Student letter

One of my students, who took my course in Singapore, 2002, emailed me and said:

Hi Cecilia,

I just searched the Internet to find your address because I had a success story to share with you. I took a course with you in Singapore in 2002. What I learned over those days really effected my teaching and I have constantly shared your book and my knowledge with parents and students.

I am writing because I want to share the personal effect your teaching had on my family this Christmas. My brother (who is 29) was recently diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy. He had been misdiagnosed for years. Anyway, this past December they operated to remove an area of his brain called the supplementary motor cortex.

He went through a series of two brain surgeries in an attempt to stop his seizures. After his second surgery he was told he would be paralysed on his right side for a period of time until his brain 'retrained' itself. His recovery would be about 6 weeks. Well, I got to the hospital on Christmas Eve, 3 days post surgery, and he was very discouraged. Although he knew that the paralysis was going to happen it was difficult to deal with in reality and he had seen no change in 3 days. The physiotherapist who was working with him was now on holidays for Christmas for 5 days. I told him I thought Brain Gym might help and he was game to give it a try. It was the first time I had done Brain Gym with someone who was paralysed but I was able to remember what you taught me! Anyway, by the end of that day he was able to lift his leg!! He was pumped!! Christmas day I decided to do a lot of core activation. Eventually he got up and tried to walk with his walker. He was doing well and he stopped every few steps and I would do core activation again. All of a sudden he picked up his walker and tried to walk by himself. I was amazed and we were so excited. He yelled in the hospital... "This Brain Gym stuff is amazing!" Not only did he walk on his own after just two days of Brain Gym but he also climbed up and down stairs that day.

He said I taught he to walk for Christmas. When the neurosurgeon and physiotherapist returned from holidays a few days later they didn't believe him that he could walk. The pyhsio-therapist said he brought tears to her eyes.

I can't tell you what it meant to me to be able to help my brother. I wanted you to know how much I cherish the opportunity to have taken a workshop with you and that I will continue to use all I learned to help children in my classroom.

Again, thank you.

Sincerely,
Andrea Slocombe
Toronto ON
Canada