Role Reversal

Awaking after a nearly three month coma following my stroke, I thought the worst was behind me and I would be on my way to healing. I was hospitalized for six months after I came out of the coma, and complicating my situation was the fact I could not move my arms or hands. I was experiencing muscle stiffness that was so bad it made my right arm stick out to the side. I wasn't able to dress myself, or pick up a fork or even hold a cup. Ironically, I couldn't hold onto the handicap bar in restrooms. Soon after, I was diagnosed with upper limb spasticity.

In an instant, I went from being a full-time single mother to two teenage daughters, running a household and working fifty to sixty hours a week to moving into my parents' home and relying on my family, including my mother and daughters, for everything, even the most basic of tasks.

I quickly started rehabilitation with therapy five days a week, for six hours a day. The muscles in my hand and arm were so tight that when my occupational therapist tried to stretch my fingers to straighten them and open my hand, the tightness in my fingers and hand was uncomfortable. We couldn't make much progress to straighten my fingers and open my hand.

After some frustrating therapy sessions, I happened to overhear another patient at the clinic, who experienced similar struggles with upper limb spasticity, was going to visit her neurologist for treatment with BOTOX^® (onabotulinumtoxinA). As the therapy alone was not enough to help me make the progress I wanted, I scheduled an appointment with my neurologist to learn more about treatment with BOTOX^® and to see if it was right for me. After talking about the risks and benefits of treatment with BOTOX^®, we decided it was worth a shot.

Since then, through a combination of regular therapy sessions and treatment with BOTOX^® neurotoxin, I have made progress with my right arm, hand and fingers. Now, I can straighten my hand slightly, which is just enough to get my hand around my hairbrush. While I can't type the same way I could before, I can now extend and straighten my fingers enough to push down the keys on my keyboard. I also can use my “bad hand” to balance a dish while I use my “good” hand to wash it – something I know my daughters are happy about.

Through my personal road to recovery, I find it most important to be able to connect with my daughters once again. I can actually put both my arms around my daughters when I hug them, which I could not do before.

Regaining some sense of independence is key for many individuals living with upper limb spasticity. For me, it meant having to rely on my daughters a little less. For Kristina, she was only 15 years old when all this happened. It's nice to know she doesn't have to carry as much of the load of taking care of me.

“I would have loved to hang out with my friends like other fifteen year olds get to do – but I was always worried about my mom and wanted to help her with things she wasn't able to do on her own. Honestly, it was hard on both me and my older sister, Donna,” admits Kristina Stevens. Barely out of her teenage years, my oldest daughter, Donna, was also committed to helping me recover from upper limb spasticity and helped make sure I got to my therapy sessions. “It was tough to see my mom in that condition. At this point, my sister and I are just happy to see my mom be a bit more independent,” says Donna Butts.

Individual results may vary.

Danelle and her two daughters Donna and Kristina currently reside in Texas.