Name: Anonymous 2009-07-23 16:34
Yesterday was a great day for me and I thought I would share it with you. Before you will be able to understand why it was such a good day you need to know what has happened to me in the last 14 months.
In June of 2001 I was enlisted in 6.001 and stationed in MIT when I came down with a rare medical condition known as Guido-Lerdorf Syndrome (GLS). My case of GLS was more severe than most, I was hospitalized for 6 months. Within 10 days of the onset of my GLS symptoms, I was left almost completely paralyzed and unable to attend Sussmans lectures or anything else that was over my head. Strangely, I was even unable to understand tail recusion. My diaphragm stopped working and I had to be placed on a ventilator to keep me alive and breathing. I was on a ventilator for 3 ½ months and in an ICU for 4 months before being transferred to a Rehab Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.
During my time on the ventilator my body lay in a bed with absolutely no activity above my neck. Because there was no movement, my grey-matter quickly faded away and within 6 weeks I had lost 55 IQ points and was quite literally unable to compute.
As the GLS released its grip on me, I began to slowly get some logical thought back. As the cognitive function started to return I had to completely rebuild that grey matter. Even though I had started to recover I could not write batch scripts, operate a command line or touch type even at 5 wpm. Besides regaining basic computer skills, I was going to have to learn to program all over again.
On December 21, 2001, though I was still bound to Mac OS X which I did not have the strength to operate, my doctors felt I was medically stable enough to be released to the care of my mother and father and begin out patient therapy near their home.
When I left Minnesota I could not use emacs, compile source code, run makefiles, or even read man pages. I was completely dependant on others to survive. As my aggressive therapy continued, I got smarter and saw more return. I began to finally be able to do things like type without looking and make webpages.
Yesterday, September 30, 2002 was an amazing day for me and the reason I write to you. Yesterday morning I woke up, logged in to check my emails, wrote a spambot to ruin some forums, and solved a sokoban level all on my own. After breakfast was finished I drove myself to therapy then cracked some porn sites store and went surfing on my own. After I got myself home I made my all time favorite meal!
After completing a years worth of physical and occupation therapy I am not back to 100%. My doctor tells me that I should expect another years worth of therapy but I should eventually make a full recovery. I often become discouraged when I have to ask for help with things which used to be so simple, such as port forwarding. Then I stop and think how far I have come in the last year and things don’t look so bleak.
My ordeal has given me a new appreciation for many things in life. It is unfortunate I had to go through such a crazy experience to appreciate SICP, lisp, and the simple pleasures of life.
In June of 2001 I was enlisted in 6.001 and stationed in MIT when I came down with a rare medical condition known as Guido-Lerdorf Syndrome (GLS). My case of GLS was more severe than most, I was hospitalized for 6 months. Within 10 days of the onset of my GLS symptoms, I was left almost completely paralyzed and unable to attend Sussmans lectures or anything else that was over my head. Strangely, I was even unable to understand tail recusion. My diaphragm stopped working and I had to be placed on a ventilator to keep me alive and breathing. I was on a ventilator for 3 ½ months and in an ICU for 4 months before being transferred to a Rehab Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.
During my time on the ventilator my body lay in a bed with absolutely no activity above my neck. Because there was no movement, my grey-matter quickly faded away and within 6 weeks I had lost 55 IQ points and was quite literally unable to compute.
As the GLS released its grip on me, I began to slowly get some logical thought back. As the cognitive function started to return I had to completely rebuild that grey matter. Even though I had started to recover I could not write batch scripts, operate a command line or touch type even at 5 wpm. Besides regaining basic computer skills, I was going to have to learn to program all over again.
On December 21, 2001, though I was still bound to Mac OS X which I did not have the strength to operate, my doctors felt I was medically stable enough to be released to the care of my mother and father and begin out patient therapy near their home.
When I left Minnesota I could not use emacs, compile source code, run makefiles, or even read man pages. I was completely dependant on others to survive. As my aggressive therapy continued, I got smarter and saw more return. I began to finally be able to do things like type without looking and make webpages.
Yesterday, September 30, 2002 was an amazing day for me and the reason I write to you. Yesterday morning I woke up, logged in to check my emails, wrote a spambot to ruin some forums, and solved a sokoban level all on my own. After breakfast was finished I drove myself to therapy then cracked some porn sites store and went surfing on my own. After I got myself home I made my all time favorite meal!
After completing a years worth of physical and occupation therapy I am not back to 100%. My doctor tells me that I should expect another years worth of therapy but I should eventually make a full recovery. I often become discouraged when I have to ask for help with things which used to be so simple, such as port forwarding. Then I stop and think how far I have come in the last year and things don’t look so bleak.
My ordeal has given me a new appreciation for many things in life. It is unfortunate I had to go through such a crazy experience to appreciate SICP, lisp, and the simple pleasures of life.