Another Special Moment to Share

Many of the movements Deb is making are too minute or discreet to capture on video or be of much interest for others to watch. But here is Deb pulling her knee outward without assistance.  She can generally do a large movement like this once or twice a day on each leg and then we continue to work with me assisting her. As time goes on, we are confident that there will be more and more major movements to share with you here.  Remember...Dreams never die, Miracles ARE happening, and never, ever, Ever, EVER give up! Peace!

Why We Are Sharing This Journey

Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves why we do some of the things we do.    In talking with Deb, she shared a very important aspect of this blog for her that I had not considered.  She often asks me to share details that are minute or personal that I have heretofore forgotten to include, or worse, been guilty of the unpardonable sin of ignoring my wife's wishes.  Today she explained her reasoning.

Deb is not the first person to regain mobility after some affliction or injury, we have heard of a few others.  However, nowhere have we found a chronicle of the details of the long and arduous journey from immobility to health.  We hear of where they started and how long it took to recover. Nowhere have Deb or I heard or read about what we might expect on a day-to-day basis.  The twists and the turns.  The speed bumps.  The processes to go through or what seemingly minor incidents constitute major triumphs on the road to full wellness.


Little things that healthy people sometimes take for granted have been roadsigns to recovery for Deb and she would like to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for the next person or persons who find themselves challenging medical and conventional wisdom to follow in attempting the so-called "impossible".  She firmly believes that there will be more and more people defying the sentence of disability that medical doctors had down and she would like to give them a little more insight than she had when she started out.

Things that Deb thought it might be helpful to share:

• For years, Deb could not burp, her diaphragm didn't function well enough to make it happen.  Minor detail, right?  Imagine the torture a good spicy burrito can cause if you couldn't follow it up with a good burp.  She started burping again about a year ago after acute meridian acupuncture treatment with Dr. Issam Nemeh.  Now instead of "excuse me", I've told her to follow her burps with a "Thank you, God!"
• Sitting on the edge of the bed without assistance was a major accomplishment.  Before working out with a trainer at Club Fit, sitting up unaided was a precarious proposition because of the lack of core strength and muscle control that Deb started regaining recently.
• Complications from medication.  Until she stopped taking prescription medications five years ago, many indications she had to deal with , like dry skin, hair loss, dry mouth, chronic constipation, drowsiness, lethargy, irritability, were simply side effects of the nine or so meds she had been prescribed at various times.
• Deb can sweat now! (I know, ladies "glisten").  While taking medications, Deb would not sweat when it was hot, making it much harder to stay cool in hot weather.  When she got off of medications, lo and behold, she could sweat appropriately again.  We're not sure which one was the culprit.
• Toe wiggling is actually one of the toughest movements to regain because they are further from where the nerve signals originate.  Movies and TV shows often showed a recovering patient moving their toe as a sign of recovery.  Pure literary license.  Truth is, the closer to the injury, the stronger the initial nerve signals are that cause movement, like Deb and her diaphragm and holding in her stomach.

These are a just a few of the kinds of things that Deb feels it is important to chronicle in order to give the next wave of miracle recoverees something to hold on to on their climb to complete health.

Still Moving

This is the time in our story that usually gets skipped over in the movies.  You see the miraculous first movements, you see the initial struggles to get stronger...then a caption of "SIX MONTHS LATER" flashes under the screen and our hero is up and walking, maybe with just a slight limp.

What they can't show is the day to day grind of working.  Pushing with the effort of an Olympic powerlifter going for gold, just to see the leg move a 1/4 of an inch.  You don't see two steps forward, one step back anguish of seeing muscles that leapt to life the day before now lie limp when attempting to move them or the joy of welcoming each new little twitch as if it were the birth of a child.  If only we could share every detail of this wonderful journey with the world (but the reality TV people have not gotten back to us yet.)

Deb did move her feet at the ankle today, which being so distal from the point of injury is very encouraging. She also flexed her gluteus maximus, which was very encouraging to me personally (and there are no video of that to "accidently" wind up on the internet).

Video of Deb Moving Foot!

This video was shot on our second day back from Florida, 3 days after her last treatment with Ken Bryant.

Neuro Synthetic Conduction

I realized that I didn't specify that trip to Florida was not for the same treatment that Deb went to back in 2008.  This one is done by a licensed physical therapist name Ken Bryant down in Largo, Fl.  I would be hard pressed to adequate explain the mechanics/physiology of what he does.  It is related to Reflexology and works to turn on dormant, but intact, nerves.  Here, check it out for yourself: http://www.nsctherapyproject.com/index.html.

