I’ve had a few beards over the years, yet I typically keep a shaved face. I thought maybe I’d shave. This was a big workout for me. The hand-eye coordination took a lot of focus and I forgot about all the funny faces I make to get the harder spots.

It is amazing to notice something that normally is so simple and unthought of, now takes much thought and effort. I am grateful for the progress I’m making. My physical therapist said, “In order to become a good walker, you must first be a good stander.”

Taking lots of breaks has been a big part of my life over the last 5-10 years. Before that I worked till I couldn’t. Now I am on extreme break mode. The recovery from this has been exhausting. Doing the simplest things are big workouts

Being stuck in bed is not my thing. I’ve been such an active person in my life. My Mom once said she tried to put me in front of Sesame Street, looking for a break, and I wouldn’t have more than a minute of it, before I ran off. My adult life hasn’t changed much. I like to move my body everyday. Being paralyzed and stuck in bed was one of the hardest parts of Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

I’d be lying if I said Guillain-Barré Syndrome has not been emotional for me. I have, for the majority of the time, kept as positive as I can. With that said, this syndrome has brought me to tears… more than once and I don’t think it is a bad thing. Feeling our emotions is a good thing! For one thing, feeling anything was something I was grateful for as I had lost movement in my physical body.

Growth is a core value of mine and my company. All of life is learning. During this time I have been forced to learn a lot. Two big areas of my life and learning that I typically let slide have been asking for help and patience.

When I got to the hospital I couldn’t move my legs or my arms and could not move any of my face muscles. This was one of my first big milestones, raising my arm. Looks simple, but for me in that moment it was a big deal. What Guillain-Barré Syndrome does to the body essentially is the immune system attacks the nerves. More specifically it actually attacks, eats away, the Myelin.

The very beginning of August ended up with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and it’s no joke. I was paralyzed, legs, arms and face.