Frigid, crisp, icy water stampeding over warm skin. In that few seconds of nothing but coldness; the body tenses and freezes, unable to move. Those few seconds there is nothing else, everything is centered upon the shock of the water. Only in those seconds can anyone even remotely be able to experience the paralyzing effect of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A trend that was started a few years ago spread over the internet where if someone didn’t dump a bucket of freezing water over himself/herself they should donate to the ALS foundation. This is known as the water bucket challenge. “Ironically, [... when] being doused with a bucket of ice water [it] feels a lot like having ALS" (Victora 1) so this challenge is perfect to spread awareness and …show more content…
A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. "A" means no. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means nourishment – "No muscle nourishment." When a muscle has no nourishment, it "atrophies" or wastes away. "Lateral" identifies the areas in a person's spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region (ALS 1).
In English this means Stephen has a disease where he is paralyzed and can’t move. ALS continuously breaks down motor neurons which we use to so simple acts like talking, and walking. The disease stops movement of muscles and over time the muscles die (ALS 1). However, even though Stephen cannot do anything by himself he has overcome many boundaries in regards to his life and work. He is a brilliant mind and very popular but he wasn’t always like this. As a child Hawking was very shy, timid, and non athletic and only had a very small group of friends during school. He was awkward and small child whose clothes always looked disheveled, and mumbled more than he talked (Lee1). The disease has pushed him farther than what he normally would have done. He was never challenged so when he got ALS he finally was faced with something that didn’t come naturally
He emphasizes what he believes goes largely unnoticed, like Sissy’s unique ability to succeed in life, given her handicap. Yet, does not deny that living outside social rules is extremely difficult and
Her essay is arranged in such a way that her audience can understand her life - the positives and the negatives. She allows her audience to see both sides of her life, both the harsh realities that she must suffer as well as her average day-to-day life. According to Nancy, multiple sclerosis “...has opened and enriched my life enormously. This sense that my fragility and need must be mirrored in others, that in search for and shaping a stable core in a life wrenched by change and loss, change and loss, I must recognize the same process, under individual conditions, in the lives around me. I do not deprecate such knowledge” (Mairs, 37). Mairs big claim is that she has accepted herself and her condition for what is it, yet she refuses to allow her condition to define her. Through her particular diction, tone, satire, and rhetorical elements, Mairs paints a picture of her life and shows how being a cripple has not prevent her from living her life. She is not embarrassed nor ashamed of what she is, and accepts her condition by making the most of it and wearing the title with
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis was not brought to International or national attention until Famous New York Yankees baseball player, Lou Gehrig, was diagnosed with it in 1939. Jon Stone, the writer and creator of Sesame Street, was also diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is very deadly and it physically handicaps a person as it progresses. There are two types of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Sporadic and Familial. Sporadic is the most common cause in some cases and Familial is inherited, which is rare. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is one of the most aggressive muscular atrophy disorders, it has many signs and symptoms, and it can be treated but cannot be cured.
ALS is led to mean no muscle nourishment. When a muscle has no nourishment, it atrophies or wastes away hence the name. In addition to this, lateral shows the areas in a person's spinal cord where part of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates, it leads to scarring or hardening (sclerosis) in this particular region.
Dylan was born with a tumor wrapped around his spinal cord, which was successfully removed however resulted in him becoming paraplegic. The first fourteen years of his life, Dylan defined himself by his disability. He felt ‘weird and different’ because of his disability and this was why he was excluded from his peers. It was not until Grade 9 that Dylan began to see that his disability did not have the power to dictate his life or set a limit to which he could achieve. Since then, Dylan has moved on to achieve phenomenal feats, namely, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics to becoming the world’s number one paraplegic tennis player. Dylan can be found wheelchair crowd surfing at concerts, advocating for people with disabilities and training for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Dylan is on a mission to ‘mainstream disabilities’ and shatter negative
As stated by the A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia, “ALS affects approximately 5 out of every 100,000 people worldwide” (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis- National Library of Medicine, 2012). ALS is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The name derived from the famous New York Yankees player, Lou Gehrig, who lost his battle to ALS in 1941. Out of this tragedy came some light; ALS had the attention of the nation.
“As I slowly lost my speech, I gained my voice. As I diminished, I grew. As I lost so much, I finally started to find myself” (Neil Sellinger). ALS changes a lot of people’s opinion on life once they fully experience that they’re unable to do the things they once used to. Their perspective changes fully. In Tuesday’s with Morrie, Morrie teaches people to live life through love, money is not needed to have a happy life, and that accepting death is okay.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a degenerative disease affecting the human nervous system. It is a deadly disease that cripples and kills its victims due to a breakdown in the body’s motor neurons. Motor neurons are nerve cells in the brainstem and spinal cord that control muscle contractions. In ALS, these neurons deteriorate to a point that all movement, including breathing, halts. Muscle weakness first develops in the muscles of body parts distant from the brain, such as the hands, and subsequently spreads through other muscle groups closer to the brain. Such early symptoms as this, however, can hardly be noticed.
