Mick’s story, (Spasticus Autisticus)…

In 2013 Mick had breathing difficulties, was diagnosed with Asthma and given medication for it.

One February morning in 2014, Mick woke up to find that he was paralysed from the chest down. He was taken to Hospital and diagnosed with terminal cancer in both lungs and down his spine. Steroids took the swelling down and he was able to walk again for that month.

5 weeks later he was told that the original diagnosis was incorrect, and in fact he had tuberculosis (TB), and it was treatable. They stopped the steroids and started the TB treatment, the swelling came back much worse resulting in another bout of paralysis.

He was taken to Hospital and they operated on his spine, removing as much TB as they could. (It was removed with a spoon as it’s a bit like yoghurt).

After the first operation Mick was wheelchair and bed bound for five weeks. Even sitting up with assistance was too painful to bear. After around Six weeks they sent him home with a wheelchair, Zimmer frame and commode. He was unable to navigate the stairs, so the bed was set up on the ground floor.

The tuberculosis returned again and Mick had his second operation. Once again he was wheelchair and bed ridden for weeks, but gradually learnt to walk with the aid of the Zimmer frame and crutches over the course of that year.

Life was improving, when all of a sudden TB returned again for a third time and Mick lost the use of his legs. He went to Hospital once more for operations three and four (in London).

Having been sent home after the fourth operation, a huge swelling on his back appeared. He thought that TB had returned yet again. However, this time it was due to the surgeon cutting through the spinal cord and spinal fluid leaking out.

He returned to  Hospital for operation number five to fix the leak, and was once again bed ridden for weeks. For the third time he learnt to walk again.

This happened over a three year period and Mick is left with reduced lung capacity, still falls over sometimes and will be on pain killers for the rest of his life…