My Dad suffered from Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).
As most people have never heard of nor been affected by this debilitating and extremely distressing disease, the following is a brief introduction. This is an acute disease of the peripheral nervous system in which the nerves in the arms and legs become inflamed and stop working. This causes sudden weakness leading to limb paralysis, and a loss of sensation, sometimes with pain. In some cases the weakness progresses and leads to complete paralysis of the legs, the arms may also be affected. In a quarter of cases the paralysis progresses up the chest and the patient is unable to breathe on his or her own and needs to rely on a ventilator. The throat and face may be affected making swallowing impossible and so the patient needs to be fed by tube up the nose or directly into the stomach. Most patients (80%) make a total recovery but many spend three months or more in hospital and take a year to recover. Modern intensive care makes death from GBS a rare occurrence but is does occur in around 5% of cases, more commonly in the elderly. GBS affects around 1500 people across the UK annually.
Please give generously as this disease is not only distressing for the patient but for those whom they are most close to. To watch someone you love dearly gradually become weaker, eventually become paralysed and completely unable to communicate is heartbreaking beyond description. The GBSSG provides emotional support to patients and family through the difficult times as well as information about the disease, visits by former patients, attempts to educate the public and fosters research into the cause and treatment of the disease.
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Thank you, Victoria.