Despite his situation, Stephen is able to separate the good from the bad and his experiences benefit him greatly. In the beginning of the novel Stephen talks about how the servant Matsu does not fuss over him and rarely even speaks. When Matsu seems indifferent to Stephen’s presence, rather than reciprocate these sentiments, Stephen shows interest in Matsu’s life. Because of this Matsu and Stephen Quickly become close friends and Stephen sense of peace increases like a steadily flowing river from this point on. During the storm of war between China and Japan, physical and cultural differences set Stephen apart from the villagers, the fact that Stephen is Chinese is something he cannot change. Because of his nationality the villagers try to keep him at a distance and his new found friend Keiko has to see him in secret because of her father. The more Stephen and Keik...
.... In chapter fourteen Stephen says to himself “Dad laid before me, as still as ever ”. This was showing Stephen’s knowledge that he had to move on as he set his dad to rest then buried him. Stephen was very sad, but whatever he did from that point on, was for his dad.
Imagine if you loss control of your body but your mind stayed unaffected. You would be a prisoner in your own body, all leading up to your death sentence. That is the sad fate for the people diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). “Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder was first described by Ran in 1850. This description was then expanded in 1873 by Charcot, who emphasized the involvement of the corticospinal tracts. In the United States, ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous ball player who was stricken by the disease in the midst of his career. (Yale School of Medicine, 2014)” In this paper will go through the definition, the process, the signs, the risk factors, etiology, and discus the known people that have suffered with this terminal disease.
This ironic phrase demonstrates the pride she finds in a label that others find offensive, but she finds it truthful and correct. Mairs embraces her condition because it has become part of her. Mairs continues to demonstrate her tone, now with humor when she states, “my God is not a handicapper general” (Mairs). Mairs uses this phrase to demonstrate she is different than most people including her god, but this does not stop her from being confident. She is aware of her difference but she knows she is capable of achieving all her desires. Furthermore she demonstrates that she continues to live a normal life with her family. Although individuals view Mairs differently she demonstrates her capability of achieving a regular life; for example, Stephen Hawking is a highly educated cripple who has achieved more than any other individual who does not have his condition. Hawking and Mairs prove that a disease will not stop them from living their
“And I refuse to participate in the degeneration of the language to the extent that I deny that I have lost anything in the course of this calamitous disease; I refuse to pre- tend that the only differences between you and me are the various ordinary ones that distinguish anyone person from another,” (138). Note that she refuses to identify as any other ordinary person. This leads us to believe that even though she may hate her disease, she accepts that it is a big part of her life, and should be treated as so. This in turn connects her with readers who also have been diagnosed with MS disease and furthermore makes them feel like they are not alone in their struggle. Mairs does not try to disguise the fact that she has MS, but instead embraces her differences. This teaches other MS sufferers that instead of trying to deny the fact of their disease, instead they too can embrace their differences and live a good life. She calls herself a cripple because it most accurately describes her, and she does not believe in catering to the “sensitive” phrases society uses to describe people with her condition. This gives her audience a sense of individuality. Furthermore an even more specific audience can connect with her and feel that she understands their very unique personal struggles. This in turn makes her
Even as a young boy, Stephen experienced rejection and isolation at school. On the playground Stephen "felt his body [too] small and weak amid the [other] players" (Joyce 8). His schoolmates even poked fun at his name. In response to his rejection by the other boys Stephen makes a conscious decision to "[keep] on the fringe of his line, out of sight of his prefect" and the other boys. Stephen is later depicted as choosing the "warm study hall" rather than the playground with his friends outside (Joyce 10). His rejection at school leads him to isolate himself in his schoolwork, thus putting himself on a scholarly path that will give him the intellectual skills necessary for the artist within him to achieve adulthood.
As Stephen grows, he slowly but inexorably distances himself from religion. His life becomes one concerned with pleasing his friends and family. However, as he matures he begins to feel lost and hopeless, stating, "He saw clearly too his own futile isolation. He had not gone one step nearer the lives he had sought to approach nor bridged the restless shame and rancor that divided him from mother and brother and sister." It is this very sense of isolation and loneliness that leads to Stephen's encounter with the prostitute, where, "He wanted to sin with another of his kind, to force another being to sin with him and to exult with her in sin.