Like most other children his age, he was looking forward to another fun-filled day at the school playgrounds. Little did they know his life, and that of his parents, was about to take a dramatic turn. Lionel has been diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder caused by inflammation across both sides of one level, or segment, of the spinal cord. He has never walked again since that fateful day of May 27th Eva says they gave him a massage and he seemed to be doing better that same evening.
His legs seemed to have gone completely numb. Dr Aleana Lawrence, a neurologist at Lenmed Health Bokamoso Private Hospital, says once someone has been diagnosed with transverse myelitis there is hardly any chance for recovery. But Eva is not about to give up. She says since her son was diagnosed with the condition she has had to quit her business in order to commit all her time to caring for him. Meanwhile, Lionel, now five, still goes for regular physio-therapy in South Africa.
He uses a wheel chair to move around. Dr Lawrence says although relatively unknown, transverse myelitis is prevalent in Botswana. She says the disorder is not immediately life threatening but there are some infections that may arise as a result of being stationery for an extended period of time. Research shows that transverse myelitis occurs in both adults and children, in both genders, and in all races.
No familial predisposition is apparent. Symptoms of transverse myelitis include a loss of spinal cord function over several hours to several weeks. What usually begins as a sudden onset of lower back pain, muscle weakness, or abnormal sensations in the toes and feet can rapidly progress to more severe symptoms, including paralysis, urinary retention, and loss of bowel control.
The majority of people with this disorder experience only one episode although in rare cases recurrent or relapsing transverse myelitis does occur. Cancellation and returns policy. Facebook Twitter Youtube. Sign in. Forgot your password? Password recovery. Recover your password. Sunday Standard Excellence is Standard Practice. Get help. Monday, February 10, Sunday Standard February 9 โ The Telegraph February 5.
