Stroke Rehab: WALKING Update 2017
I'm Jacqui Hynd; had a massive, congenital AVM brain haemorrhage in 1995, needing emergency open-brain surgery for 9 hours. Total paralysis on my right side requiring a wheelchair, no voice, and damaged short-term memory; I've had to relearn life from scratch. Bleeding in the brain (haemorrhage) causes the brain cells to die; affected nerve cells and the related functions they control are damaged as well. One can regain the ability to walk after stroke, generally: faster, or slower than others; it is up to the individual, motivation and the severity of the stroke.
I still have challenges, particularly walking: but that doesn't stop me from going to faraway places. I wouldn't accept that I was in the wheelchair for good back then, neither will I accept that I will walk this manner forever. Each year however minutely, I'm improving.
I'm travelling again, taking one-handed photos, written cookbooks, travelogues; creating pottery, silk-painting, etc. I was right-handed; now I'm left-handed for everything. In 1995 I was a fit 34 years of age: it's now 22 years since my stroke. How far have I come? Progress is still very possible many years and more after a stroke; never give up. To read more click here.
These are my walking videos-travelogues: Spain [videos 001-008], Singapore [videos 009-011]. I'll travel to where and what we want to see, and accept the challenge that comes with it. Practice, perseverance, persistence, patience, ... & planning ahead (goal-setting), however long it takes.
VIDEO INDEX
All videos are embedded in this page so you can scroll or click-thru to neighbouring clips.
Seville: Italica Roman ruins
Jerez: Gonzalez Byass bodega
seville: metropol parasol
Santa Pola: weekly market
cordoba: mezquita
singapore: skybars
cordoba: madinat al-Zahra
singapore: cloud forest
granada: alhambra shadow
singapore: supertree grove
granada: Bazaars & Teterias
South of Spain & Beyond: (Spain-Seville) Italica Roman Ruins, 001
Just outside Seville is Italica, ruins from the Roman Empire.
As a test of my balance, it has a wide range of rough and uneven surfaces: sand, cobblestones, gravel and rock, plus negotiating obstacles seen and hidden.
At +35C, quite exhausting in the heat.
South of Spain & Beyond: (Spain-Seville) Metropol Parasol, 002
"Also called Las Setas ('mushrooms'), the world's largest wooden honeycombed structure seems to float above historic Seville.
The walkway on the top is an undulating and winding construction of meshed steel, with different slope grades and shallow steps".
Ancient stone floors (slippery), frequent changes of lighting from dark corners to blinding diffused sunlight (disorientation) and fascination with archways made up of columns of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite (distraction).
As well as the sudden movements of eager tourists that could upset my balance.
South of Spain & Beyond: (Spain-Cordoba) Mezquita, 003
Fortified ruins of a Moorish palace-city, billed as the Versailles of Middle Ages.
Restoration of the complex is still continuing. Along original paths of jagged, uneven, pitted stone, and steep stairs and inclines to view columns and archways, via signs and guide-ropes.
In +38C heat.
South of Spain & Beyond: (Spain-Cordoba) Madinat Al-Zahra, 004
In the old quarter of Granada under the shadow of the Alhambra, palace-fortress of Moorish origins.
Narrow cobbled or unevenly paved streets, where tourists on foot, bicycles, cars, taxis and small buses compete, must be a challenge for most people.
For me, it is amplified: I must have one eye on the road surface, the other in the back of my head, and peripheral vision in over-drive.
South of Spain & Beyond: (Spain-Granada) Shadow of Alhambra, 005
Ancient Arab quarter, with colourful bazaar shops & teterias cheek by jowl on either side of the alley weaving up the hill. A mixture of narrow cobbled or uneven paved streets.
The path of small uneven cobblestones and a recessed drain in the middle, is a surface that demanded my close attention.
South of Spain & Beyond: (Spain-Granada) Bazaars & Teterias, 006
Gonzalez Byass, in Jerez de la Frontera: maker of Tio Pepe; sherry, brandy and many others.
Making my FIRST video, keeping camera steady and WALKING at the same time.
In shooting video the attention is through the lens rather than where you are (going), a huge achievement, plus keeping up with the tour.
South of Spain & Beyond: (Spain-Jerez) Tio Pepe Gonzalez Byass, 007
Huge ''everything'' Saturday market, fruit & veg, shoes, clothes, gifts, churros,..
Flat pavement / roadway but unexpected sporadic movements, by people stepping in front, wayward shopping trolleys, pet dogs, or people dodging through crowds…
South of Spain & Beyond: (Spain-Santa Pola) Weekly Market, 008
1-Altitude: iconic skybar in Singapore with 360 panoramic view including Marina Bay Sands Hotel. High altitude, bar, music, glass of champagne in hand: what could go wrong(?).
With moonlight and illuminated, coloured light-cubes to watch where I'm walking, I’ll take extra care that I’m ok, plus balance the champagne glass while walking in dim light.
Lantern: waterfront panoramic rooftop bar at Fullerton Bay Hotel, chill to the beat in relaxed atmosphere. Closer view of Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the nightly light & water show.
South of Spain & Beyond: (Singapore-Skybars) 1-Altitude/Lantern, 009
South of Spain & Beyond: (Singapore GBTB) Cloud Forest, 010
Gardens By The Bay, Cloud Forest: tranquil dome veiled in mist and waterfalls. Situated between the Marina Bay Sands hotel and the ocean front, is a nature park built on reclaimed land.
Gently sloping, careful to lift my feet on the metal walkway, and maintain balance.
South of Spain & Beyond: (Singapore GBTB) Supertree, 011
Gardens by The Bay, iconic Supertrees (16-storey tall) & Skyway (22 metres high).
Being oceanside, breezes can be quite unpredictable, so the yellow metal-grid walkway can hum, vibrate, and even sway slightly; this is magnified by number of people walking along it.
Hence I have to be alert to recognise these changes, plus walk and take-in the panoramic views.
The supertrees look amazing at dusk when the light & music show begins.
