I am falling short of my words while commenting on this story. thanks ratheesh for shairing this. regards
On 8/7/13, ratheesh kottakkal <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi, > Here I am sharing a positive story. > To read it on the original site visit > http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23364127 > Paulo Henrique > Machado has lived almost his entire life in hospital. As a baby he > suffered infantile paralysis brought on by polio, and he is still > hooked > up to an artificial respirator 24 hours a day. But despite this, he > has trained as a computer animator and is now creating a television > series about his > life. > > The Brazilian's first memories are of exploring the hospital he has > lived in for 45 years by wheelchair. > > "I explored up and down the corridors, going into the rooms of other > children that were here - that is how I discovered my 'universe'," he > says. > > "For me, playing football or with normal toys wasn't an option, so it > was more about using my imagination." > > Machado's mother died when he was two days old, and as a baby he > contracted polio - the result of one of the last big outbreaks of the > disease in Brazil. > In the 1970s, children with polio were encased in a "torpedo" - a > body-encasing iron lung - and doctors at the hospital gave grim > assessments of the children's > prospects. Few in the "polio ward" of Sao Paulo's Clinicas hospital > were expected to reach adolescence. Their life expectancy was just 10 > years. > "It was very sad to see all those children, all lying there > immobilised in their beds, or with very little movement," says > Machado's nursing assistant, > Ligia Marcia Fizeto, who began working in the hospital shortly after > he arrived. > > With very limited mobility, Machado's world formed around the friends > he made on the ward. > > "There was me, Eliana, Pedrinho, Anderson, Claudia, Luciana and Tania. > They were here for a good length of time too, more than 10 years," he > says. > > With the innocence of childhood, he never imagined that they would be > parted. But by 1992, some of the children had begun to deteriorate - > one by one, > his friends began to die. > > "It was difficult," says Machado. "Each loss was like a dismembering, > you know, physical… like a mutilation," he says. "Now, there's just > two of us left > - me and Eliana." > Machado and Zagui (L) have grown up together > > Doctors don't quite understand why the pair outlived their peers by so > long, but now every day in the ward, Machado wakes up with his bed > facing that of > his remaining friend and lifelong neighbour, Eliana Zagui. He says > their relationship is crucial. "Some people think we are like husband > and wife, but > we are more like brother and sister," he says. > "Every day, when I wake up I have the certainty that my strength is > over there - Eliana. And it's reciprocated. I trust her and she trusts > me." > > Despite this the two fight virtually every day, Machado says with a > laugh. "I think that's normal between brother and sisters or a couple. > But it's not > an argument where one side feels offended, you end up reflecting and > think, 'OK, I forgive you'," he says. > > The danger of infection means that they have to live in hospital. > Trips outside are rare but memorable, says Machado, who estimates that > he has been outside > of the hospital at least 50 times in total, more in recent years. > Advances in medical technology mean that going out involves less heavy > equipment and > less medical supervision - and as they have got older, Zagui and > Machado are prepared to take more risks. > "There are some [trips] which stand out, like seeing the beach for the > first time when I was 32. "I opened the car door and saw the sea and > thought 'Wow! > What is this!" he says. > > It was Eliana Zagui's first time to visit the beach too. "I knew the > beach only from photos, films, postcards, stories from other people - > so I had built > up an image in my mind of what the sea and the beach would be like," > she recalls. "They took us out of the vehicles, Paulo was in a > wheelchair and they > pushed my bed on to the sand." > > She remembers feeling the sea water with her hands for the first time. > "You enjoy these little moments, that many people take for granted. > They don't stop > to marvel like we do," she says. > In the ward, Zagui fills her time writing - she is a published author > - and painting using her mouth. > > Because the pair have been living in the hospital for so long, they > are allowed to decorate their room with their own possessions. Zagui's > side is filled > with dolls and books - and being a confirmed cinephile, Machado's is > full of film memorabilia. He also has two powerful computers, as he > has been able > to train in hospital as a computer animator. > In May this year he reached his target - $65,000 (£44,000) - in an > online campaign to raise finance for a 3D animated film series called > The Adventures > of Leca and her Friends, based on a book that Zagui wrote, which he > will direct. > > The animation will feature a stop-motion technique, similar to that > used by Aardman animations in films such as Wallace and Gromit. > > Machado wanted to portray his life with Zagui - also known as Leca - > and their friends. "I wanted to make it attractive, not just colourful > but full of > the mischievous games that kids get up to. I think my characters are > realistic, because they come from someone who is disabled. I know > [exactly] what the > difficulties they face are," he says. > Cartoonist Bruno Saggese, who has been helping Machado with his film > project for the last two years, says that when he first came to the > hospital to help > him with his designs, he was struck by the calm and relaxed atmosphere > in Machado and Zagui's room. > > "You are in an environment where there are patients in a critical > state, worried family members, doctors and nurses running around. But > when I went into > their room, it seemed like a world apart," he says. > > Machado is always telling jokes, he says. "This helps a lot with our > work, and a lot of this dialogue between us ends up in the animation. > It really is > a reflection of him." > > Nursing assistant Ligia Marcia Fizeto is extremely proud of Machado's > achievements. "My heart is full of happiness that he could achieve one > of his objectives, > which is to make a film. "It's amazing where they've got to isn't it?" > To listen to Machado speaking with BBC visit > http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01b67x4 > Thanks to > bbc.co.uk > Thanks and regards, > Ratheesh > skype- ratheesh.ignou > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > -- Ajay Minocha Mob : +91-9584076767 E mail : [email protected] [email protected] Skype: ajayminocha2 Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
