Tim Stevens travelled to Poland in the hope of finding a cure for his MS, the hugely debilitating illness which has robbed him of the use of his legs.
In this final part of his account of the trip, BRIAN BEACOM reveals how Tim got on after leaving the clinic in Katowice ...
As miracles go, it’s not exactly up there with the biblical classics. But for Tiger Tim’s wife, Caroline, the sight of her husband tucking into his Hawaiian pizza using a fork in his left hand was nonetheless astounding.
"My God," he’s holding it," shouts, Caroline of the fork adventure. "This is the first time in 10 years Tim has been able to use his left hand to eat, even though he is left handed.
"I can’t believe it."
Nor could Tim. The afternoon pizza experiment was carried out in hope rather than expectation. But then today had already been about a series of great surprises.
It began at 10am outside the 27-storey Hotel Qubus in Katowice.
Already 18 degrees and a beautiful day, those assembled to greet the patients as they returned from the Euromedic Clinic wanted desperately to believe that the bright sunshine overhead was a sign, a metaphor for the first day of Tiger’s new life.
After spending a precautionary night in the clinic after his ‘Irrigation Treatment’ to clear his blocked veins, Tim had called to say he was on his way back to the hotel. But how would he feel? Doctors at the clinic don’t promise immediate results; they say that improvement can take up to six months, as the body begins to repair itself after the damage done to it by iron deposits in the brain.
However, they do say there have been some remarkable early results. Perhaps none more so than the 60-something US woman from Los Angeles, who two days earlier was restricted to using crutches.
"Look at me today," she exclaimed, with a smile as bright as the sunshine.
"We’re going shopping in Krakow and I want to walk, but my daughter says I should take my crutches – just in case."
She demonstrated her walk, which for a woman, who’s been dependent on crutches for years, is amazing.
But will Tim, and the others who had the same procedure on the same day, have such a positive a result?
First back from the clinic was Mark, the 29-year-old from North London, who uses a motorised wheelchair.
"I feel good," he said, his face beaming. "Normally, my hands and feet are cold, but feel them." He extended his hands and they felt ‘normal’.
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