INTERNATIONAL EDUCATORS WITHOUT BORDERS

"A lot of academic don't care about solutions, they first want to write about problems."

- Prof. Anna Hunter

The Marathon of Hope (Part VIII)

By Prof. Talaat I. Farag

No one is immune from having a health crisis at some point in her/his life journey. Babies may be born with major congenital anomalies, children in the pre-school age may suffer from autism, accidents may occur at any age, and with increasing life expectancies, many diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's are much more common today. The first article of this series presented a countdown of eight inspirational stories of heroism over debilitating physical ailments. The following real-life stories illustrate the remarkable achievements of different people suffering from varying health problems and adversities that serve as examples of how crises can be overcome. The extraordinary achievements of the Canadian runner Terry Fox and American cyclist Lance Armstrong were featured in the January 2007 issue. They have become some of the most prominent symbols of battle against disease in the modern age. In this eighth part of the series, we present the stories of ten heroes who have battled various medical problems and adversities or helped change the way we combat disabilities.

Lisa Sayer: The non-directed altruistic donor

When she donated a kidney to a complete stranger, she knew that some people would think that she was crazy. She always wanted to do something altruistic, by becoming a non-directed donor. A couple of years ago, she had come across a magazine article about someone who had donated a kidney to their partner. The piece included this alarming number: Nearly 60 people in Canada die each year waiting for a kidney. Ms. Sayer, who lost her father to Parkinson's disease and two friends to cancer, hated the feeling of helplessness as she watched loved ones die.  This new thought seemed radical, yet it made perfect sense to her: She could give one of her healthy kidneys to a complete stranger. It is worth noting that there are 35,000 Canadians with kidney disease, with approximately 4,000 on a waiting list for a kidney from a deceased person. Only a few of last year's 1,200 kidney donations came from living donors.

Michael J. Fox: Back to the Future

Michael J. Fox is known for his roles in Family Ties, Spin City, and the Back to the Future movies, but in recent years he has become the public face of Parkinson's, a progressive brain disease, when he was diagnosed with it since 1991, when he was 30. It affects his muscle control and gives him a shaky, uneven gait. Mr. Fox went public about his illness in 1998, and is now celebrating the fact that the Michael J. Fox Foundation has charitable status in Canada. It is at the heart of his mission to find a cure for this disease. The foundation has spent more than $149 million on research so far. About 100,000 Canadians complain of Parkinson's disease, with damage of the mid-brain area called substantia nigra, that produce the chemical dopamine, which allows the smooth coordinated function of the muscles. Despite his physical limitations, Mr. Fox is still working occasionally as an actor, winning an Emmy for his role playing a paraplegic in the New York firehouse drama Rescue Me. He is currently working on his third book. Last September, he took part in a roundtable exchange between people with Parkinson's and top Canadian researchers. 

Walker Brown: The Boy in The Moon

Newspaper journalist, Ian Brown, a father of the 13-years-old Walker who suffers from a rare disabling genetic condition wrote his experiences with his son in the recent book, The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search for his Disabled Son which was published by Random House Canada in September 2009. Walker suffers from a rare cardio-facio-cutaneous genetic syndrome that results in dysmorphic features, limitation of flexion of both elbows, huge glove-like hands, and ultra-sensitive skin. The condition of Ian's son is shared with just over 100 people in the entire world. Both did endless rounds of feeding, rocking, cleaning, massaging and restraining of their son. It took Ian and his wife Joanna seven long years to find a supportive place for Walker to live and learn. In the book, Brown searches for meaning in his son’s life – its value to Walker himself – and longs for proof that his boy has an inner life. He also explores how society views and treats the disabled, and their larger role within the community. Visitors of The Ambassadors Magazine are invited to read this harrowing story, which is a testament to the kindness of a father and his humanitarian impulses.

Paul Quarrington: The Multi-talented Lung Cancer Survivor

The Writer's Trust of Canada has named Toronto novelist, Paul Quarrington, winner of its 2009 Matt Cohen Award (a cash value of $20,000), which is given annually to a Canadian writer whose life has been dedicated to writing as a primary pursuit. He was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier last year, and accepted the award at a special event held in his honour at the Toronto International Festival of Authors. Distinguished authors, Margaret Atwood, Roddy Doyle and Alistair MacLeod were in attendance at the event. Mr. Quarrington is a multi-talented author, whose musical career was also celebrated at this event by key figures such as Dave Bidini and the Rheostatics.

Christopher Nolan: The Author with Cerebral Palsy!

Oxygen deprivation during a difficult labour left Christopher Nolan quadriplegic and mute, unable to communicate with his family except through eye movements since his birth in Mullingar, Ireland. At the age of 11, supplied with a new drug to relax his neck muscles, he began writing with a "unicorn stick" strapped to his forehead, picking a letter at a time on his typewriter as his mother held his chin with her hands. At 15, he published a prize-winning autobiography, Under the Eye of the Clock.  In 1972, he attended a remedial school and in 1979, he transferred to a local comprehensive school. In 1981, he published, Dam Burst of Dreams, a collection of poems, short stories and plays that impressed critics with its acrobatic word play. In 1987, he completed his autobiography, which became a bestseller, winning the prestigious Whitebread Prize at the age of 21. In 1999, he wrote his first novel, The Banyan Tree. Some of the notable honours he received included an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in the UK, the medal of excellence from the United Nations Society of Writers, and a Person of the Year award in Ireland. To keep his baby's mind stimulated, Christopher's father had told him stories and read passages from James Joyce, Samuel Peckett, and D.H. Lawrence. His mother had strung up letters of the alphabet in the kitchen, where she kept up a steady stream of conversation. His sister, Yvonne, two years older, had sang songs and acted out skits for him. All three survive him following his passing in early 2009.