Deb works with Ken Bryant at NSC

Back Home and Ready to Get to Work

We just got back from Florida tonight and we are still elated at the prospects of what lies before us.  Deb is still kicking up her heels, literally.  Oddly enough, she has this new movement of swinging her leg out to the side when sitting on the edge of the bed.  Picture a kid swinging her feet together, clicking her new patent leather shoes together, that's the motion Deb started doing when trying to swing her leg forward, so we just went with it (at this point, movement is movement and every twitch is celebrated.)


We are looking forward to our workouts.  Between our adjustable bed, elastic bands, and cycling machine, we have enough to keep Deb's legs stimulated as she strengthens and coordinates her movements. 


This is mind-blowing, consciousness-shifting stuff!  Can you imagine even having the very real possibility of regaining the use of your legs after 20 years? Every twitch is rebirth, every conscious movement is a revelation from God!  I told Deb that having her legs starting to work is like having a new toy.  Like a kid, I can't wait to play again. 


Deb says, "I am inspired to the utmost and extremely grateful."


Always remember...DREAMS NEVER DIE!!!!

Now Its All Hard Work and Vision

Deb and wrapped up the week of tough therapy and treatment doing an hour in the EZ Stand Glider and then displaying another awe-inspiring demonstration of moving muscles which she hasn't controlled in 20 years. 

The stander is designed to help strengthen her legs and prepare her for standing. It was also very psychologically uplifting for her to feel herself standing at her full height of 5' 11".

During her exercises, she again alternated lifting her feet at the knee as they hung from the table and pulled her foot down as it was held by band.  
The highlight of the session was her pulling her knee in (adduction) sitting on the table. She actually pulled the knee up, working against gravity, stopping when felt worn out, then regrouping and finishing the movement. One of the assistants observing the session actually came to tears (my eyes were not completely dry either).

Now its just a matter of Deb and I continuing to work hard everyday strengthening her legs and maintaininour vision of seeing her walk on her own once again.

Remember...DREAMS NEVER DIE!!!

Our Goal Is Near!

Deb is now moving her legs definitively and consistently.  As of this writing, we are in Clearwater, Florida where Deb is receiving therapy that is meant to reactivate her nervous system.  The strongest movements have been leg extensions and hamstring pulls from the sitting position.  I know I have shared reports of her moving before, but none of them compare to what I witnessed yesterday.  The movements were strong and repetitive, lifting her foot about two inches about ten times and then with an exercise band, pulling her leg back using her hamstrings.


Even before yesterday, on Tuesday, she was controlling her spasms by consciously flexing her muscles to break the spasmodic movements. 


I will have more updates shortly.  Please remember, dreams never die!

Going Vegan

"Eat your vegetables!" "Eat more fruit!" "You should have at least 5 - 8 services of fruits and vegetables a day." I have heard such things from Deborah (and my mom before her) for years now. She has always liked her veggies, even eating nothing but veggie meals such as sauteed spinach with mushrooms and onions served over rice or couscous. But I have to admit that my son and I have been a bad influence on Deb. We would plop down a sack full of Burger King burgers, hand Deb her obligatory salad and begin to chow down. Deb would inevitable sneak a peak at our fat, juicy burgers and ask for a bite. Extra crispy fried chicken was an extreme temptation for her. However, her routine has changed over the last month or so, and it is now Deb that is doing the influencing in regards to diet.

She has been about 99% vegan for about the last month (she still accepts a fork full of tuna salad occasionally.) And she has been increasing going raw vegan. One huge factor is keeping fresh fruit and vegetables in the house so that we can juice them for breakfast and sometimes after dinner. While I am nowhere close to being vegan (sorry PETA), I have eaten more vegetables and fruit while assisting Deb with her diet than I have in years and I can feel the difference. And somehow, getting five servings of plant life in an eight ounce glass works out better for me than plate fulls of the old green leafy.

I highly recommend to anyone to get there hands on a juicer to put some pep back into their diet. Twenty minutes, including veggie prep and clean up and we are juicing fresh, high quality juice. Our favorite combination right now is carrot-apple-ginger, but the list includes all kinds of combinations of celery, spinach, broccoli, radishes, and tomatoes.

Deb is also always finding raw veggie recipes, some of which are quite tasty. My favorite is a date paste that consists of blending a few dates, some raw cashews and water until smooth and serving over fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries or mango, to name a few).

We have also recently had a raw cucumber "soup" (it was more like puree), that was made of celery, cucumber, avocado and olive oil.

Speaking of avocado, homemade guacamole is fantastic. Just blend a couple of avocados with tomato, onion and garlic. It is delicious and you save the $7/lb. that it cost in the store.

