Mona : de la paralysie à la victoire
Témoignage Mona Arnold Chiari
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SportsTranscript
00:00 It's not really the finish line that was my greatest victory,
00:03 but rather the starting line.
00:05 Because of my malformation of my ankle,
00:12 I spent four years in the ICU with a paralyzed leg.
00:16 My left leg was totally paralyzed.
00:18 And through scientific research,
00:22 I discovered that there was a surgery that could help me get better,
00:27 especially in Italy.
00:29 So in May 2021, I went to undergo a new neurosurgery there,
00:35 which made me use my left leg completely.
00:39 It was quite an incredible experience,
00:43 because I didn't expect it to be so much.
00:46 This surgery is what we call a section of the terminal film.
00:50 It's basically to stop the evolution of Arnold's thyroid,
00:55 which is a very rare brain disease.
00:57 It's the brain that starts to go down.
00:59 So it's very rare and it's very poorly taken care of in France.
01:03 So I underwent this surgery in Italy,
01:07 and only a few hours later I could walk normally,
01:11 while for three more years I walked with a cane.
01:13 Following this surgery, I wanted to test my new limits a little bit
01:21 and find out how far my new legs would be able to carry me.
01:25 And I decided to participate in the Parisiennes in September 2022.
01:30 I ran a distance of 10 km in the handi-sport category
01:38 and I won this race in handi-sport.
01:44 And it was an incredible experience,
01:46 because I never thought I would be able to run one day.
01:54 It's not really the finish line that was my best victory,
01:57 but it's more like the starting line.
01:59 To say, "I'm here."
02:01 Even if I don't finish the race, at least I try, I try.
02:05 I see how far I can go.
02:07 The first six kilometers were pretty easy,
02:13 but the last four were extremely difficult.
02:17 I told myself I would never make it.
02:19 I didn't want to give up.
02:21 I had the good idea of wearing a t-shirt that said,
02:25 "A year ago I walked with a cane, today I run."
02:29 All the women who read this message encouraged me so much
02:34 that they gave me the strength to continue and reach the finish line.
02:39 So I received a trophy.
02:44 I was covered in gifts by the Parisiennes.
02:48 I'm very proud of this victory,
02:51 but I'm even more proud of my participation.
02:54 It was very important that we were all women.
03:02 We have an incredible strength together that I would never have suspected.
03:07 We all carried each other.
03:10 Even when I was in trouble,
03:13 and I ran into someone even more difficult than me,
03:17 I helped him.
03:19 It's an incredible energy.
03:21 In this crowd, with 15,000 participants,
03:24 it's an incredible energy and strength.
03:26 A message for the chronically ill loved ones
03:32 is that the most important thing to help someone in pain is listening.
03:36 Sometimes the loved one may feel helpless,
03:40 but just listening can be an incredible strength for the person who is ill.
03:46 Just being there, being present, can be enough.
03:50 Even if we don't have a dialogue,
03:53 being there for someone who is suffering can change a lot.
03:59 When I have a headache,
04:01 I have a headache that is 7 or 8 on the pain scale.
04:04 I feel much better when I have someone next to me than when I'm alone.
04:08 I had this book in my head for several years.
04:12 At first, I thought I would write it for myself, for my family, for my children,
04:18 so they could understand why I had made such a decision.
04:23 I took part in a contest with this book,
04:26 and I won a literary prize.
04:28 Since then, this book has been available on the Internet.
04:32 But I have a lot of foreign scientific communities.
04:36 They ask me for a translation of this book,
04:38 and my publishing house is too small to offer me this kind of service.
04:42 Today, I need to find a big publishing house that believes in my book,
04:47 and that can spread it more widely,
04:50 because this book helps a lot of people.
04:52 Since its release, I have helped 12 people to undergo the same surgery as me,
04:57 and to recover the use of their legs.
04:59 I have a second message, which is the most important for me.
05:03 People who suffer from chronic diseases,
05:07 it is very difficult to live with an invisible disability.
05:10 I do everything to break the codes,
05:13 I do everything to hide it, and I do it voluntarily.
05:16 I think we need to change our mindsets,
05:19 we need to make people understand that it is not because we look healthy that we are really healthy.
05:24 If I could spend four years in the ICU with a paralyzed leg,
05:28 if I could participate in the Paris Olympics and run 10 km,
05:35 all my hopes are fulfilled.
05:38 [MUSIC PLAYING]