Helping Hands

The gloves weren’t something that I desired because they were cool, which they are, I wanted them to help with regaining movement in my hands. After two years of watching my hands ball into fists from the inability to move, I began to do some research on the matter. It is something known as contracture and it occurs because paralysis patients like myself are obviously unable to move the muscles much if at all to keep them nimble. Enter this marriage of technology and science. Studies have shown that high repetitions had the ability to not only unball the hands but retrain the brain of stroke victims whereby functional use of the muscles could be restored. This ability has had success in other muscle groups as well. It’s a process relatively new to science and is known as neuroplasticity. Many of you have seen the video of me receiving my new robotic training gloves. When they arrived, Jonell and Lydia were by my bed to unveil them to me while my aid Heaven acted as a camerawoman. The gloves have already proven to be helpful in correcting the contracture that exists in both my hands to a small degree. They were an early birthday/Christmas gift from my family which was orchestrated by my baby sister Pam and my Aunt Sue. And so a big thank you goes out to my Sisters Pam & Theresa, Aunt Sue, Aunt Brenda, Brent & Jeannie, Rick, Gary & Desiree, Stacy, Jason and Jamie & Shawn. The gloves were indeed a pleasant surprise!  Something that I believed from what I had read about the science behind them, they would work wonders, I didn’t think however that they were anything I was going to be able to get any time soon. I have had the chance to use them for 3-4 hours over the past few days. That’s about how long the batteries will last in each of the control boxes before they need to be charged again. Another plus though, is that they are able to be recharged with the same type of charging cord used by many Android phones. The one drawback about the gloves is that they are difficult to put on. I guess they have to be so there is not a lot of slippage. They do run a little large and even though I usually wear an extra large regular glove, I maybe would have a better fit with a large glove. But by pulling these on tight and securing them well with the three velcro straps included with each glove I am able to keep them on just fine. By doing high repetitions with the assistance of the gloves, I am hoping to rewire my brain so that it will reassign a different region of my brain to become responsible for movement. That’s the theory anyway. It’s something that is fairly new, but something that has shown much promise. The brain is an area of the human body that still holds a great deal of mystery. Fortunately, science has studies underway where the brain is concerned. It promises hope for afflictions such as Locked in Syndrome. I remain skeptical but hopeful that I will live long enough to see the day when having Locked in Syndrome doesn’t come with the bleak outlook it has now. I must admit there are times when my positive attitude wanes. Most would agree that I’ve been given a pretty rotten row to hoe. But I hold the belief that I can triumph against all odds. It’s that or just accept my fate and lay here feeling sorry for myself. If I keep trying, the chances of being successful may be small, however, I know that it beats the odds of doing nothing. The gloves represent the hands of God to me. What my fate is may well be in those hands!

Below are my wonderful children.

(Picture Link to GoFundMe)

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