Back in 2014, when Rachael Bailey was a typical 19-year-old, she started feeling weird sensations such as tingling in her feet. At first, she blamed it on her new heels, and then, later on, thought it was all part of her hang-over.
However, she realized things weren't the same anymore when she woke up one morning, unable to move her legs. She had to be airlifted to the hospital only to find out that she had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS).
Her condition quickly deteriorated, and after three days, she was placed on a ventilator. Things had gotten worse as she was eventually put in a medically induced coma.
Bailey also lost the ability to speak, walk, and breathe. As tough as it is, she had to communicate with her doctors by pointing to letters on an alphabet board with her eyes.
As fate would have it, after 59 days in the critical care unit and 76 days in rehabilitation, she finally left the hospital on her own two feet. In March 2015, exactly five months after she got paralyzed, she was considered to be fully recovered from the disease.
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What is Guillain-Barre Syndrome?
The World Health Organization describes the syndrome as a rare condition in which an individual's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves. Furthermore, it can affect the nerves that control muscle movement.
It can also influence nerves that transmit pain, temperature, and touch sensations. Moreover, damage in these nerves can result in muscle weakness and loss of sensation in the extremities.
Getting a diagnosis of Guillain-Barre Syndrome is pretty rare, but people who get it are usually adults and males. Its initial symptoms include weakness or tingling sensations originating from the legs, and further spreading to the arms and face.
In some cases, these symptoms can lead to paralysis of the arms, legs, or muscles in the face. Twenty to 30 percent of the cases also affect the patient's chest muscles, making it difficult for them to breathe. Moreover, difficulty speaking and swallowing may also become an issue for some.
There is currently no known cure for Guillain-Barre Syndrome. However, treatments aim at improving its symptoms and shortening its duration. On the bright side, most people recover fully from even the most severe cases of the disease.
Teenager Beats GBS
Bailey hoped to return to Liverpool John Moores University to study criminology and psychology. But after the ordeal she just went through, she switched to a degree in physiotherapy, taking after the health professional who coached her back to health.
She now has a first-class degree in physiotherapy after being tutored by one of the professionals who helped her walk again. Moreover, Bailey is due to start her dream job at London's Royal Brompton Hospital in two weeks.
At 25, she now recalls all the hardships she went through in fighting her condition. She looks back on being frustrated and angry at how her life had been "snatched away" from her. Although she dreaded it at first, she admits that it was also the best thing that ever happened to her.
"I am who I am because of it," she says. All her pain and hard work have paid off as she says she is proud of herself for conquering such an atrocious nightmare. She adds that she can't wait to start the new chapter in her life, helping others the way she was back then.
Bailey admits to not knowing much about physiotherapists at first, but now she knows that they are like heroes and magicians who truly are doing amazing things, which are really inspiring.
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