(music: www.bensounds.com)
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
“Hi, I’m Jess, a Survivor of Chronic Illness and your Host for this Topic Talk.
Let’s talk about what grief looks like, and what it feels like. Because when we can describe it and make it more tangible or real, it loses some of its hold over us — its power.
With us right now, is Lionel — an incredibly determined and genuine person, a Stroke Survivor, and one of our wonderful Genyus crew.
Lionel … Thinking back to your first moment of grief, what did that feel like?
“My first ‘face in the wall’ kind of moment of grief was when doctors told me I was paralysed.
At that time I didn’t know what ‘paralysed’ or a ‘stroke’ was. So I was learning by myself and trying to ask questions.
And they were like ‘Oh, this is it, and you might be paralysed for the rest of your life.’”
So at that moment I was shocked. I didn’t know what to expect. But now being 5 years post-stroke, I know things will happen over time, with patience.
Everyone goes through their own kind of grief segment, where it goes up and down, up and down. So you really just got to believe in yourself, know things that …doctors don’t know everything, you also need to know what you feel. So it’s up to your mentality, your physical and mental strength to go on. You can do whatever you want if you set your mind to it.”
“So, where are you at now in comparison to where you were when you were paralysed?”
“I was on the bed completely paralysed on my left side, and now I can walk and drive, I go to the gym every week twice a week, and I go to work once or twice a week.
The only thing is my arm is not the best, but it’s getting there! That’s why I say doctors don’t know anything because they said I’d be paralysed for the rest of my life. So you can do anything, you can do anything.”
“Thank you so much, Lionel, that’s fantastic — thank you for sharing that with us.
Now we’re going to hand it over to the other Genyus Crew because Lionel and I would love to hear from you too…
Thinking back to your first moment of grief, what did that feel like for you?
Let us know in the comments below!
