Defying the Odds and the Statistics
Oct 9, 2018 14:25:23 GMT -8
Post by Lαrα on Oct 9, 2018 14:25:23 GMT -8
I am sure we have all read the statistics on longevity and spinal cord injury, the risks , the issues and so on but here we have a guy who is celebrating 50 years as a vented Spinal Cord Injury survivor!
He’s been paralyzed from the neck down for 50 years and that makes Walt Lawrence either the longest surviving ventilator-dependent quadriplegic in B.C. or darn close to it.
“He’s outlived any statistical, predictive model. He’s off the charts,” says Karen Anzai, a spinal cord program educator G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre, as she looked at a graph on her computer showing expected lifespans of patients who are ventilator-dependent.
“I attribute it to his optimism, his resiliency, his religious faith and his desire to contribute,” says Anzai, a rehabilitation consultant. “Plus, if you noticed his water cup attached to his wheelchair, he’s constantly hydrating himself with water which may reduce any respiratory complications.”
“He’s outlived any statistical, predictive model. He’s off the charts,” says Karen Anzai, a spinal cord program educator G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre, as she looked at a graph on her computer showing expected lifespans of patients who are ventilator-dependent.
“I attribute it to his optimism, his resiliency, his religious faith and his desire to contribute,” says Anzai, a rehabilitation consultant. “Plus, if you noticed his water cup attached to his wheelchair, he’s constantly hydrating himself with water which may reduce any respiratory complications.”
Read more, here.