2019-11-01 People South Africa

REAL LIFE

I Play

Piano With

My Mouth

A GIRL who was

paralysed as a teen

after contracting a

rare illness reveals

how she learnt to play

piano and paint with

her mouth.

U

NIVERSITYstudent,musician

andpainterGraceFisher,21,was

celebrati ngher17thbirthday

whenshebegan to feel extreme

paininherneckandtinglinginherarms.

Shewas rushedto thehospital andwithin

just 15minutes shelost theabilityto walk.

“Iwasanavidpianist,cellist,andguitarist,

andnewmusicwaswhatI wantedtopursue

fortherestofmylife,”Gracesays.

“Itwasthedateofmy17thbirthday

party;December21,2014.Wedecidedto

celebratelatebecauseofallthecraziness

surroundinguniversityapplicati ons.

Asfriendsbegantoshowupatmyhouse,

I knew something was really wrong; I

begantofeelextremepaininmyneckand

tinglinginmy arms–somethingstrange

anddifferent from anything Ihadever felt

before.I wasrushedtotheemergency

room;withinabout 15 minutesI wasunable

towalkandwithinhoursI wascompletely

paralysedfrom theneckdown. Myiniti al

reacti onintheemergencyroom was that

thedoctors would figure outwhat was

wrongwithmeandI couldreturntomy

birthdayparty.I waseventakingSnapchat

pictureswhiletheywerecatheterising

me,incompletedisbeliefoftherealityI

wasfacing.ThatnightI wasincubatedand

unabletobreatheonmyown.”

A fewweekslatershewasdiagnosed

witha rarepolio-likeillnesscalledacute

flaccidmyeliti s.Shehadto have steroid

treatments,plasmapheresis,intravenous

immunoglobulintherapyandeven

chemotherapy.

“Aft er five weeks inICUIwas transferredto

Craig Hospital inDenver, Colorado,oneof

theleadinghospitalsforspinalcordinjuries

intheworld.I wasthereforsevenmonths

before returninghometo California.

I hada trach,feedingtubeanda catheter

placed(althoughI havesincehadmy

feeding tube taken out as I am able to eat

foodonmyown).WhileinrehabI hada

diaphragmaticpacingsystem inplaceand

my diaphragm,soIamableto breathe off

theventi lator duringtheday.”

Her diagnosisdevastatedherasshewas

told that she would be paralysed from

SOURCE: MAGAZINE FEATURES

MY initiali reaction in

the e

was that the doctors

wouldfigureoutwhat

was wrong with me

and I could return to

my birthday party. I was

even taking Snapchat

pictures while theyywere

catheterising me.