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| My Wonderful Niece Riding her Hand Bike and sticking her tongue out! Gotta Love that Face! |
For Mackenzie, within hours of pulling her little brother around the yard in a wagon, this active 7 year old girl was fighting for her life. TM symptoms develop rapidly over several hours to several weeks. Approximately 45% of patients worsen maximally within 24 hours.The spinal cord carries motor nerve fibers to the limbs and trunk and sensory fibers from the body back to the brain. Inflammation within the spinal cord interrupts these pathways and causes the common presenting symptoms of TM which include limb weakness, sensory disturbance, bowel and bladder dysfunction, back pain and radicular pain (pain in the distribution of a single spinal nerve).
Almost all patients will develop leg weakness of varying degrees of severity. The arms are involved in a minority of cases and this is dependent upon the level of spinal cord involvement. Sensation is diminished below the level of spinal cord involvement in the majority of patients.
Transverse Myelitis may occur in isolation or in the setting of another illness. When it occurs without apparent underlying cause, it is referred to as idiopathic. Idiopathic transverse myelitis is assumed to be a result of abnormal activation of the immune system against the spinal cord.
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| My Darling Niece and Beautiful Sister at the celebration of Mackenzie's 1st Birthday after Diagnosis of TM. Dear Lord, Thank you for the gift of every day and birthday since then. |
As a member of The indiExhibit, I have met another family dealing with the daily effects of TM. Robert and Betty Thomson, owners of Natures-Free-Spirit Have been dealing with TM, for more than 4 years now, when Robert was suddenly struck by paralysis from the waist down. A year later, Robert lost complete use of his entire right side during a second attack.
In thier own words from their website, here is a brief description of their art:
Robert and I have been doing Lapidary Arts for over 30 years.
We specialize in; Gem Trees, One of a Kind Jewellery PewterDesigns,
Pendulums, Sun-catchers, Book Ends and Table Knife Holders and teaching the
use of Lapidary Arts and the use of machines
"We create one piece at a time with love.
That makes each piece special in it's own way"
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| Family Tree |
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| Mother & Child Tree |
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| Life With TM |
Notice how bright and beautiful her smile is. This is a true picture of God's Grace!
Buy Transverse Myelitis Awareness Bracelet Here
For more info on Transeverse Myelitis please visit: The Mayo Clinic and The Transverse Myelitis Association,
If you are looking for the latest advancements in Treatment and Therapy, please visit:The Kennedy Krieger Institute and John Hopkins Institute
