IS OUR WVTM 13 PROJECT COMMUNITY CHAMPION. DOCTORS WORDS ETCHED PERMANENTLY IN HER MEMORY. I WAS TOLD I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO WALK AGAIN. WE NEEDED TO MAKE OUR HOME HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE AND THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE MY NEW LIFE. CRYSTAL GAYLE DORIAN PUT HER FOOT DOWN SECURITY BLANKET. I KNOW I KNOW. I WAS NOT GOING TO ACCEPT THAT. THIS IS NOT THE ANSWER. STANDING AND EVENTUALLY TAKING A STEP. NOW SHE’S LEARNING AGAIN HOW TO RUN. COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, COME ON. BUT IT TOOK TIME, GRIT, DETERMINATION TO GET HER LIFE BACK. HOW DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN? LET’S REWIND. IN 2017, THE 37 YEAR OLD VIBRANT MOTHER OF TWO SAID SHE LIVED A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, EXERCISING FIVE, SIX DAYS A WEEK WHEN SUDDENLY SHE EXPERIENCED NUMBNESS AND TINGLING IN HER FEET WHILE INITIALLY ATTRIBUTING IT TO A NEW PAIR OF SHOES. SHE SOON REALIZED SYMPTOMS WERE WORSENING FATIGUE, WEAKNESS SET IN. WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, I WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR. I WAS PARTIALLY PARALYZED AND TOTALLY DEPENDENT. DESPITE UNDERGOING NUMEROUS MEDICAL TESTS, HER CONDITION REMAINED UNDIAGNOSED, LEADING TO FRUSTRATION AND EVEN DISBELIEF FROM SOME HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS. THOUGH HER PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERIORATED. SO THAT JUST LED TO THE NINE MONTHS OF GOING FROM DOCTOR TO DOCTOR TO FINALLY GETTING A DIAGNOSIS OF HAVING TWO RARE NEUROMUSCULAR AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS. TAKING MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS, CRYSTAL GRADUALLY STOPPED TAKING PRESCRIBED MEDICATION SIGNS THAT SEEMED TO WORSEN HER CONDITION. I PRAYED AND I WAS LIKE, THERE HAS TO BE A DIFFERENT WAY. I LITERALLY STARTED RESEARCH IN ALL TYPES OF NATURAL AND HOLISTIC WAYS TO HEAL AND RECOVER. SHE MADE DRASTIC CHANGES IN DIET, GOT ADEQUATE SLEEP AND USED PHYSICAL THERAPY SESSIONS AS A BATTLEGROUND FOR RECLAIMING HER BODY FROM THE GRIPS OF PARTIAL PARALYSIS, GOING TO PHYSICAL THERAPY REALLY HELPED ME SEE WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES COULD BE, AND I GAVE IT MY ALL GOOD. I THINK THAT’S ONE FIRST STEP UNASSISTED. NO WHEELCHAIR, NO CANE, NO WALKER. I LITERALLY CRIED. LOOK AT MY MOM WALKING WITHOUT HER CANE INSPIRED BY HER TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE, CRYSTAL AUTHORED A BOOK CHRONICLING HER PERSONAL JOURNEY. I JUST HAD TO SHARE WHAT I WENT THROUGH AND HELP PEOPLE ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES. AND TODAY, CRYSTAL IS A HEALTH COACH, EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR WELL-BEING. THIS TIME OF YEAR AGO, I COULD NOT WALK. I’M GRATEFUL FOR MY OWN RECOVERY. BUT WORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, I MEAN THAT TRULY, I FOUND MY PURPOSE IN THIS. I FOUN
Mother of two shares how she defied doctor’s expectations, is learning to walk again
Updated: 8:20 PM EDT May 26, 2023
Crystal Gayle Dorion, a 37-year-old mother of two, was devastated when a doctor told her she would never walk again.“They told me I needed to make our home handicap accessible and that this was going to be my new life,” Dorion said.Determined to prove them wrong, she refused to accept her new reality. Through perseverance and a complete lifestyle overhaul, Dorion defied the odds and is now relearning how to walk and even run. In 2017, Dorion initially experienced numbness and tingling in her feet, which rapidly progressed to partial paralysis and complete dependence on a wheelchair. Despite undergoing numerous medical tests, her condition remained undiagnosed, leading to frustration and disbelief from some health care professionals.“That just led to nine months of going from doctor to doctor to finally getting a diagnosis of two rare neuromuscular autoimmune conditions,” Dorion said.Taking matters into her own hands, Dorion gradually stopped taking prescribed medications that seemed to worsen her condition. Instead, she focused on natural and holistic healing methods, including a drastic change in diet, adequate sleep, and intensive physical therapy. Through unwavering determination and the support of her family, Dorion took her first unassisted steps, leaving behind her wheelchair, cane and walker. Her remarkable recovery inspired her to write a book about her journey, hoping to help others advocate for themselves and find their own paths to healing.Dorion now works as a health coach, empowering others to take control of their well-being and make informed decisions about their health. She has found her purpose in supporting and guiding people on their own transformative journeys.
Crystal Gayle Dorion, a 37-year-old mother of two, was devastated when a doctor told her she would never walk again.
“They told me I needed to make our home handicap accessible and that this was going to be my new life,” Dorion said.
Determined to prove them wrong, she refused to accept her new reality. Through perseverance and a complete lifestyle overhaul, Dorion defied the odds and is now relearning how to walk and even run.
In 2017, Dorion initially experienced numbness and tingling in her feet, which rapidly progressed to partial paralysis and complete dependence on a wheelchair. Despite undergoing numerous medical tests, her condition remained undiagnosed, leading to frustration and disbelief from some health care professionals.
“That just led to nine months of going from doctor to doctor to finally getting a diagnosis of two rare neuromuscular autoimmune conditions,” Dorion said.
Taking matters into her own hands, Dorion gradually stopped taking prescribed medications that seemed to worsen her condition. Instead, she focused on natural and holistic healing methods, including a drastic change in diet, adequate sleep, and intensive physical therapy.
Through unwavering determination and the support of her family, Dorion took her first unassisted steps, leaving behind her wheelchair, cane and walker. Her remarkable recovery inspired her to write a book about her journey, hoping to help others advocate for themselves and find their own paths to healing.
Dorion now works as a health coach, empowering others to take control of their well-being and make informed decisions about their health. She has found her purpose in supporting and guiding people on their own transformative journeys.
