn't seem to mind, and I passed and got a certificate that I'm fit to drive. I'm loving the liberation and I've thought to myself that behind the wheel of a car I feel just like everyone else. I do tend to think a lot about the placement of my right foot on the pedals, but last week I drove through a massive storm (big, even for Singapore, which is saying something) - and all of a sudden I found that if my mind is distracted my legs and feet still work perfectly well!! Interesting! More of that later. I thought that I might have some issues with the tightness in my hands, but they are fine - and in fact I think my left hand benefits from having to clench and unclench as I move it from the steering wheel to the gear stick. So, another big box ticked!
In my last post I said that after returning to Singapore I needed to think about which therapists to work with and how to structure my training. I wanted as far as possible to replicate what I had in Carlsbad - a trainer (not necessarily a physio) who might be a kinesiologist or strength and conditioning coach, who could help me with gait training, strength and stability and who understands something about the neurological challenges. It was important for me to find someone with the right attitude - who can share my belief in my ability to beat the odds and make a full recovery, and who can keep me motivated and making good progress. And I needed access to a good facility with the right equipment. I expected to have to piece together a team of several people in different places. Actually, I think I've found it in one person in one place. I've been working with Dr Tan Swee Kheng, whose business is called Fifth Ray Integrated Activities. Swee Kheng ticks pretty much all the boxes. She's not worked with an SCI client before, but I didn't expect to find that outside of the main hospitals. She has a really cool facility in a warehouse down by the river. She does a lot of work with kids, but also gait, running and conditioning work with adults. Five weeks in, I seem to be making really good progress, especially within the last week when a lot of the gait training and strength work really seems to be bedding in, to the point that my movement has become more automatic and fluid and less effortful. Swee Kheng took a few videos of today's session, which I will post soon.
Its a strange thing - I can now count at least 5 times during this rehab when exactly the right person has popped up at exactly the right time to help me on my journey. A couple of people have said that its about putting it out there and allowing the universe to arrange it. I'm beginning to believe it!!!
One of those people was Andrew Liaw. Andrew popped up as a cranio sacral therapist last October. He's also a physio and over time we started work at the gym and the track. Andrew had a quite uncanny knack of reading exactly what was happening in my body and his exercise program was a really good pre-cursor to the stuff I did at Project Walk. He's had total faith in my ability to recover, and has been hugely motivational. I'm now moving off on a different path (for a while, at least) but want to say a really big thank you to Andrew. He keeps a fairly low profile, but if anyone in Singapore wants his number, give me a shout.
I'm still working very hard on the rehab - twice a week with Swee Kheng, twice a week at the gym near the office, once a week on a long walk, Saturday mornings in the pool, and every day a "get me moving routine" first thing in the morning and stretches at night. I've hooked my bike on to a stationary bike stand, and do a half hour ride on that once or twice a week. I also have one OT session a week, and try to fit in a weekly massage. A lot!
In the first few weeks back from Carlsbad I struggled with increased tone, especially extensor tone in my right side, which causes my leg to straighten and forces my foot into plantar flexion. That seemed to worsen for a few weeks. Having spoken to a consultant and physio at the hospital, and to Swee Kheng, I decided that I needed to adjust my exercise regime, reducing the intensity in some areas for a while to allow me focus on form and quality of movement. That has meant that for the last few weeks I have pulled back from jogging, reduced the amount of jumping and shifted away from a focus on speed. Other than that, the home program that David, Genny and Steve built for me is still the core of my gym routine. The results seem good. Over the last few days there has been a noticeable improvement in my gait. I've felt much more fluid and smooth pretty much every time I have moved. Today I noticed that I am putting less mental and physical effort into walking. And that is making the whole thing more efficient - and faster! Other people are noticing too - especially Ali!
One strategy to address the tone is to try to divert my mind from it. That's really hard to do, because the tone can dominate my movement and I've developed a habit of thinking hard about every step. But over the last week or so I have had a bit of a breakthrough and found a technique that seems to help. I'm learning that if I can distract my mind to something else (eg to think about putting force through my left leg), my right leg is able to move automatically (almost) and more smoothly.
The last few weeks have been tough going sometimes. I've felt low some days and sometimes felt that my progress had slowed, or even slipped backwards. That's the first time I've experienced that, other than for the odd day or so - and I know how fortunate I am to be able to say that. But I never expected my progress to be straight line the whole time, and in some ways its good to have been through this - I've learned how to come out of it. And I expect I'll need to use that knowledge again some time.
