Category Archives: Post Injury and Illness

The limiting defintion of Disability and the defiance of prognosis

In this lecture by Aimee Mullins, she explores the definition of  “disablilty” and how it in no ways resonates with her experience of  herself.  She talks about the role of adversity in her life and how her prognosis was something that she lived to defy. Aimee Mullins on Disablilty, Adversity and Prognosis

Locked In

I was surprised, when opening the Mail & Guardian this weekend, to find a story titled “Locked in a coma for 23 years” (see online version here).  It speaks about a man, Rom Houben, who was apparently thought to have been in a coma for the last 23 years.  The headline for the story is

You are not Your Illness

Taking the “fall” for Parkinson’s. One of the most challenging aspects of doing psychology in a physical rehabilitation setting is that you are often faced with problems for which there is very little “cure”.  There are many illnesses that, unfortunately, are slow, persistent and sardonic in their deterioration of the nervous system.  The most a

Temple to the Human Spirit (1.2)

Temple to the Human Spirit Several hours a week, I have the privilege of working at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH).  Being a hospital for post-injury & illness rehabilitation; it is a place where many lives have been shattered by sudden and unexpected tragedy. People’s lives are brought to a literal standstill through illness, stroke or

My Stroke of Insight

I try to avoid watching Oprah. It gets too costly having to replace the television set after I inevitably throw the nearest object at it, halfway into the program. Nevertheless, apparently she interviewed Jill Bolte, a neuro scientist who suffered a stroke and has written the book “My stroke of Insight”. So far, I have