From despair to determination

Aakash Ali injured his spine about a year ago and has been on a wheelchair for the past five months. For him, paralysis was nothing but a synonym of death.

Then came the  22nd Asian Spinal Cord Network conference, a three day event for people with  spinal cord injury (SCI), which helped restore his determination to move forward amid adversity.

With the slogan "Strengthening SCI services through knowledge exchange and deepening friendship," the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), who has been serving such patients since 1979, organised the conference at Brac CDM in Savar.

The Daily Star was the media partner of the event.

This newspaper yesterday spoke to several patients currently under treatment at CRP in Savar.

"Doctors from different countries informed us of ways to cope up with our shortcomings and live a good life. Paralysis no longer means death to me," said Akash.

Forty-year-old Rajan Sheikh, who also injured his spine around the same time as Akash, echoed the same.

"I was depressed... but not anymore. I plan to return home and restart my grocery store to support my family of four," said Rajan, before he rode off on his wheelchair.

This conference aimed at initiating more treatment, rehabilitation and research facilities for patients with SCI, said Dr Mohammad Sohorab Hossen, executive director of CRP.

"While very few get to completely recover from such injuries, most patients can still resume normal life. But they are unaware of ways for rehabilitation. We work to inform them of their capabilities and ways to bounce back in life," said Dr Valerie Taylor, founder and coordinator of CRP and convener of the conference.

The last day of the event hosted eight discussions, with participation of over 400 individuals from 20 countries. The conference concluded yesterday with a wheelchair basketball tournament and a cultural programme, attended by Dr Enamur Rahman, state minister for disaster management and relief as chief guest.