Ali is battling hard with her own recovery. A few weeks ago she went on an intensive therapy course in Australia. The course is known for being pretty tough, and Ali was anxious about going, but she did so, very bravely. She had a good experience, made some breakthroughs and came home in a much better place than before she left, and with some tools and techniques that will help her as she fights on. Its still really hard going for her, but she keeps on fighting.
The kids are doing fine. Max has got me playing football on the drive (my right leg moves much slower than my left, but the fear of falling over when I kick the ball has gone away!) and Amy has me playing tennis. Amy is storming ahead with her reading (not far off chapter books!) and Max is in a school play this week!
That's it for now. I'll post some videos soon.
I started back at work a couple of weeks ago. I'm easing back in slowly, working just two half days in the first two weeks, and aiming to increase to three full days by week 5. When I get to full days, I will start late morning to allow time for my therapy or training. As I've said many times before, the support from Diageo has been phenomenal. I had a really warm welcome back and now there are many people wanting to help ensure that my transition is successful, and that I return to full capacity over time. My boss has told me to structure work around my rehab, not the other way around, which is a fantastic way to help me keep on with my physical recovery, whilst at the same time re-building things on the work front. I'm very fortunate! Its early days, but so far so good - I've been able to get done what I planned to do, in the way I wanted to do it. I've been tired at the end of each day, but that's to be expected whilst I re-adjust. This is a really big step for me, but the timing feels right and I know I can make a success of this.
I'm driving again!! One of the local hospitals runs a driving rehabilitation assessment. There is no legal requirement to do the test (as far as I know), but it was clearly the right thing for me to do, for everyone's sake. The assessment was pretty straightforward. First, I met with an OT (if you're reading this, hi Florence), to talk through my rehab and my physical and mental condition; and to perform some tests on basic functionality. A week later I had an on road test with a driving instructor. That went really well - except that I completely stuffed up an attempt at reverse parking!! The instructor didn't seem to mind, and I passed and got a certificate that I'm fit to drive. I'm loving the liberation and I've thought to myself that behind the wheel of a car I feel just like everyone else. I do tend to think a lot about the placement of my right foot on the pedals, but last week I drove through a massive storm (big, even for Singapore, which is saying something) - and all of a sudden I found that if my mind is distracted my legs and feet still work perfectly well!! Interesting! More of that later. I thought that I might have some issues with the tightness in my hands, but they are fine - and in fact I think my left hand benefits from having to clench and unclench as I move it from the steering wheel to the gear stick. So, another big box ticked!
In my last post I said that after returning to Singapore I needed to think about which therapists to work with and how to structure my training. I wanted as far as possible to replicate what I had in Carlsbad - a trainer (not necessarily a physio) who might be a kinesiologist or strength and conditioning coach, who could help me with gait training, strength and stability and who understands something about the neurological challenges. It was important for me to find someone with the right attitude - who can share my belief in my ability to beat the odds and make a full recovery, and who can keep me motivated and making good progress. And I needed access to a good facility with the right equipment. I expected to have to piece together a team of several people in different places. Actually, I think I've found it in one person in one place. I've been working with Dr Tan Swee Kheng, whose business is called Fifth Ray Integrated Activities. Swee Kheng ticks pretty much all the boxes. She's not worked with an SCI client before, but I didn't expect to find that outside of the main hospitals. She has a really cool facility in a warehouse down by the river. She does a lot of work with kids, but also gait, running and conditioning work with adults. Five weeks in, I seem to be making really good progress, especially within the last week when a lot of the gait training and strength work really seems to be bedding in, to the point that my movement has become more automatic and fluid and less effortful. Swee Kheng took a few videos of today's session, which I will post soon.
Its a strange thing - I can now count at least 5 times during this rehab when exactly the right person has popped up at exactly the right time to help me on my journey. A couple of people have said that its about putting it out there and allowing the universe to arrange it. I'm beginning to believe it!!!
One of those people was Andrew Liaw. Andrew popped up as a cranio sacral therapist last October. He's also a physio and over time we started work at the gym and the track. Andrew had a quite uncanny knack of reading exactly what was happening in my body and his exercise program was a really good pre-cursor to the stuff I did at Project Walk. He's had total faith in my ability to recover, and has been hugely motivational. I'm now moving off on a different path (for a while, at least) but want to say a really big thank you to Andrew. He keeps a fairly low profile, but if anyone in Singapore wants his number, give me a shout.
