Hawking new he had to work through his diagnosis to continue the work he set out to do. He was not going to let the disease take him down or stop him from achieving his dreams. He was determined to overcome this adversity. This means that he was going to take a difficult or unpleasant situation and deal with that situation to defeat it. Stephen Hawking did this by continuing to do his research and presenting at lectures. He did not stop what he was doing and let the disease beat him. He made sure that he found ways to work around his disease, such as by utilising the computer programmer’s invention which allowed him to still communicate even though his voice had gone. He overcame adversity by finding ways to continue what he loved doing and …show more content…
Before the diagnosis, Hawking hadn't always focused on his studies. "Before my condition was diagnosed, I had been very bored with life," he said. "There had not seemed to be anything worth doing." With the sudden realization that he might not even live long enough to earn his PhD, Hawking poured himself into his work and research.
As he began losing physical control over his body, the effects of his disease started to reduce. Hawking's very extensive career was accompanied by symptoms which were getting increasingly poorer. During the 1970’s, the Hawking’s family took in one of Stephen’s graduates to help care for him. They wanted him to have someone who knew him well and cared for his well-being. In 1985 he lost his voice for good following a tracheotomy. As a result of this situation, he then required 24-hour nursing care.
Hawking's ability to do his work had changed dramatically. A Californian computer programmer developed a speaking program that could be directed by head or eye movement. This invention allowed Hawking to pick words on a computer screen that were then passed through a speech synthesizer. When this computer was first introduced, Hawking could select his words with a handheld clicker. After he lost the use of his fingers to control the clicker, he began to use the program via a cheek muscle attached to a
slipped into a diabetic coma. His body was not agreeing with all the years of
Hawking is still alive and has been living with his disease for fifty-two years now (“Stephen Hawking Biography”, n.d.). In doing research as to how Hawking has been able to live so long with this disease, I came to the conclusion that there is not a reason. An article written by Terrence McCoy (2015) in the Washington Post described his lengthy life as “extraordinary” and “extremely rare”. This is further indication that his interminable existence is supported by pure luck. What an incredible coincidence that such an important man was able to withstand the consequences of a highly fatal disease. Stephen Hawking, the Hawking family, and the rest of the world are, whether they know it or not, thankful for this one man’s extreme luck. His contributions to scientific knowledge and his perseverance will be forever
Lou Gehrig's disease is often referred to as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), this is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons come from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the entire body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS would eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is also lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, for this reason patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed (Choi, 1988).
performance that involves, but is not limited to, a loss in at least 2 of the
I enjoyed Michael’s stories and wisdom that he shared with the readers. His advice of following your dreams and happiness, accepting your fate, and the importance of learning and being curious is described in the book. His stories are entertaining and keep the reader’s attention. I think his advice can be beneficial for anyone and especially for someone starting a new journey in life. Michael is inspiring in both in how he deals with his disease and his optimism about life. I like that Michael also encourages his readers to face their fears and to follow their dreams and passions. Michael shares this valuable message throughout the book, we all face difficulties that come up in life that are not always expected, but we can play an important role in how we react to
...any. As Hawking once said, "The prospect of a short life made me want to do more. I realized life was good, and there was a great deal I wanted to do."
Many people across the world are unfamiliar with disorders associated with autism. Some people do not even know what autism actually is. Asperger’s Syndrome is one perplexing disorder, of countless, that needs to be acknowledged. Although it is one of the more well-known disorders, an understanding of Asperger’s is far from common knowledge. There is an abundance of misconceptions and people unaware of what Asperger Syndrome actually is. Being uncertain about the characteristics of a person with Asperger’s allows people to go through life not understanding the disorder itself and people who have it.
In this day and age, it seems as though almost everyone has experience a loved one taken away form a very serious disease known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is unbelievably devastating for everyone affected by it. This disease is causing major economical problems such as less occupancy in the nursing homes, and hospitals due to the rising population of elderly men and women being diagnosed with it everyday. Because there is not yet a cure for this disease and the percent of the population being diagnosed keeps rapidly rising, more time and money needs to go towards Alzheimer’s research.
Alzheimer's Disease Introduction to Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain. It was first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915). in 1905. This disease worsens with advancing age, although there is no evidence. that it is caused by the aging process.
Surprisingly, from such a high-ranked and honoured neurosurgeon to suddenly falling to a position of being someone who needed help rather than providing it is unbelievable. Paul’s emotions of regret, fear, frustration, and denial of his state resonated with me and got me questioning myself “where do my values lie at this very moment of my life?” This was a thought that constantly entered my mind. Similar to the writer, I am guilty of questioning why we have this concept of life and death, but as living in a fast-paced generation full of technological advances, we do not have time to think about what is most important to us. As a teenager born in this generation, my friends and I are incredibly oblivious to how fragile our lives can be. Living in the 21st century, we are given many privileges such as access to medical care, warm shelters, and nutritious food, yet we consistently get distracted by the appeal of our wants rather than our
His pursuit of knowledge became even more important when he entered the university of Ingolstadt. He "read with ardour" (35) and soon become "so ardent and eager that the stars often disappeared in the light of the morning whilst I was yet engaged in my laboratory" (35). He was a proud product of the Enlightenment...
disease that Stephen Hawking has) 5 years ago. This is a condition that destroys motor nerves, making control of movement impossible, while the mind is virtually unaffected. People with motor neurone disease normally die within 4 years of diagnosis from suffocation due to the inability of the inspiratory muscles to contract. The woman's condition has steadily declined. She is not expected to live through the month, and is worried about the pain that she will face in her final hours. She asks her doctor to give her diamorphine for pain if she begins to suffocate or choke. This will lessen her pain, but it will also hasten her death. About a week later, she falls very ill, and is having trouble breathing.
Each day was, and still is, a hard, frustrating and stressful time. This incurable disease has had a dramatic effect over the years starting when I was in kindergarten. I remember when my mother started using a cane so she wouldn't fall when she walked. She could still work, drive, and go on outings with me, her only daughter. In the beginning I didn't know how to grasp it all but I gradually understood a little more each day.
...tentially be cured with a one surgery. He uses this story of death to share that life is short. “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by Dogma. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” He uses repetition and parallelism to drive his message home.
Stephen Hawking has been hailed as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein. Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, which as he likes to point out is the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. Hawking originally studied at Oxford University in England studying physics even though he would have preferred math. He moved onto Cambridge University to work on his PhD in cosmology. Hawking's career has focused upon the cosmic entities known as black holes, and has extended to specialized areas such as quantum gravity, particle physics, and supersymmetry.