Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘You need to have a sense of humor and you need to set goals. I’m plugging along.’

Kings Park

“I was hiking in Hither Hills in Montauk in 2011; it’s wonderful and I highly recommend it. They call it the poor man’s Hamptons, and you can camp there for next to nothing. That day, I was bit on my arm by a brown recluse spider, and later I became partially paralyzed from the chest down. I was diagnosed with idiopathic acute transverse myelitis. My diagnosis is idiopathic, meaning they’re not exactly sure how I got it, although it did happen after the spider bite.

“I’m a fighter. I need so much baclofen, a muscle relaxant that I have a pump installed next to my appendix. I have a brace on one leg. I still have problems breathing. Transverse myelitis is akin to MS [multiple sclerosis] in that you become paralyzed; you’re not in control of your body. I didn’t become paralyzed right after the spider bite; it took a period of time. I got weaker and I was walking with leg braces, and then I thought, what’s the point?

I worked with my legislator and made June 6th Suffolk County Transverse Myelitis Awareness Day.

“Now I ambulate with the wheelchair. My mind is still there, except some people would debate that. I like to think I have a sense of humor because life is too short. Becoming paralyzed was devastating; it changed my life for the worse. I lost my job and I had to move. I bounced around from four different nursing homes, and I created havoc in all of them. Nursing homes weren’t used to something like this. It wasn’t like I had a stroke; my diagnosis just prevented me from walking. I try to get active in all the events at my nursing home.

“Before this event, I was completely healthy. One of my goals this year is to go kayaking, which I can do with my upper body. I worked with my legislator and made June 6th Suffolk County Transverse Myelitis Awareness Day. So that’s my claim to fame, and I’m proud of that. I wanted to do a walk, run and roll to raise money for transverse myelitis and other neurological conditions, but I couldn’t do it on my own. Everything happens for a reason. Like I said, you need to have a sense of humor and you need to set goals. I’m plugging along. It’s been a long time.”

Interviewed by Hannah Fusaro

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