Choosing life in a wheelchair over quadriplegia
JUST a couple of years ago Ruth Udell was a keen runner with ambitions of completing a marathon.
Then last year the mother-of-three received a shocking diagnosis. Her spine was degenerating so fast it was likely that in five years she would be a paraplegic and unable to breathe unaided.
She was told the only way to stop this happening was to totally immobilise her body by living the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
To make matters worse she was the main carer for her husband and childhood sweetheart Kevin, 45, who was also in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.
“It was devastating news,” said Mrs Udell, 43, who lives in Warriewood and has suffered from ongoing back pain for years, which she thought was normal.
Her father was diagnosed with genetic degenerative disc disease later in life, but was managing it with exercise.
She did the same ... Read More