I'm still working very hard on the rehab - twice a week with Swee Kheng, twice a week at the gym near the office, once a week on a long walk, Saturday mornings in the pool, and every day a "get me moving routine" first thing in the morning and stretches at night. I've hooked my bike on to a stationary bike stand, and do a half hour ride on that once or twice a week. I also have one OT session a week, and try to fit in a weekly massage. A lot!
In the first few weeks back from Carlsbad I struggled with increased tone, especially extensor tone in my right side, which causes my leg to straighten and forces my foot into plantar flexion. That seemed to worsen for a few weeks. Having spoken to a consultant and physio at the hospital, and to Swee Kheng, I decided that I needed to adjust my exercise regime, reducing the intensity in some areas for a while to allow me focus on form and quality of movement. That has meant that for the last few weeks I have pulled back from jogging, reduced the amount of jumping and shifted away from a focus on speed. Other than that, the home program that David, Genny and Steve built for me is still the core of my gym routine. The results seem good. Over the last few days there has been a noticeable improvement in my gait. I've felt much more fluid and smooth pretty much every time I have moved. Today I noticed that I am putting less mental and physical effort into walking. And that is making the whole thing more efficient - and faster! Other people are noticing too - especially Ali!
One strategy to address the tone is to try to divert my mind from it. That's really hard to do, because the tone can dominate my movement and I've developed a habit of thinking hard about every step. But over the last week or so I have had a bit of a breakthrough and found a technique that seems to help. I'm learning that if I can distract my mind to something else (eg to think about putting force through my left leg), my right leg is able to move automatically (almost) and more smoothly.
The last few weeks have been tough going sometimes. I've felt low some days and sometimes felt that my progress had slowed, or even slipped backwards. That's the first time I've experienced that, other than for the odd day or so - and I know how fortunate I am to be able to say that. But I never expected my progress to be straight line the whole time, and in some ways its good to have been through this - I've learned how to come out of it. And I expect I'll need to use that knowledge again some time.
Ali is battling hard with her own recovery. A few weeks ago she went on an intensive therapy course in Australia. The course is known for being pretty tough, and Ali was anxious about going, but she did so, very bravely. She had a good experience, made some breakthroughs and came home in a much better place than before she left, and with some tools and techniques that will help her as she fights on. Its still really hard going for her, but she keeps on fighting.
The kids are doing fine. Max has got me playing football on the drive (my right leg moves much slower than my left, but the fear of falling over when I kick the ball has gone away!) and Amy has me playing tennis. Amy is storming ahead with her reading (not far off chapter books!) and Max is in a school play this week!
That's it for now. I'll post some videos soon.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
29 February - home coming
Its taken me a few days longer than expected to type this - and I'm glad it did.
I ended last week feeling a bit low. My tone had increased and my body was very tight. It was difficult to really get going during the last couple of days in the gym. I know it sounds crazy to say this about a week that began with me driving a car, going to yoga for the first time, running on the treadmill at 7mph and running the length of the gym, but the last couple of days felt like a bit of an anti climax. I think there were several factors at play. Physical tiredness was one - no surprise after 6 weeks of intensive hard work, several nights of mixed up sleep and so not enough stretching. Emotional fatigue was another - missing my family, friends and home, the uncertainty of moving on to the next stage etc.
So I'm glad that I waited to type this, because now I can tell you that after a few days back home I'm really beginning to see the benefits of my time at PW. Yesterday I went back to my regular gym for the first time and rolled out the training routine David, Genny and Steve built for me, which includes many exercises (lunges, squats, line jumps, dead lifts etc, etc) that I simply could not do six weeks ago. I then I got back on the treadmill. There's no harness here, so I can't do the over speeding work and can't expect to reach the speeds I reached at PW, but I was very pleased with how I walked compared to before I left. Today I did one of the outdoor walks I did regularly before PW - it felt significantly faster (the timer on my phone played up, so I'm not sure by how much), but more importantly my gait felt more stable, relaxed and confident. And something has changed this evening at home - hard to describe except to say I feel much more aligned, balanced and stronger.
And, of course, I've had the joy of getting back home to the family. Ali and the kids met me at 6am at the airport. I'd called home before leaving LAX. Max told me he wasn't going to come to Changi - no way he was getting up at that time in the morning, and he'd rather stay in bed, he said!! But I'd had a tip off that he said that so that he could surprise me when I arrived!! He did come, of course, though he still had his pyjamas on under his clothes!! Amy told me she definitely was coming, but she was worried about having enough time to brush her hair before leaving the house. Boys and girls, eh!! They were waiting with a big, bright "welcome home daddy" sign, which Amy made (with a bit of help from Ali).
