Ironwoman, Ironspirit

MANILA, Philippines - In the recent ironman 70.3 in CamSur we saw a lot of 30-year-olds finishing in record time and of course are impressed with their accomplishment. But what if the finisher is a 50-year-old woman, who came from being paralyzed from the neck down, and almost had to relearn everything, including how to walk?

Sometimes, we find ourselves in a situation that seems like a curse. Then it becomes a gift. 51-year-old Nining Tinsay did not even know what struck her that fateful morning six years ago. All of a sudden, she could not get up from bed. She struggled as she tried to explain to her husband that she could hardly move her legs, her torso, even her hands.

Nining has been a swimmer since her childhood years, took up ballet, and was generally active as she was a regular at the gym, even doing weight training with the usual routine combined with treadmill exercises. She is on the slim side, with a physique toned by disciplined exercise and healthy eating.

Since she lived in Bacolod, she sought help from the doctors in the city, but they did not have the equipment to fully assess her condition. She had to be airlifted to St. Luke’s Medical in Quezon City where tests confirmed that she had a rare condition called Guillain Barre (say Ghee-lan Bar-ray) syndrome or GBS. It is a condition that chooses no age, gender or physical condition. Nining was active, not sedentary; slim, not obese; she ate well and not indulgently. Why her?

According to the GBS Support Group Quick Guide, GBS 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 accompanied by pain.

Nining Tinsay celebrates her victory – in the race and in her life – with daughters Tam and Nina and husband Bobby.

The support group further states:“The illness is neither hereditary nor contagious. About 60 percent of patients suffer from a throat or intestinal infection, influenza or stress symptoms in the previous two weeks. These infections trigger an incorrect response in the immune system which attacks the nerves.

“First symptoms are usually tingling and numbness in fingers and toes, with progressive weakness in the arms and legs during the next few days. In some cases, the weakness progresses and leads to complete paralysis of the legs, and arms may also be affected.”

Nining spent three months in the hospital and had to learn how to swallow, how to open and close her hands and finally how to walk. She was like a child being taught the most basic movements, by able young therapists who were patient enough to see her through.

Not to be downed by this condition, Nining started to make follow up visits to the doctor’s clinic alone, unaided by crutches or by a companion. Even her doctor, neurologist Dr. Ludwig, was amazed at her indomitable spirit and her progress to get back to normalcy. Three months later, she started to get back to normal routines like checking chores at home and in her office and attending to her two daughters’ needs.

Nining could not be stopped. Her spirit is her gift and with it, she started to engage in running and trained in biking as well. The next call was to train to be a triathlete.

And so, in the last Ironman competition in CamSur, Nining was there, in the 51-54 age group, but she finished and placed as the top Filipina in her age group. She had trained for six months before the competition and proved to herself – and to everyone else – that her bout with GBS did not paralyze the spirit inside her.

Nining now helps out other patients with GBS or similar conditions. She has provided support through talks, text messages, consoling discussions with the family of the afflicted. And she believes that her condition and her progress from that debilitating period is actually a gift and a mission she now has to fulfill. She can now be the spokesperson for the “comeback” of people who have been downed by an acute condition.

And what a comeback! To finish ahead of the pack and do your country proud is one achievement. The other achievement is being able to get over that predicament, that life-threatening condition, and rising above it – triumphant, whole, alive.

The author is president of the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines, a non-stock, non-profit organization working for a better business environment. She also collects stories of inspiring women who could lead and inspire not only through business acumen but through the strength of spirit and resolve.