Neuro Note #4: Breea and MS

Breea's Story

    I did my Neuro Note on Multiple Sclerosis-Breea's Story because I was interested in learning more about MS after we learned about it in class.  Breea was diagnosed with severe onset MS and was in the hospital around 6 weeks recovering.  I enjoyed how in the beginning of the video different people said what Breea was to them.  It made me think about how important roles are to shaping an individual's life.  During her hospital stay, her parents took her away one day to visit the ocean.  They called this "Operation Ocean View".  Seeing the ocean was so meaningful to her especially while being cooped up in the hospital for so long.  Long hospital stays take such a toll on a person's sense of freedom and happiness.  
    Breea set goals for herself which were to walk again and graduate from high school.  Because she was extremely tenacious, she met both of those goals!  In fact, she wrote one of her college entrance essays in the hospital room.  I noticed how much strength and encouragement Breea's mother showed throughout the video.  She always pushed Breea to new goals, yet showed patience and kindness throughout the rehab process.  Therapy was difficult for Breea.  The did several leg strengthening exercises and fine motor practice for her affected hand.  After 8 long months, Breea was able to jump, spin, and do a back bend!  When the Youtube video was published she was about to start college and only uses a leg brace for long distances.
    I really enjoy learning about personal stories involving different diseases. This video gave such a good overview of everything Breea went through with MS.  I learned so much about what it is like to regain function from a MS flare up.  I would definitely recommend other OT students watch this if they want to gain a personal perspective of MS. 


There is also a short version of her video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfD9s1_TN0s

B. (2012, September 08). Retrieved May 24, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfD9s1_TN0s