them, and present an outward picture to those who don’t know him
that there is absolutely nothing
wrong with him. A huge amount
of conscious effort is required for
every movement but I am sure that
for Waterman it is worth it.
His amazing story not only demonstrates courage in the face of
extreme adversity but also how
adaptive the mind and body can
be, with Waterman developing an
entirely new way of using his nervous system. Often we can see
people who have crippling injuries
on the news or television, such as
losing a limb or mental faculties,
27
and we may pause to think how we
would cope if that injury befell us.
Usually, however, this brief moment
of contemplation passes and we
move on with our daily lives. But
having read Ian Waterman’s story,
can any of us really consider being
in his position? Would we have the
determination to tirelessly fight on
and on, or would we slump onto the
bed, cursing how unfair life is and
accept that we will never move our
body again?