Lisa experienced a life-changing event on May 13, 2020. Despite being in her final year of law practice, she was paralyzed just four hours following feeling sudden neck pain. Lisa recalls the day she went to the emergency room during the Covid-19 crisis, where she had to wait alone due to the pandemic. After feeling very unwell, she fell and hit her head on the ground. Subsequently, she spent months in the hospital and then in rehabilitation. The Covid-19 crisis made her already difficult and intense time even more challenging as she was not allowed to receive many visitors. Lisa now lives with her parents and receives two daily visits from a nurse. The doctors are unable to determine the origin of her disease, which might be an inflammation of the spinal cord. Lisa continues to remain hopeful but realistic regarding her chances of recovery. She is optimistic as her injury is incomplete, but acknowledges that the longer it takes, the smaller her chances of recovery become.
Lisa’s life changed on May 13, 2020. The Belgian, who was in her last year of law practice, had no idea that her sudden neck pain was going to get so much worse. Indeed, 4 hours following feeling the first pain, the young woman was paralyzed.
She remembers with NB the day she went to the emergency room, in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis: “Because of the corona, I had to wait alone in the waiting room. I suddenly felt very bad, following which I fell with my head on the ground”. Months of hospitalization and rehabilitation followed. “It was a difficult time. It was in the middle of corona and I was not allowed to receive many visitors. This period was already very intense for me anyway and if you are not allowed to see your friends once more, it really hurts”.
Now living with her parents, Lisa is visited by a nurse twice a day. If his state of health progresses, the doctors do not know the origin of his disease, which might come from an inflammation of the spinal cord. “The recovery is going to be long. I am realistic, but remain hopeful. My injury is incomplete, which means everything can still be fine. But the longer it takes, the smaller the chance becomes, ”she relativizes.
Lisa’s story is a reminder of how quickly and unexpectedly life can change. The Covid-19 pandemic has added an extra layer of difficulty to an already challenging time, and Lisa’s experience of being hospitalized and unable to see her loved ones is unfortunately all too familiar to many. Despite the uncertainty regarding the future, Lisa remains hopeful and resilient. We wish her all the best in her recovery and hope that her story can inspire others to never give up hope in the face of adversity.