Big word for a terrible syndrome. I had to look it up, did not know what it meant.
Last night Sebastian, my son, told me the story of one of their friends, I believe their closest couple of friends; we met them at our kids' wedding, very nice people. 2 years ago Kay, the young 35-36 years old friend, after dinner together with our kids, started feeling tingling in her hands; she did not think much about it, she went to bed; got up in the middle of the night attempting to walk to the bathroom, she fell, she was already paralyzed. Took her to the hospital, and she spend 3 months in ICU, her paralysis was approaching her eyes, had already touched her diaphragm, she was on the respirator; after 3 months they transferred her into a Rehab facility where she spent another 9 months, then she came home.
She has recovered 90% of her motor abilities, still hopes for full recovery, not sure if that will happen. The cause of the syndrome is not known, but it is another auto-immune disease, attacking the envelope around the nerves. Many people don't recover, they die in the first 24 hours of onset; it's been speculated Napoleon might have died of it, based on the diaries around his death.
Others like Kay do recover, the younger the faster, but it takes a while, and no certitude she'll make a full recovery. Sebastian, for the time their friend was in rehab, went to take dinner over and spend time with them at least twice/week. Her husband, a computer programmer, lived and worked out of the Rehab center. They don't have any kids, and are not sure if she'll ever be able to carry. I asked my son why he never mentioned it to me; he said I was fighting my own health issues, he did not want to overload me emotionally. And he is right, thinking of Kay's story, I still have tears in my eyes.
Kay's story made me think of us, and our quit process! She did not have a choice, she was hit by a terrible illness and paralyzed to her eyes for 3 months.
We have a choice, we can elect to become healthy!
We don't have to go through paralysis, or rehab, we can start quitting whenever we make the decision to do so. The withdrawal symptoms we experience, are nothing compared to being paralyzed.
We don't have to wait to be put on a respirator; one can quit today, one can quit now.
Looking at a young person, and the hardship her and her family had to carry for almost 2 years, I have to ask the question: why doesn't one quit?
Why do we have to wait so long to quit, when we already know the destructive effects on our health?
Kay did not have a choice, the syndrome hit her in several hours, and her life changed forever. She did not smoke, or did drugs, she was a healthy, young and active, having a healthy lifestyle young woman. No one knows what did trigger her anti-bodies to attack her own nerves.
But we know too well what the destruction smoking can cause in our bodies.
Quitting smoking is a choice; if you haven't yet, please make the choice now.
Become a healthier person, able to look forward for more wonderful years and events in your life.
Become an EX, it is a choice, please make it!
Because when I think of Kay's story relative to quitting smoking, it will be a nonsense decision to keep smoking with us here, willing to help at every step, all it takes is a little wake up call and the commitment to stay quit!
I hope you'll quit today!
Daniela 1145 DOF
