Ferdinand on the mend

Barbadian cricketer Jeshua Ferdinand is almost out of the woods as he battles a rare autoimmune disorder.

Ferdinand fell ill while playing cricket in East Sussex, England in 2017. He only managed to play two games before he became ill and had to be hospitalized. He was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome which is a rare autoimmune disorder which is characterized by rapid onset of muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the body’s nervous syndrome.

The twenty-five-year-old told Barbados TODAY that he was back home in Barbados and his recovery was going smoothly thus far.

“It has been up and down. I am now back from England. Right now, it is all positive. It has been positive for the most so I cannot complain,” he said, adding that undergoing therapy with Jeffery Gay Jr. at Halos Health had resulted in vast improvement.

“I came out of Queen Elizabeth Hospital and I was working with my personal trainer but unfortunately I had to stop and I started working so the times were really difficult. So, a guy I used to play cricket with does massages and at the time I needed a massage so I met [Jeffery] through him. I asked him about the gym that he had and I decided to take a leap and told him I wanted to work with him as a trial and this is two months that I was with him and it has been great improvement since then,” Ferdinand told Barbados TODAY.

The former Lodge School student and passionate cricketer said that both his legs were affected by the autoimmune disease. However he now generally has mobility in his legs though with limitations in his ankles.

“Both legs were affected but the right side of my body was affected more. But, right now I have full motion except for my ankles to my toes the movement is minimum. But from my waist down to my ankles,” he said, adding that his family was thankful that he was alive and well.

“From the time I came home they were thankful even though I had to spend a couple weeks in the QEH. They were thankful for life. Now that I am walking that is a major thing that I have come so far,” Ferdinand said, adding that since being diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome he had a new appreciation for life and faith.

“For sure [I appreciate life] and faith. You know God has brought me through a lot. You know a lot of people have been praying and it has been a major help as well. I am thankful for life. Because reading up on Gullian-Barre Syndrome it can be life-threatening and thankfully I did not reach that point. Although I was not able to walk and was bed-ridden for a while, the fact is that I am still alive and there is no need to be in an induced coma like a lot of people I read about. I am thankful for that,” Ferdinand said, adding that at the moment he was not in need of any financial assistance as his medical bill had been cleared.

“Right now, no, I would not need the funds right now. I am past the worst. The hospital fees have been paid in full. It is just a matter of rehab and continuing therapy that need to be paid right now,” he said, adding that he hoped to return to England and continue his passion which was playing cricket.

“That is my hope. I hope that I would be able to play cricket again. For sure I will be back in England,” Ferdinand said, noting he would like to thank everyone who has assisted him.