So today I'm feeling good again - about a great 6 weeks at PW, about where my recovery stands now, and about where it will go next. My goals 6 weeks ago were to strengthen areas of muscular weakness, reduce my tightness and make my gait more efficient, smoother and faster. I'm now significantly stronger in most areas. There are some areas that need more work, but they are relatively few and I'm clear on what needs to be done and have a training program to help me do it. Tone remains a big challenge. I'm probably tighter now than 6 weeks ago, but I think that's starting to ease a bit as I settle back into home and a regular stretching routine. My gait has improved - I still have some challenges on my right side, but the improvement is significant and I'll continue to gain as I strengthen my hamstrings, anterior tibs and glutes. The goals I set six weeks ago did not include jumping and running - but I got started with that, which feels fantastic, and will build on that. And whilst PW does not specifically treat hands, and though mine still have tone and tightened during my gym work outs, the stretching I've done over the last 6 weeks does seem to have helped my left hand in particular.
I don't yet know how to best structure my training now I'm home - which therapists, which facilities, how to supplement my PW program etc? That will start fall into place over the next few days, I'm sure, but will also re-shape when I return to work (hopefully in the next couple of weeks or so).
I had a long good bye at PW last Friday morning, taking time to say farewell to new friends. Here are some of clients who were around on Friday morning. These peoplere-define determination, courage and belief , as do all the PW clients, . Best of luck to you guys and all the other clients and carers I met - keep in touch and see you soon, I hope.
I ended last week feeling a bit low. My tone had increased and my body was very tight. It was difficult to really get going during the last couple of days in the gym. I know it sounds crazy to say this about a week that began with me driving a car, going to yoga for the first time, running on the treadmill at 7mph and running the length of the gym, but the last couple of days felt like a bit of an anti climax. I think there were several factors at play. Physical tiredness was one - no surprise after 6 weeks of intensive hard work, several nights of mixed up sleep and so not enough stretching. Emotional fatigue was another - missing my family, friends and home, the uncertainty of moving on to the next stage etc.
So I'm glad that I waited to type this, because now I can tell you that after a few days back home I'm really beginning to see the benefits of my time at PW. Yesterday I went back to my regular gym for the first time and rolled out the training routine David, Genny and Steve built for me, which includes many exercises (lunges, squats, line jumps, dead lifts etc, etc) that I simply could not do six weeks ago. I then I got back on the treadmill. There's no harness here, so I can't do the over speeding work and can't expect to reach the speeds I reached at PW, but I was very pleased with how I walked compared to before I left. Today I did one of the outdoor walks I did regularly before PW - it felt significantly faster (the timer on my phone played up, so I'm not sure by how much), but more importantly my gait felt more stable, relaxed and confident. And something has changed this evening at home - hard to describe except to say I feel much more aligned, balanced and stronger.
And, of course, I've had the joy of getting back home to the family. Ali and the kids met me at 6am at the airport. I'd called home before leaving LAX. Max told me he wasn't going to come to Changi - no way he was getting up at that time in the morning, and he'd rather stay in bed, he said!! But I'd had a tip off that he said that so that he could surprise me when I arrived!! He did come, of course, though he still had his pyjamas on under his clothes!! Amy told me she definitely was coming, but she was worried about having enough time to brush her hair before leaving the house. Boys and girls, eh!! They were waiting with a big, bright "welcome home daddy" sign, which Amy made (with a bit of help from Ali).
So today I'm feeling good again - about a great 6 weeks at PW, about where my recovery stands now, and about where it will go next. My goals 6 weeks ago were to strengthen areas of muscular weakness, reduce my tightness and make my gait more efficient, smoother and faster. I'm now significantly stronger in most areas. There are some areas that need more work, but they are relatively few and I'm clear on what needs to be done and have a training program to help me do it. Tone remains a big challenge. I'm probably tighter now than 6 weeks ago, but I think that's starting to ease a bit as I settle back into home and a regular stretching routine. My gait has improved - I still have some challenges on my right side, but the improvement is significant and I'll continue to gain as I strengthen my hamstrings, anterior tibs and glutes. The goals I set six weeks ago did not include jumping and running - but I got started with that, which feels fantastic, and will build on that. And whilst PW does not specifically treat hands, and though mine still have tone and tightened during my gym work outs, the stretching I've done over the last 6 weeks does seem to have helped my left hand in particular.