The funny part is getting my 13 year-old son to do his part and drinking the juice (not the Koolaid!) You would think that we were asking him to chug a beer the way he turns up his nose and makes faces at it. But even he is coming around.

Deb's digestion has been helped tremendously by her diet, relieving a lot of the aches and pains that sometimes accompanied meals full of saturated fats and cholesterol.

There is a movie coming out called "Food Inc" about the industrialization, profiteering, contamination and cruelty in America's food industry that I think will make a lot of people rethink their food choices. Maybe after I watch it, I'll go vegan myself. Until then, I have the perfect voice of food conscience right here at home.

Read and let there be no doubt left in you ... Deborah McCreath Akbar is healing NOW! I know that I have talked here about her legs moving, twitching or squeezing, but I have just witnessed the most definitive movement yet from her legs since we began this quest for a miracle. While sitting in her wheelchair (for now ;) ), her left leg spasmed forward off of the footrest. She reflexively pulled her foot back toward her footrest; we've seen this before, especially while in Dr. Issam Nemeh's office. This time, I encouraged her to keep going, to pull it all the way back. Slowly but surely she not only pulled it back to the footrest, but slightly up and all the way back to sit securely in place with no further spasms. We looked at each other in awe, as if looking to confirm in each others eyes what we both had witnessed. We shouted for joy and prayed further in gratitude for this major step.

We had been discussing some serious emotional issues and challenges and were praying deeply about them before this incident happened. We had been so involved in our conversation and prayer that it was about 3:30 a.m. Believe it or not, I had been telling Deb that all of the work, emotional and physical, that she needed to do in order to walk, had already been done. This was in response to being told on various occasions that this or that issue needed to be resolved in order to walk. One person would say she needed to work on forgiveness, another would focus on gratitude or banishing fear. All of the advice was good and helpful for Deb's personal development, but I reasoned that not everyone who could stand and walk was the picture of perfect emotional health and balance. I knew how much work Deb had done on herself and securely felt that she deserved to see progress, both inwardly and outwardly, from it. When God wants something to BE, IT IS, regardless of circumstances!

Our faith is being rewarded. Last night was just the beginning, stay tuned. Miracles are happening NOW, people.

Share the Joy (Happy Anniversary to Us!)

Deborah and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this week. There was time to reflect on all the challenges that we have faced over the years and it seems that with every new challenge, we learn more and more about each other and about ourselves.

We took time to reminisce this week about how much our lives and our beliefs have changed since we first met. It seems to me that it really has been one big, continuing journey.

While Deb's health has had a major impact on everything we do, there have been plenty of challenges and triumphs that were totally unrelated to her physical condition. There were the different parenting styles we brought to our blended family. There were differences in religion and cultural backgrounds that had to be reconciled. (With much patience and soul-searching, our views have both evolved to be much closer than they were in the beginning.) Sometimes, it's a wonder that we ever stayed together long enough to grow together. We did and it looks like we have as much growing as ever yet to come.

Wayne Dyer once said that your soul mate is not the person that you agree with 100% of the time, because no growth comes from that situation. He said that your soul mate was a person who could push your buttons to help you learn lessons that would ultimate help you to be at peace. If Mr. Dyer is right, then Deb and I are the very definition of soul mates! ;)

¡Te amo mucho, Milagro!

It will be four years this July since Deb quit taking prescription drugs of any kind! Hooray, Deb!!!

At varying times, she had been prescribed 12 different medications for everything from muscle spasms, bladder control, depression, lung capacity, recurring infections, and of course, pain.
She began looking for alternatives to prescription medicine after suffering chronic digestive side effects from taking the medications. Actually, half of the prescriptions were given to alleviate side effects caused by the other half.

We would visit the emergency room at least twice a year because of the pain it caused. The last time, when Deb insisted to know what she could do to stop this cycle of frustration once and for all, the doctor simply replied, "I don't know."

So, in typical Deb fashion, Deb set out to find the answer herself. She tried enzymes, herbal remedies, massotherapy and changing her diet. She wound up with a combination of the three that would alleviate the need for the prescriptions and their side effects. Her diet now consists of mostly vegetables and fruit, minimizing meat, salt or anything fried (she has a penchant for McDonalds french fries, though she has been six weeks without those as well.)

Deb found an excellent herbalist in Dr. Susan Deng. Dr. Deng is an Ohio State Board Certified Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist who has provided Deb with a customized mixed of herbs which she drinks daily in a tea. Dr. Deng also treats Deb with acupuncture on a monthly basis.

While she does not visit the massotherapist regularly any longer, her last therapist shared techniques with me for helping to keep her legs limber and her back straight.

