Pride and a Daily Marathon

by Jonathan Cole

At the age of 19, Ian Waterman was suddenly struck down at work by a rare neurological illness that deprived him of all sensation below the neck. He fell on the floor in a heap, unable to stand or control his limbs, having lost the sense of joint position and proprioception, of that "sixth sense" of his body in space, which we all take for granted. After months in a neurological ward he was judged incurable and condemned to a life of wheelchair dependence. This is the first U.S. publication of a remarkable book by his physician, Jonathan Cole. It tells the compelling story, including a clear clinical description of a rare condition, of how Waterman reclaimed a life of full mobility against all expectations, by mental effort and sheer courage. Cole describes how Waterman gradually adapted to his strange condition. As the doctors had predicted, there was no neurological recovery. He had to monitor every movement by sight to work out where his limbs were, since he had no feedback from his peripheral nerves. But with astonishing persistence Waterman developed elaborate tricks and strategies to control his movements, enabling him to cope not only with the day-to-day problems of living, but even with the challenges of work, love, and marriage.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Psychology

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read when you're feeling sorry for yourself. I read it about ten years ago at a time when everything in my life was falling apart. Ian Waterman's problem was exotic enough to hold my attention as well as any clever science fiction yarn. But this personal journey is not fiction, and the story certainly offered me a vivid example of courage and tenacity. Deprived of proprioception from the neck down, Waterman learned to use his vision as the only medium of feedback to his muscles. But movement would never again be automatic. If someone turns out a light and leaves him in darkness, or if he becomes distracted, he falls like a ragdoll to the floor. Imagine having to devote a huge portion of your conscious self to monitoring every move you make? The account of Waterman's rehabilitation is not goo-goo preachy as one might expect. I remember this book giving me something I desperately needed at the time: hope.

[Sahit · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a nice read! Dr. Cole does a commendable job balancing technical content with a human-driven narrative and the result is a book that is accessible to laypeople (me) while still being educational. Ian's story was inspirational to say the least, defying doctor's expectations to live a life of relative autonomy and going beyond to act as an advocate for the whole community of disabled people. I'm leaving this at a 3/5, I do like the overall structure and was moved by the story but I think the writing was sometimes repetitive/overly verbose.

[Louise Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really captivating and emotional tale of a man who miraculously fights for his life to return to some sort of normality after his unusual diagnosis.

[Tissuereligion · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you had lost proprioception, your subconscious knowledge of where and in relation to what your limbs are your positioned, you might find yourself in a bit of a pickle. Ian manages to substitute sight for this natural ability and makes a functional adjustment to regular life, despite no neurological recovery. There were a couple of striking passages, such as when one of his doctors meets him for the first time and is struck by his strong and continuous awareness of his surroundings and positioning. And when the lights go off in his basement when he is standing on a latter, and he collapses to the ground.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting personal narrative of the rehabilitation experience and living with a disability. It is also fascinating to realize, through reading the book, truly how the ignored sensation of proprioception enables us to move effortlessly.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

really interesting book i read for a neuroscience course in college.