I am constantly inspired by the minute details of my life and the very essence of ‘life’ itself. They spur me on to reach for the stars and beyond. I remember very clearly the first time I felt this since my illness began. My body could not move from the years of 2006-2010 and suddenly I saw life differently. I wasn’t somebody who was angry, in fact it made me fight even harder as I knew that I was actually going to be one of the lucky ones…
It may sound extremely confusing for one who is totally dependent on another, to describe themselves as ‘lucky’. The reason I thought like this was because I believed in better, whether in this world or the next (there really were some icky moments!) but mostly I just knew that one day my determination would pull off the miracle.
One of the greatest moments was in 2010, when after years of battle and sheer agony (my arms were contracted) I managed to touch that itch on the end of my nose! It was blissful and is a memory or feeling etched into my brain forever. This is when I began reaching not only for the possible but also the impossible. Those things that doctors had told me would never happen.
I began dreaming of the so-called impossible, building empires in my mind. Every small improvement felt like a new door was opening. I started writing my book in my mind, I pictured the image of me in the future, walking to my favourite destination within Rochester. I pictured every sensation of walking up the hill and sitting there writing my book in the glorious weather.
Now, in 2016, I can say that I have visited that almost sacred place to me. There were a few changes, I was in a wheelchair and not walking but the most significant one was, I actually had a partner to share the joy with.
What I’m trying to say is, dream big, be extraordinary but remember that extraordinary starts at scratching that itch on the end of your nose, getting out of bed or being able to talk.