When discussing spinal cord injuries in class, I was reminded of the recent film "Me Before You". A girl named Louisa Clark becomes the caretaker for a man who is tetraplegic. The man is named Will Traynor. He was a business man in London prior to his accident. He is very well off and resides in his parents home but has his own area of the house. He has a cold and distant attitude towards Louisa at first. Overtime, they begin to fall in love with each other. Will wants to attempt physician assisted suicide despite the recent happiness he has found with Louisa. Will struggles with his disability and extreme lifestyle changes as he once was a womanizer businessman. I chose this movie because it shows the emotional and mental toll a spinal cord injury can have on a person. In an instant, their life is changed forever. I learned about the direct impacts of injury and how it effects every aspect of your life. I learned the difference a support system and a companion can make. Will feels like he has no reason to live until he meets Louisa. Louisa is will's caregiver and companion. She assists him in all of his ADL's and meaningful occupations. She takes him on outings including the beach. Having a loving support system plays a vital role in prognosis and recovery and is accurately shown in the film. This movie depicts the everyday life of a man with a spinal cord injury. In the movie, Since Will was so wealthy, he was able to have any resource at his disposal. He was very high socioeconomic status and had adaptive technology at his disposal.
The three main things we discussed in OT 537 was regarding prognosis is level of lesion, socioeconomic status, and complete or incomplete injury. Will had a very high spinal cord injury and was a tetraplegic with a complete spinal cord injury. He was of high economic status and had a support system around him. This movie reinforced key concepts we learned in class through the characters.
Sharrock, T. (Director), & Rosenfelt, K., & Owen, A. (Producers). (2016). Me Before You [Motion picture on DVD]. United States of America: WarnerBros.
