Life is a question of balance for victim of rare nerve disorder
January 30, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ON a Monday morning, Huang Zhihao, who lives in Longbai No. 2 Neighborhood, puts on his sports shoes and steps onto the running machine for exercise. With sunlight shining into the balcony, everything seems to be perfect.
Not so. The fact is, this man who is now just over 30 is a victim of cerebellar ataxia, commonly called tarantism.
It's a disease of the nervous system, which leads to difficulty balancing because of a brain atrophy.
So far, there's still no effective cure.
Huang lives in a single-parent family. His father Huang Lisheng is now 63. Some 18 years ago, Huang's mother passed away from the same disease.
But at that time, Huang was still pretty healthy. Studying in school, working in a company, he was just like ordinary people.
Misfortune struck in 2002, when Huang found he lost his balance easily, making him fall frequently.
Years later, he developed extreme pain in his legs and arms, eventually not being able to walk. Recently, Minhang Central Hospital has diagnosed his disease as tarantism.
To keep his body's motor ability, Huang spends five to six hours on physical exercises every day -- on a running machine bought by his relatives and friends.
Because of the disease, he's unable to work, while the treatment has already cost him a lot.
Besides exercises, Huang is on the Internet for most of the rest of his time, searching for information on this disease.
Recently, he learned of a successful example in Shandong Province where the disease was cured by stem cell transplantation, and he's now contacting the hospital.
"Even if there's only 1 percent hope, we will make 100 percent effort," said his father.
After he developed the disease, Huang attracted concern from many people around him, especially from the community of Longbai No. 2 Neighborhood.
The community tried to apply for a subsidy to help the family.
Now, Huang and his father share the same dream in 2010 -- to cure Huang's disease, and join in charity activities to help more people in trouble.
Not so. The fact is, this man who is now just over 30 is a victim of cerebellar ataxia, commonly called tarantism.
It's a disease of the nervous system, which leads to difficulty balancing because of a brain atrophy.
So far, there's still no effective cure.
Huang lives in a single-parent family. His father Huang Lisheng is now 63. Some 18 years ago, Huang's mother passed away from the same disease.
But at that time, Huang was still pretty healthy. Studying in school, working in a company, he was just like ordinary people.
Misfortune struck in 2002, when Huang found he lost his balance easily, making him fall frequently.
Years later, he developed extreme pain in his legs and arms, eventually not being able to walk. Recently, Minhang Central Hospital has diagnosed his disease as tarantism.
To keep his body's motor ability, Huang spends five to six hours on physical exercises every day -- on a running machine bought by his relatives and friends.
Because of the disease, he's unable to work, while the treatment has already cost him a lot.
Besides exercises, Huang is on the Internet for most of the rest of his time, searching for information on this disease.
Recently, he learned of a successful example in Shandong Province where the disease was cured by stem cell transplantation, and he's now contacting the hospital.
"Even if there's only 1 percent hope, we will make 100 percent effort," said his father.
After he developed the disease, Huang attracted concern from many people around him, especially from the community of Longbai No. 2 Neighborhood.
The community tried to apply for a subsidy to help the family.
Now, Huang and his father share the same dream in 2010 -- to cure Huang's disease, and join in charity activities to help more people in trouble.
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