Dad paralysed by Guillain-Barré Syndrome reflects on journey

Asam Iqbal has spent almost a year living at Airedale Hospital after waking up from a nap unable to stand.

He was in a coma for six weeks and faced a major battle against several potentially life-threatening complications.

The dad-of-four from Keighley has had to re-learn how to do basic tasks - including talking, eating and drinking, holding his head up, and much more.

He is now ending the year with the ability to move his left and right legs forward with assistance.

But Asam’s mission to embrace a different way of living has taught him some of the most valuable lessons of all.

“The next time you lift your hand or your finger or just scratch your face or your head, think about that,” he said.

“You can’t even do that in this position. Think, ‘What a blessing’. You don’t even think about that day to day.

“We get these needs like life goals or money, it’s all this ‘Want, want, want’. Our needs should be to be there for each other. People don’t know how big that is until you’re in the position you’d rather have that.

“When I came round from the coma, when I realised what’s gone on and all these things I’ve seen when I was asleep, there was so many questions I needed answering and I couldn’t ask nobody as I couldn’t talk.

“Nearly a year I’ve lived here. So many people I’ve seen. People need people. That’s the main thing.

Airedale Hospital patient Asam Iqbal pictured in his wheelchair with ward manager Shinta Joseph, junior sister Becky Skinner, staff nurse Mel Scott, advanced clinical practitioner Mark Forsyth, staff nurse Eva Hanley, and healthcare support workers Rachel French, Jose Joseph, and Samila Kauser (Image: UGC)

“There’s still a long way to go. How I’m going to feel when I go back out there into the world, it’s not going to be the way it was before. The whole home environment is going to be different.

“What’s going to happen the day I’m walking? I can’t even imagine it. There’s going to be lots of tears. I can’t wait to come back and hug all the nurses, staff, physios and thank them for everything they’ve done.”

Reflecting on fatherhood during his health ordeal, he said: “My two youngest, they’re only six and seven. They’re now more used to it, seeing me like this. They’re more themselves. Hopefully this is going to be the making of them. This is going to be a massive life experience for them when they’re able to get to the stage where they can understand what I’m telling them.

“I can’t wait to share it with them.”

Asam has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a serious condition which affects the nerves and often starts with symptoms in people’s feet and hands.

It can quickly spread to people’s arms and legs and, in the most severe cases, impact someone’s ability to move, walk, breathe and swallow.

Asam Iqbal, a dad of four from Keighley, pictured during his treatment in ICU at Airedale Hospital (Image: UGC)

“When you’re in this position and you lose everything physically, you lose your emotions as well,” Asam said.

“You lose your feelings. Now I’ve come to the stage where I can’t move but my feelings are coming back. When it’s night time and I’m having the urge to toss and turn and I can’t do it, I can’t move to the side.

“The physio’s going a little bit slow now.

“My legs, I’m not really able to use them. I’m still in a hoist. Things are just going slow.

“It’s just the way it is with this illness.”

Asam is waiting for the final adjustments to be made to his home as well as a personal wheelchair.

Meanwhile he’s searching for a private physio to help boost his recovery outside of NHS sessions.

“My whole journey’s been here with ICU staff,” he said.

“They’ve all been part of this journey, I’d rather have these guys there when I take my first steps. Deep down I don’t want to do it [get private physio] but I’ve got do think about myself.

“There’s still a lot more to come in the journey. I’d say it’s only just the start. There’s going to be so much more feelings coming back.”

He added: “You never ever know how strong you are until you’ve got to be strong.”

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