Ready for a dose of inspiration to get you through the Monday after a long weekend?
We got you covered!
CIPD may have limited the use of his hands, but it didn’t take away his love of art.
What is Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy?
CIDP is a rare neurological disorder characterized by inflammation of nerve roots and peripheral nerves and destruction of the myelin sheath. This affects how fast the nerve signals are transmitted and leads to loss of nerve fibers.
Symptoms include:
- Problems walking due to weakness or lack of feeling in the feet
- Trouble using the arms and hands or legs and feet due to weakness
- Sensation changes, such as numbness or decreased sensation, pain, burning, tingling, or other abnormal sensations (usually affects the feet first, then the arms and hands)
- Abnormal or uncoordinated movement
- Problems breathing
- Fatigue
- Hoarseness or voice changes or slurred speech
To read more about CIPD, click here.
Rare Disease, Rarer Talent
When Alex was first diagnosed, he gave up on art altogether because he couldn’t use his hands. But he was inspired when he saw someone on the internet painting with their mouth.
“I never even thought about doing it that way,” Alex said. “I finally decided to give it a try.”
Sometimes we just need to see one person doing the seemingly impossible to inspire us to do the same!
After teaching himself this new technique for about three years, he has really honed his craft. Check out a painting of LeBron James that went viral on Reddit!
“You gotta keep pursuing what you love. Otherwise you’ll let the disease win.”
And that’s exactly the point. It’s impossible to deny that a rare disease can change or even limit your life. But it doesn’t have to define you or even keep you from achieving your dreams.
It’s irony that an artist would lose the ability to use his hands, and yet Alex found a way to adjust and move forward.
Kudos to you, Alex for your dogged spirit and incredible talent!
