What is life trying to tell you today?

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.

Myelin is the insulating layer around the nerves. This layer is also the communication path your brain use to talk to all the parts of your body.

The treatment I had at the hospital is 5 days of Immunoglobulin through IV. This does not heal the body. What it does is stop the attack. My body has had to regrow my Myelin. Thankfully the body naturally does so.

Then after the Myelin grows back, the brain needs to reconnect to those parts of the body.

I’ve come a long way since this day, and some of my body is still relearning to move as it did.

This has been a very humbling process and I’m learning a lot about myself.

This is and will continue to be one of the biggest growth moments of my adult life.

One of my first BIG milestones… raising my arm!

Sitting and eating… More milestones!!!

Relearning almost everything. As adults we tend to take for granted the simple things, such as feeding ourselves, getting out of bed or even just sitting on the edge of a bed. I had to relearn all of these things.

I have found a lot of growth in my own self examination. In order to do that I have had to slow down.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome has forced me to slow down more than I can remember ever doing. I’m serious. Even as far as I can remember back in childhood, I never sat still.

Being fully bedridden for over two weeks and mostly in bed for a month was super tough for me. It took a lot of focus on mindset and asking what I was grateful for everyday. It forced me to go inward more than ever.

I asked myself: What are really my priorities in life? What experiences do I really want to have? Have I been focusing on those as much as I’d like before now?

The answer was “NO!”

I am recalibrating my life through this. What an opportunity for growth!

I’m not suggesting for any of you to get Guillain-Barré Syndrome to change your life. I would not wish this for anyone.

But I hope that reading this allows you to think now, before life slaps you.

What are your top 3-10 experiences you want in life and/or on a regular basis?

I believe our heart has a purpose in this life. When we don’t listen to our heart’s desire, life will tap you and tap you and tap you. If we don’t hear the subtleties, life tends to slap us.

Again, slowing down has helped me notice the subtle taps. I still must have not heard enough because this hit hard.