Hero of September - Sir Ludwig Guttmann

Fitting the present Paralympic Games I've decided to dedicate the Hero of the Month to the creator of these amazing and believing event - Sir Ludwig Guttmann. 

Being a Jew in Germany, Guttmann faced antisemitism, his prestigious career as a renown neurologist suffered from Nazi laws, such as his inability to treat non Jews. He sought asylum in England where he and his family fled to Oxford working in a laboratory, until the War Office allowed him to become a doctor again, anticipating the heavy flow of war injuries. In 1944 he became a Physician in the Spinal Injuries Ward at Stroke Mandeville Hospital, which is the place where the intelligent, charismatic, compassionate and strong man changed the lives of so many. 

The state he found the Spinal Unit in disgusted him. It was more a place for patients to slip into the oblivion of morphine and die, death rate was high (mostly from bed sores or urine infections), moral and expectancy for any life was low. Guttmann completely transformed the place, urging his patients to fight back, making nurses more positive and talking to the patients, taking them off the heavy dosage of sedatives they were all on, getting them entertainment and decor, and most importantly training them in physical activity. 

Guttmann was a firm believer in physiotherapy and that building strength despite paralyses counteracted depression, hence hiring an army physical trainer to get the men fit. This changed the way the men thought about themselves, challenging them, and soon the ward became a place of miracles. An amazing case story is this - A World War one veteran, who had been lying flat on his back for 26 years, came to the Unit to try one of their new wheelchairs. Six months later, he left able to walk with the aid of just a stick. 

This was when Guttmann decided to move his ideas of physiotherapy, healthy competition, and fighting disabled prejudice up another level. A national tournament consisting of physically disabled participants. In twelve years (each year growing in numbers) the first official Paralympic games were held in Rome! This inspiring man was knighted in 1966, well deserving from his numerous life changing achievements. 

Watch the amazing film dedicated to Gutmann still on iPlayer! The Best of Men - A truly great film. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01m1jqd/The_Best_of_Men/

My Blogging Disappearance

It's been too long internet, but I've satisfied both my lazy summer needs by snoozy evenings mouthing the lyrics to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and eating chicken satay - don't even get me started on The Hunchback of Notre Dame's actual deep message and plot. Maybe, my sxc asses, you'll get a whole post dedicated it, and you'll see my grossly late obsession with Disney.
But can I clarify before you assume I've been getting sofa sores because I'm a boring vegetable, I have been both holidaying and working. Worked at V Festival and at Radio One Hackney, with my much loved, although rather unorthodox, events company. Meeting my managers ballsack before his face was "interesting" (he was drunk and running round the campsite,  I didn't come across it by being a blind slut) but I guess all part of life's rich tapestry?
Stayed once again in my parents Exmoor house, which is the dregs of country life. I have the sad story of innocently wanting a shower when both ran out of water and I ended up in a foetal position in a two inch luke-warm bath, due to it also running out of water. To give the house a setting, it's located down a steep hill that gets treacherous in icy conditions and is a nice brisk 25 minute walk to get up and down. We have 2 neighbours before miles and mile till civilisation. It'll probably be a good resort to retreat back to after my likely mid life crisis haha.
Another marker to my holiday is my family reunion. It is made up of my granny (whom I never actually met) Ms Audrey Vince, and her two sisters June and Judith's families. This made a good 60 of us even with many unable attend! My mum's desperate attempts for me to get "a lovely strong boyfriend" still rage on as she nudged me whenever any boy between the age of about 10 and 30 saying "well he's a bit of alright, isn't he Jess?" and I had to continuously remind her that the fact they are at this event must be because we are related which would be both incest and frowned upon.  Some really interesting family history about The Great War and the mind-aching chance, my great-grandfather life (and every blood relative's there) depended on, a bullet taken by a conveniently placed diary and gas mask.
Anyway I trust you all have had an amazing and filled holiday, and you'll here from me soon.

Golden Slumbers

In a sudden rush of inspiration, the Beatles song provided me with an idea for my developing project fuelled by my interest in the power of the human mind - dreams. Dreams can be beautiful or terrible, showing our true desires in a world that can be based on reality or completely imaginary, a perfect subject (with plenty of room for exploration) to being portray for my final unit! I wanted to incorporate the idea to "open at the close" (to shamelessly quote Dumbledore's snitch riddle) hence the door, and mind unlocking as we go slip into sleep. I think this therefore makes the effect of the eyes being closed much more significant and balances the piece, as the viewer faced with a new "window of the soul." Of course along with the title, my weakness for gold came into play, so I gave in and just plastered my face  in the gleaming colour.