I don't yet know how to best structure my training now I'm home - which therapists, which facilities, how to supplement my PW program etc? That will start fall into place over the next few days, I'm sure, but will also re-shape when I return to work (hopefully in the next couple of weeks or so).
I had a long good bye at PW last Friday morning, taking time to say farewell to new friends. Here are some of clients who were around on Friday morning. These peoplere-define determination, courage and belief , as do all the PW clients, . Best of luck to you guys and all the other clients and carers I met - keep in touch and see you soon, I hope.
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| Janece with Yoshi |
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| Russ and Trevor |
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| Brenda getting walking, with Mike, Andy and Laurent |
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| Tonje and her mum, Britney |
I said this to the PW staff last week, but I'll say it again publicly - you've helped change my life, and I can't think of a better way to say thank you than that (save perhaps, David, for a few bottles of Jose Cuervo and Johnnie Walker Blue!!)
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| Genny |
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| Steve |
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| David |
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| Mica |
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| Michael |
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| Jes, Joy and Alicia |
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| Kassie |
Derek and Edna came to Carlsbad on Friday to drive me back to LAX. Here's our good bye at the airport, plus a photo of Derek near home in Palos Verde on my first day in California 6 weeks ago. This is were they settled many years ago - you can see why they took a shine to it!
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| Leaving LAX, with Edna and Derek |
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| Derek, at home in Palos Verde, on my first day in CA |
Here are a few videos from my last session with David on Thursday. He didn't send me the one where I landed on my butt!
I've always said since the day of my accident that I believe I will make a full recovery. The progress I've made over the last 8 months, including the big gains in the last 6 weeks, have strengthened that belief. This will still be bloody hard work for a long time to come, but I know I can do it and I know that, at some point in the future, it will start to get easier. I need inspiration, from time to time. This amazing clip was sent to me this week by my friend Rajan.
I'm not 33 and I'm no former gymnast and can't hope to reach that level, but that will keep me inspired for a long time to come!! Its also what Ali has searched for ever since my accident - proof that a full recovery is possible.
Rajan also sent this video, to add to the incredible stories of bravery and determination I've seen these last few months.
Some of you know that Rajan is also recovering from a C-level SCI from an accident last May. His recovery has been very strong, stronger than mine in many respects. He told me today that he's now back on a bike, running up to 800m and hoping to run a 5k in May! He has given me huge support through his comments my blog and Skype messages whilst I was away. Rajan, I hope you don't mind me sharing this, as a way to say a public thank you for your support - and for continuing to inspire and motivate me.
I'll keep my blog going, as a few people have asked me to - and will post updates every month or so.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Week 6 - Thursday 23 Feb - last day
So that's it, done. My six weeks at PW came to an end today, with the last of my training sessions. I'm going to save my thoughts and reflections for a post I'll write on tomorrow's long flight home. For now, I'll say that in truth today was a bit anti climactic. I'd hope to end on a high with some new achievement or other, but that didn't happen. Instead, today was one of those days where I hadn't slept well and my body was tight and didn't really get going, probably due to physical and emotional fatigue. But, no worries, they happen, to all of us. Just one slow day out of so many good ones, and I have so much good stuff to look back on and be really pleased about.
Before I left today I filmed my last day interview. I didn't watch the recording, so fingers crossed I said what I hoped I would say about this great place and it's people. The video should be on the PW website next week, I think.
Actually, I'm not quite done. I'll go to PW tomorrow morning for a last work out (but no trainer session) and to say my farewells before heading off to the airport.
I'm ready to come home now. Can't wait to see Ali and the kids and catch up with friends back in Singapore.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Week 5 - Wednesday 22 Feb
Not a lot of new news today, so this is a short one. David had me work through my warm up routine to help bed that down; and in my session with Steve I jumped off boxes (which was fun as well as a great way to give me more confidence in my right ankle); before getting back to some over speeding, low hurdles (better today than before) and jogging. The highlight of the day came when I was heading out for dinner this evening - the 100 feet or so walk from my room to the lift was, I reckon, my best gait since my injury.
Tomorrow's my last day of training, so off to bed to re-charge for one last push!!
Tomorrow's my last day of training, so off to bed to re-charge for one last push!!
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