Grace's Journey

Hi there I'm Grace and in 2016 I was diagnosed with ADEM: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. This pretty much means my body attacked itself. Over 10 days I became paralysed from head to toe, and my only way of communication was blinking. I know it sounds silly but it's true! I lost the ability to talk which was hard. Close to the end of my treatment I had a plasmapheresis which, if you don't know, it is where they take the bad stuff out of your blood and filter it back in to your body. This happened with generously donated plasma. Over the course of 12months I had to learn how to walk and talk again. I still remember the morning and afternoon visits from my Neurologist, Andrew Kornberg everyday. He is the absolute best! I think I got sick of Andrew at the end (laugh), but he saved my life! Maybe.... I guess it was just my sassy attitude! The nurses were the nicest and best people I would hope to look after me. My apologies for trying to fire one of you in the depths of my recovery. After I was sick I did 6 months of rehab. Nowadays I still have regular check-ups and yearly MRIs. I remember a couple weeks ago I asked my Mum to tell me the whole story. She told me that doctors told her at one point that they had done everything they could, but they were worried I wasn't going to make it. This story sort of crushed me a little. These doctors and nurses saved my life!!! Imagine how many more they could help with your support. Thanks, Grace