Hylke Sieders

Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, normally develop when an area of the body is under pressure for a relatively long time. I experienced pressure ulcers first hand when I was recovering from a spontaneous spinal cord haemorrhage in 2009. My first encounter with pressure ulcers was when I spent months on end on a wheelchair with no mobility. It was a painful journey I endured as a result of quick fixes rather than established protocol.

In my article in the newsletter of last August, I told you about the standard rehabilitation support I receive as outpatient of spinal cord injury (SCI), and how I have had to work for access to more personalised treatment, which has brought to where I am today. However, be that as it may, my current state of rehabilitation remains insufficient and my search for better alternatives continues. 

Hockey, sailing, golf, football … As an avid sports fan, I used to enjoy all those kinds of activities with great enthusiasm – until the day I became paralysed. Some of you may remember me from the European MedTech Forum in 2011 or from this video on which I told my story after I made my comeback. For those who don’t: my name is Hylke Sieders, I am 37 and suffered from a sudden spinal cord bleeding between the C2 and C3 vertebrae (in the neck) in 2009 which left me almost entirely paralysed.  Almost, since I am able to stretch my arms and use 3 ½ fingers from my left hand. But I don’t have movement in the rest of my body although my legs are not completely devoid of sensation (current status C5-C6).