|
1981
How his disease started
|
| At
41 years old, his left hand was completely paralyzed and the
strange illness rapidly increased to invade his two arms and
feet. Within just a few months, he could hardly walk and was
quickly becoming quadriplegic. |
| His
symptoms pointed to a well-known disease, but yet the diagnosis
was vague and none of the many doctors consulted knew the exact
cause of his condition. Cortisone (steroids) was the only answer
to relieve the pain and to stop the attacks. |
| Nine
years after, the disease had become even worse. Osteoporosis,
arthritis, and other side effects caused by cortisone were things
Jacques had to deal with, in addition to his disease. Another
medication was then prescribed to reduce such side effects,
but how could he be sure this new drug didn't have side effects
of its own? |
|
 |
1989
Getting his health back
|
| Since
all conventional treatments had failed, Jacques decided to stop
taking all his medication. This
decision could have been deadly considering that cortisone must
always be gradually reduced. |
| By
then, the 3 diseases had invaded his entire body which forced
him to put an end to all activities of any kind. |
Several
months later, he
heard about the beneficial
effects of stretching exercises. He didn't have much left to
lose so he decided to give this approach a try. |
| In
as little as 3 weeks, following a daily exercise routine of
several hours, he recovered 50% of his mobility and most of
the pain had disappeared. Considering that he was close to being
completely paralyzed, this was a definite sign of courage and
perseverance. |
| He
continued to do his stretching exercises at the rate of 2 hours
each day, and this, for a period of 6 months. Following such
a short period, nearly 100% of his health was recovered. |
From
then on, 20 minutes of stretching each day were
sufficient to maintain this spectacular recovery. |
|
|
|
1997
Relapse
and new beginning
|
After
many years, certain to
have completely healed, Jacques started neglecting his exercises
until he had completely stopped. For a certain time, everything
seemed fine until he suddenly relapsed and, within just a few
days, had totally lost the use of his left leg. |
| At
first, he felt extremely discouraged, but, even though painful
at the beginning , he resumed his stretching exercises and finally
got back on his feet again for a second time. |
As
difficult as it had been,
this last episode made Jacques believe even more in the power
of the stretching exercises, and he finally realized how precious
a gift health can be and must be taken care of on a daily basis. |
|
