For my Neuro Note assignment, I watched "Breea's Story" on YouTube. In the fall semester of 2011, Breea was your average high school senior. She was on the cheer team and was looking forward to graduation and starting college. All of her plans changed on December 8, 2011. On this morning, she woke up feeling a little off balance and strange but went about her day as usual. However, by 6:00pm, Breea found herself unable to move the left side of her body and went to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and she was blind in the left eye and could not swallow.
Breea's diagnosis began a long, difficult journey for her and her family. She was in the hospital for six weeks receiving medical treatment for her MS including 7 plasma transfusions and monthly Tyasbri infusions. On her second day of therapy, Breea began to walk using the parallel bars and assistance from her therapists. She slowly was able to learn to feed herself again. Throughout her entire stay at the hospital, Breea was surrounded by supportive friends and family that pushed her each day to work hard. On New Years Day, Breea's friends conducted "Operation Ocean View" where they "snuck" her out of the hospital to take her to see the beach. On this day, she also set her goals for 2012 which included graduating, going to college, and walking again.
While she was in the hospital, Breea wrote her college entrance essay in her wheelchair. She slowly saw the progress she was making. Finally, she was able to tighten her fingers to make a small fist and flex her left leg voluntarily. These little victories pushed her to continue working to beat MS. By her 40th day in the hospital, Breea was able to balance on her left leg for a short period of time and continued seeing progress in her previous victories from therapy. Soon, she graduated from inpatient therapy and went home from the hospital to resume therapy at home.
After she returned home, Breea began feeding herself with her left hand and documenting her improvements through video recordings. She began attending her high school basketball games wearing her cheer uniform again. She continued seeing improvements in her fine motor skills and gross motor skills that were once seemingly impossible for her.
In the spring, Breea attended prom with her friends and her date, graduated from high school, and was accepted into NAU for college. In the following weeks, Breea regained the ability to jump off of her left foot and make a scissor motion with her feet before returning to the ground. She could also do this motion and spin at the end. These movements were so exciting for her to regain because when she started her journey, Breea was unsure if she would ever be able to do something so seemingly simple.
Eight months after her hospitalization and diagnosis, Breea did a back walkover with a spot. This was a huge victory for her as her goal was to return to cheerleading one day. She began college and joined Alpha Phi sorority. For long distance walking, Breea relied on a leg brace, but for all other walking, she was able to do so without any adaptive equipment. She continued working on strengthening her muscles and committing to a lifestyle that would support her in her journey with MS.
I found Breea's Facebook page "Help Breea Beat MS" and found that she still documents her journey with MS for all to see. She has continued to post updates in her diagnosis and details about the progression of it. Breea's page mentions that she has a rare form of MS called Tumefactive MS. This type of MS is difficult to diagnose because it often mimics the symptoms of stroke, brain tumor, or brain abscess. Tumefactive MS is one of the most aggressive forms of MS, however, it can go into remission for months or years at a time. Eventually, this form of MS usually turns into Relapsing-Remitting or Primary Progressive MS. According to her Facebook page, Breea is living an active and healthy life. She promotes eating a diet that reduces inflammation to keep her symptoms from flaring up.
I chose to watch this video because I wanted to see a first-hand account of someone's journey with MS. This particular story stuck out to me because of how young Breea was at the time of her diagnosis. In class, we learned that MS is typically diagnosed between 20-40 years old, and Breea was an 18 year old senior in high school. Even though 18 years is not much younger than 20, it was eye-opening that she was still in high school when the symptoms first flared up.
Watching this video showed me what MS can look like. When learning about MS in class, I memorized the symptoms and information necessary for OT intervention about MS, but I struggled to picture exactly what it would look like in a clinical setting. This Neuro Note assignment showed me exactly what one individual's journey with MS looked like. I saw the importance of each "small"victory such as closing a fist, flexing a knee, or moving an ankle. I also saw the importance of having a great support system. One video in her account showed someone asking Breea if she could feed herself, and she quickly said no. One of the boys in the room quickly corrected her by saying "not yet", and Breea changed her answer to "not yet". Seeing the involvement of her friends from high school showed how valuable a support system can be in treatment. They pushed her to work hard even when she may have been frustrated or felt too weak. As a future OT practitioner, I need to remember the affect Breea's friends had on her recovery. I am sure there will be times when having too many people in the room with a client will become overwhelming, but if it contributes to the client's success, confidence, or comfort, I need to be understanding and encourage the participation.
Following the video, I looked up Breea's Facebook page and found her specific diagnosis. I had not learned about Tumefactive MS prior to learning about Breea's story. Through looking at her Facebook page, I was able to learn more about her most recent updates on her health, wellness, and life. I recommend watching the YouTube video to learn the story of Breea's beginning with MS and then looking at her Facebook page to see how she is doing now. It showed how devastating MS can be for a young person, but also, the miraculous comeback possible with some forms of MS.
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