So I just wanted to take this time to congratulate and encourage Deb on her endeavors to continuously improve her life.

Miracles Are Happening

Deb had a visit with Dr. Issam Nemeh on Thursday. If you recall, he is the doctor who practices Acute Meridian Acupuncture and is well known for the healing services that he performs (

http://www.drnemeh.com/home.htm). We told him about Deb's voluntary muscle movement of her thighs, hamstrings and gluts and he took it all in stride. From his examination and treatment, he noted Deb's increased muscle mass and tone and reflexivity, and he said that there was a measurable increase in nerve activity.

He said, only half jokingly, that he is shooting for her to be walking by July! It is so refreshing and uplifting to deal with a health care professional who is primarily guided by his faith. He is truly doing what he feels God has called him to do.

Dr. Nemeh also reminded us that Deb's healing is as much a matter of our state of mind as it is her of her physical healing. While he insists that her healing is inevitable now, ("It cannot be stopped now!", he said), he warned that the process can be slowed by negative thinking and emotions. His advice was to not focus on the things we see and hear around us, but to keep God in the forefront of our mind. It was also interesting to me that as a devout Christian, he said that people put too much emphasis on what religion someone belongs to and not enough on the persons faith.

It is always a rejuvenating experience visiting Dr. Nemeh and it renews our assured expectation that Deb will be walking again in the very near future.

Just a quick update

Just a quick note to keep everyone informed. Deb continues to make slight movements with her thighs. The movement hasn't gotten stronger yet, but she does it regularly now, everyday she is able to squeeze her legs at will. She will probably be embarrassed that I tell you that she has also started to squeeze her gluteus maximus. Don't tell I told you this, and no, there will NOT be video of that part. I do plan to have video of her legs soon.

DEB IS MOVING HER LEGS!!!

I know it has been almost a year to the day that I last posted here, but do not be mistaken, our hope and our faith have not waned. In fact, I am writing now to share with everyone Deb's exciting progress! She has actually begun to move the muscles in her legs! Very small movements, but very definitely conscious movement. She can just start to squeeze her thigh muscles, bringing her knees a little closer together when lying on her back with her legs outstretched.

Her moving her legs has not been a one time occurrence either. She has moved them about eight times over a little more than 2 weeks.

At first, I was even more excited than Deb was, being moved to tears at the site of my wife beginning to realize results from many long months of effort. At first it puzzled me a little why she didn't seem more ecstatic. She was definitely grateful and thankful to God, just not overwhelmed as I was.

After talking with her about it, it dawned on me, she had always visualized herself walking, and this was just a tiny step which, through her faith, she had been thoroughly expecting. This and the fact that she remembered having been able to walk helped to put it in perspective for her. I, on the other hand, had never in my life seen my wife move her legs at all! It was a first time experience for me, after having believed at one time that this was an impossibility.

Please continue to pray with us for Deb's continued journey toward her goal walking once again.

Findings from Brucker Biofeedback

I finally get to share a complete update from our journey to Florida for Deborah to undergo 3 weeks of Brucker Biofeedback. The results are very promising. It was confirmed that Deborah's injury is NOT "Complete" like she was told definitively by doctors 18 years ago! From the full, 3-page report we received from the Brucker Biofeedback Institute:

At L2-4 (lower back), initial measurements of 4 percent of normal bilaterally were able to be increased to 6 percent of normal. The hip flexors initially showed only trace responses of voluntary motor neuron recruitment and they were able to be increased to 2 percent of normal. The quadriceps initially showed no voluntary motor neuron recruitment and were able to be increased to 2 percent of normal with spasm. Overall, it is apparent that Ms. Akbar has an incomplete spinal cord injury at C7 with substantial amount of long term motor neuron recovery. She has responded to the EMG Biofeedback procedures extremely well gaining significant increases in voluntary motor neuron recruitment to the muscles below the level of her spinal cord injury particularly the upper extremities and trunk. As a result of these increases of voluntary motor neuron recruitment it will now be possible for Ms. Akbar to gain substantial increases in strength and function with an aggressive exercise and therapy program.

We have already consulted an exercise physiologist and had our doctor refer us to a specialized physical therapy center that has the EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) and quadrisizer to exercise Deborah's leg muscles as recommended in the Brucker Biofeedback report:

The paraspinal muscles had major gains and back extension exercises such as
leaning forward and bringing the back into extension should result in
significantly greater strength. The hip flexors and quadriceps now show some voluntary motor neuron recruitment and exercises to strength these such as attempts at knee extension and hip flexion with assistance would be recommended. Also, electrical stimulation used on these muscle groups would be helpful.

