A Long Crawl (My Journey Through Guillain-Barré Syndrome)

Sometimes Life trips us up. In August 1997, after a terrifying week where every day was worse than the last, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I am a writer, so words are my therapy; they offered me comfort and solace. "A Long Crawl" was my way of trying to make sense of what had happened to me. As I considered sharing my mental ramblings, I read over it and my inner critic and editor wanted to change things around so it read a bit smoother, maybe a bit more coherent … but I chose to leave it as it was. This was a way for me to put it down and remember what it was like. It’s choppy and simple, much like my physical recovery at the time. I am a Guillain-Barre Syndrome survivor.