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21-year-old Helen Fincham never thought that going to bed would post such a high risk on her health and physical body.
Fincham woke up one morning with a slight crick in her neck and simply assumed, like most others would, that she’d just slept at a strange angle. Time would bring her relief.
But it was just the opposite. Just a few hours later, around noon that same day, Fincham could no longer feel her legs. Her arms were numb and she was having trouble breathing.
Her family immediately called for emergency medical help, but the paramedics only responded with disbelief that Fincham wasn’t able to stand or move by herself.
“I collapsed when paramedics asked me to stand up and I've been paralyzed ever since,” Fincham explained.
At the hospital, doctors ran numerous tests on her, assuming that maybe she’d contracted a virus while on vacation in Ibiza with her friends just two weeks prior. But these tests – MRI scans, chest scans, a lumbar puncture, blood tests, and a plasma exchange – all proved to be inconclusive.
During this time, Fincham’s condition continued to deteriorate.
It was only after two full months of testing that doctors were finally able to give Fincham a proper diagnosis.
She had developed Transverse Myelitis (TM), a condition where spinal cord inflammation causes nerve damage in the body. For Fincham, the damage was extensive and completely took away her ability to move and function independently.
Although Fincham and her doctors now know what ails her, Fincham’s road to recovery will be incredibly long, painful, and uncertain.
Very little is known about Transverse Myelitis, so even though Fincham regularly attends physical therapy, there’s no guarantee of her complete recovery.
All the same, Fincham’s entire family remains hopeful and incredibly supportive of her journey. Her sister, Jessica declared, “We will never give up hope and I will continue to be there for my baby sister every step of the way.”
