Thursday, February 18, 2016

Mitzvah for the day - Efena Otobo - Help Efena Walk Again!

Efena Otobo's story.   Her journey to recovery from a Spinal Cord Injury

I saw this story o the net and my heart went out to the lady affected and thought she will greatly benefit from a good deed being done for her.

... her story goes as follows



Photo: Efena  - Killing it - intense therapy style! Using the exoskeleton and the standing frame.

On the 21st day of April 2014, one single catastrophic event completely altered my universe. In one moment, my whole life drastically changed. A reckless driver caused a horrible car accident that had severe consequences. After numerous tests and scans, the diagnosis given was a complete T4 spinal cord injury which in ‘regular person speak’ meant I could not feel anything from the waist down. We were told that there was very little chance of ever walking again and that the road to recovery would be long, hard and punishing. My family, friends and I were beyond devastated at this news.



Efena in therapy


My life came to a screeching halt and I was torn from everything I knew. I was an Asset Manager at the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) with a background in Economics and Politics (BSc.) from the University of Bristol, England and a concentration in Development Studies (MSc.) from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. I loved traveling, writing, poetry, art, architecture, the world of movies and TV shows, running, yoga and Pilates. Now with this prognosis, being labelled a paraplegic meant I was confined, restricted and immobilized.

Suddenly, I was a baby once again. I had to re-learn how to sit up and balance at the edge of the bed, be taught how to dress myself and I had to learn how to roll over. It seemed like a never-ending nightmare I could not escape from.

Physiotherapy became a constant and I spent hours in hospital gyms and rehab facilities trying to build up my upper body strength, learning how to execute perfect transfers from the wheelchair to any surface and preventing my leg muscles from dying. Without the tireless guidance from the physical therapists and the aid of the different breakthrough assistive devices and technology such as standing frames, exoskeleton machines that enable me to walk etc., I would not be where I am today.

To get the best chance of total recovery from my current state of paralysis, I desperately need a specific equipment that I can use at home. Continuous use of rehab programs at Wellington Hospital, London, Project Walk San Diego and Beyond Therapy, Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia has been essential but the bills have and are piling up.

Ore information can be obtained at her  Gofund page

Courtey: efenaotobo-gofund

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