A stroke victim from Sussex who faced a lifetime of paralysis has defied medical experts and learnt to walk again.
Graham Miles, 66, was paralysed by a stroke in 1993 which left him fully conscious but not able to move any part of his body apart from blinking his eyes. He has left medics ‘utterly bewildered’ by taking learning to walk, talk and even race cars.
Mr Miles believes that he overcame the devastating condition by tapping into the ‘extra capacity’ of the brain.
‘If you are totally focused, you've got sufficient drive, commitment and mental stamina, you can break down that barrier between the brain and the body that goes with total paralysis,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He said that his initial paralysis was so complete he even found it hard to breath but by concentrating on small movements he was out of bed in five months.
‘Initially I had a job to do, and that was to breathe because, although the involuntary muscles still work, such as the heart and the lungs, the chest is paralysed so there’s a resistance to breathing,’ Mr Miles said.
‘You have to quickly work out that you have to concentrate on the diaphragm to get effective breathing.
‘Moving my eyelids was my only method of communication at first,’ he added.
He said that he felt he had been ‘left to die’ by medical staff and tried to communicate his fears with his family using a spelling board.
‘My consultant said he was bewildered and didn't know how I was still alive. The brain isn't totally understood – apparently there is a lot of extra capacity in it and it seems as though I've found some of it,’ he said.
Mr Miles said he will remain ‘damaged goods’ but is able to live independently.
‘I walk with two sticks, short distances. I look after myself, in my own flat, I drive a manual car and I do a little bit of motor sport,’ he added.
Mr Mile's recovery could have some bearing on the case of Tony Nicklinson who is applying for the right to die at the High Court after being left paralysed after a stroke in 2005.
Alistair Thompson, spokesman for Care Not Killing, said Mr Mile's case showed why assisted suicide should remain illegal.
‘This has been our argument again and again – the fact that someone has a disability does not mean that they will not improve,’ he said.
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