Getting on with it
Before the mid nineties I was an ordinary, slightly slim guy approaching his
40's. Problems started in my hips and I was diagnosed with arthritis which very
quickly wrecked my mobility with agonising pain. Gone were all the long walks I
used to enjoy, the ease of basic travelling - in fact just getting from one
place to another was no longer something I could do with ease. Even my career
which I was beginning to re-establish collapsed around me. Slowly but surely the
doors began to creek resolutely shut.
One morning in 2000, as the world was settling into a
new millennium, I had the greatest shock of my life when I woke to discover I
was paralysed down one side of my body. During the night I suffered a stroke and
then again 24 hours later another one.
Ten
years on I am now one of millions of people with mobility and disability
problems. From my point of view it's taken me all this time to take all this on
board as, what has now become, a permanent fixture of my life. So now I'm now
used to this lifestyle in many ways. But one thing I have learnt is to fight. I
learnt to battle for my little corner years before but now I am conducting a
personal war against certain personal restrictions.
A decade of being a self imposed semi-recluse has pretty
well come to an end. The people who ran a mile or slid
quietly out the back door in some unspoken fear or (may
I suggest) prejudice have moved on. I am now back in
touch with my industry and the things in my life that
are so important to me. Today's decision-makers are
perceptive, brighter business people. They are running a
far more competitive and technically interesting show
and to be honest it's exciting.
With my trusty walking stick and occasional wheelchair I am back to where I was in the mid nineties - now sharper and more ambitious than ever before. I am off the 'danger list' as far as strokes are concerned, I still have my right-side paralysis affecting my arm and hand and the arthritis is still with me but the pain at least seems to be under control thanks to prescribed tablets.
I am on a range of medication for life, I hardly drink, I've never really smoked anyway, I've never taken mind-bending drugs and, with nearly everyone else I know, I have to watch what I eat. Travelling by car can be difficult, stairs can be a problem (but not impossible), walking any great distance can hurt and flying - well, there's an adventure. Basically I invariably check places, offices, facilities and venues up front which saves any nasty little surprises or potentially any embarrassing moments! Research and serious preparation in advance saves a lot and maybe it's something we should all do anyway.
The 'art' of this I find in my experience is to appear confident and as much part of everything around you as possible - it relaxes others and you look in control with as minimal 'fuss' as possible.
'Bouncing back' isn't exactly the phrase I readily use. Maybe just regaining self-belief perhaps.
Today I am involved in some fairly fascinating work which involves my professional experience, travelling, knowledge of certain cultures, partial relocating, understanding of some emerging technologies and a return to an environment I never thought I'd ever see again.
Of nothing else, the last ten years has toughened me up a lot. I face things head on these days and I have learnt that life really is too short for going round in circles. If you believe in something - go for it! But crucially, if you want a result, no matter what, just focus, look at the bigger picture, keep your head down and get on with it.
