I WANT TO GO AGAIN

Hello, my dears!

My name is Mihaela Dumitrașcu, I am 54 years old and I want to tell you my story, a story of struggle, setbacks and the courage not to let illness bring me to my knees!

I have been married to a wonderful man since 2003, and in 2006 we welcomed our little girl into the world; we felt so happy and fulfilled, but our whole world was turned upside down in 2009 when I was diagnosed with progressive muscular dystrophy, the belt-type (abdominal and scapulohumeral belts),a rare genetic disorder involving progressive weakness of the muscles of the shoulders, hips and proximal limbs, caused by a genetic dysfunction of the muscle fibres.

The nervous system’s ability to activate healthy fibres becomes ineffective, and the body develops compensatory patterns that exacerbate fatigue, imbalance and joint stress.

Although the doctors, at the time of diagnosis, said it was an incurable disease with no treatment, they recommended that I retire and buy a wheelchair, because in just a few years I would lose the ability to walk, and other functions (breathing, sight, speech, swallowing and even thinking) would deteriorate drastically,I chose to stand my ground, keep my job and look after my family as if nothing had happened!

I managed to carry on with the help of the wonderful man whom God had chosen for me as a husband, and to cope with a very demanding job where I worked 10 hours a day even though I could barely stand on my feet!

It was hard in every way – physically, emotionally, as a mother, as a wife, as a person – but with every passing day I became more determined not to let the illness take my life away from me.

But the illness didn’t ask me if I could carry on; it simply robbed me of my strength, slowly, day by day! I started looking for alternative therapies to help me at least slow down the progression of the symptoms, and I managed to stay on my feet until 2018, when, following a rather nasty fall caused by muscle stiffness and lack of mobility, I ended up in a wheelchair after all.

A year later, life presented me with another challenge: a new, difficult diagnosis – multiple myeloma, in the form of a tumour on the chest wall! Everyone around me was overwhelmed by this news; only I was calm and very confident, because the attending doctor, when he told me we were going to start chemotherapy, also said, ‘you have a chance of regaining your ability to walk’! Those words were magical to me; everything else that was to follow was just the details through which I would get back on my feet!

Unfortunately, what I experienced next did not live up to my expectations; following the chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the tumour shrank, but this period had a severe impact on my mobility.

For a year and a half, I was completely dependent on my husband for everything: getting up, getting dressed, eating... just living.

My greatest fear was not for myself, but for him: ‘If something happens to him… what will I do? How will I manage on my own?’

That thought drove me to keep fighting, to look for new solutions; I refused to believe I couldn’t do it.

I started with simple exercises, then gradually progressed to a more complex rehabilitation programme. Every millimetre I gained was like getting centimetres of my life back!

I have now managed to become 70% independent, although I still rely on a wheelchair, but I have managed to prove to myself that this condition is reversible!

I kept telling myself that there must be something out there, something to help me get back on my feet, and all my prayers and searching have been answered!

At a conference held in Bucharest by the directors of the Hippocrates Institute in the US, I learnt about ARPwave technology, developed in the United States, which is based on a device capable of restoring neuromuscular memory – a device that the Hippocrates Institute in Florida and other clinics in the US are using successfully!

Following an email exchange, representatives from ARPwave confirmed that the RXBlack device could help me get back on my feet without having to go to a clinic, as it can be used in the comfort of my own home 24/7/365!

Unfortunately, the cost of this device is $15,000, a sum I cannot cover from my own resources, no matter how much I save.Added to this are customs duties, transport costs from the US to Romania, and the cost of the 20 online sessions with the ARPwave therapist, bringing the total cost to around $25,000!

Whilst traditional therapy usually focuses on passive exercises and the neuromuscular communication system becomes under-stimulated, ARPwave technology retrains movement patterns so that the nervous system uses healthy fibres efficiently, rather than compensating with others.

This approach can improve mobility, coordination and strength, even when muscle tissue is genetically affected.

So, my dear friends, here I am, so close to the solution that could help me walk again, yet because of the financial barrier, I remain so far away!

I’ve never been the sort of person to ask for help, but over time I’ve come to understand that there’s no shame in needing others;I have learnt that asking for support is not a sign of weakness, but the strength to acknowledge that I cannot go through everything on my own, that some battles cannot be won without help, and now I need good people by my side and I know I can count on you!

If you can, please donate; any amount, however small, can be a huge help to me. Share my story with your friends and ask them to share it too – together, you can all be part of my victory!

You can donate via the platform or directly into the accounts held at BRD Drăgășani

Account holder: Dumitrascu Mihaela

Account: RO31BRDE390SV02022003900

Currency: RON

RO63BRDE390SV18963383900

Currency: EUR

Swift code BRDEROBU

Help me walk again, help me regain my independence, help me live my life on my own two feet, not in a wheelchair!

I thank you with gratitude to all of you who will read my story and

lend me a helping hand! May you be blessed! 🙏❤️