Deborah is already working hard on her own exercising her upper body and torso to continue gaining strength. She is also dieting fairly strictly with the goal of losing enough weight to be able to support her weight with her arms for when she is ready to use leg braces and a walker.

Deborah is as determined as ever to continue this amazing journey!

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers!

We are down to our last 2 days (2 more biofeedback sessions) here in Florida! (We are leaving Friday, 3/28).

We had limited Internet access (I am in a Miami-Dade Public Library writing this) so I apologize about not sending info before this.

The progress that Deborah is making is so exciting. They started testing and exercising her shoulders and worked all the muscles down her arms then started working on the back muscles. The idea is to give her as much immediate improvement in mobility as possible, improving balance and arm strength.

We have found that Deborah has strong nerve signals far below the level of her injury, meaning that the damage was definitely not "complete" as her doctors originally told her. A couple or the therapist said that they have never seen anyone with an injury at her level (C7 - C8, cervical/neck area) have such strong nerve activity so low down the spine (L2-L4, lumbar area) is still quite strong. The outlook for her future mobility looks very good. Tomorrow we will find what kind of impulses she has in her upper legs.

We are learning exercises and movements that will strengthen her to have much more balance and motion. I am already helping to stand Deborah up as she bears a small amount of resistance on her legs. The DREAM Continues!

Please continue your thoughts and prayers! We can't wait to share more success!

In Honor of Dr. Bernard Brucker (1946 - 2008)

Deborah and I would like to express our sincere condolences to the family of Dr. Bernard Brucker on the news of his passing on February 16.

He was the founder and director of the Brucker Biofeedback Center and developed the Brucker Biofeedback method of using electromyography (EMG) feedback techniques, that helped patients' brains reconnect with their bodies.

He was also one of the founders and the original co-director of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

We had looked forward to meeting Dr. Brucker on our trip to Florida on March 10 as he made a practice of greeting each patient of his treatment center personally. Dr. Brucker will be greatly missed and the medical community has lost a great pioneer.

Dr. Brucker's work will continue at the numerous rehabilition centers he helped to found.

http://www.miamiherald.com/512/story/422291.html

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Updated February 26, 2008. Deborah and I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has so generously donated so far to our efforts to have Deb receive treatment at the Brucker Biofeedback Institute in Miami, FL. We cannot express enough our heart felt gratitude for the support you all have shown and can only pray that we will make the most of it and deliver an unforgettable tale of triumph before this grand journey is finished. Below is the list of donors as of the date of this posting. Special thanks go out to Mr. Joe Schroeder for lending his considerable voice and support to our cause. May the Peace and Blessings of God be with you all.

Sharon Battle
Catherine Conwell
Terrance Conwell
SourceCon Corporation
Afri Creations
Cyndi Dawson
JoAnn Donahue
Good Harmony Enterprises
Barbie Figueroa
Lakesha Ford
Debora Gabinet
Pearl Gaines
Chris Galloway
Angel Garcia
Lee Green
Hussein Hill
Diane Hochman
Dave Ireland
Karl Johnson
Derrick Jones
Victor Kalman
Joe Knaack
Ilias Kone
Angela Lester
Mike Litman
Gaye Lowenstein
Gung Ho Marketing
Way Out Marketing
PJM Internet Marketing
Doug Middleton
Debra Morrison
Adrian Pope
Ed Pratt
Counter Racism
Donald Robinson, eSkills Inc.
Joe Schroeder
Tony Seawright
Dr.Phil Sebastian
Dr. Mike Shapiro
Jimmy Smith
Jill St. James
Nick Talladino
Enterprise Technologies
Vera Waters
Brian Winfield


We would also like the thank the following talk shows and hosts for interviewing Deborah:
Tommy Webb - webbradio.com

Hussein Hill - Oral Buffet, NBBTA.org/channel2.htm

Louie Jones - WCFJ 1470 AM, Chicago

Lovely Brown - Sistah Talk, blogtalkradio.com

Alonzo Brown - AASAP Radio, blogtalkradio.com

El & Syl - The El & Syl Variety Show, blogtalkradio.com

Global Influence, blogtalkradio.com

Carla Barnes - Inspire "You" Series, blogtalkradio.com

An Hour to Empower, blogtalkradio.com

Gregory & Brian - I Believe, blogtalkradio.com

Sound Off Now, blogtalkradio.com

Pop Wiz - blogtalkradio.com

In Her Own Words

I thought I would share with you an interview that Deborah did with Tommy Webb on webbradio.com. In it, she talks more in depth about the Brucker Biofeedback treatment and what it has done for thousands of patients with neurological damage.



Peace, Love and Abundant Blessing to you all!