Holly Frances - Life Support: Surviving Guillain-Barre Syndrome - A Mother's Story of Hope and Recovery

In early 2011, Holly was a healthy twenty-six year old who had just given birth to her first child, her daughter Casey. When Casey was less than a month old, Holly was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called Guillain- Barre Syndrome (GBS). The disorder progressed very quickly and within 72 hours of her first symptom, she was in the ICU on life support. Holly spent almost three months paralyzed from the neck down, breathing on a ventilator. She was unable to move, speak, or hold her newborn baby girl. When she finally started to recover, she had to learn how to do everything again, including how to breathe off the ventilator, how to use her hands and feed herself, how to hold her daughter, and eventually how to walk again. Her daughter was almost 6 months old when she was finally able to return to her life as a wife and new mom.<br /><br />After months of hard work and rehabilitation, Holly made an almost complete recovery. She then wrote her book, “Happily Ever After”, to share with others what she went through. Her goal in sharing her story was to reach others going through GBS and to create some much needed awareness on this rare but devastating illness. She wanted her story to remind others that through the difficult times in your life, you can find your strength. Her journey is documented in her viral YouTube Video – Holly’s Journey: From Guillain -Barre Syndrome to Happily Ever After.<br /><br />Only a few years after her recovery, Holly found herself rebuilding her life all over again following the end of her decade long marriage. Instead of letting the struggles in her life break her, she used them to become stronger. Holly got herself a gym membership, and fell in love with fitness. She refused to make excuses or let her weaknesses hold her back, and gave it her all. Knowing that she had been in a wheelchair and used a walker at one point only helped her to push herself. Her determination and perseverance helped her conquer her goals, and she is now a certified fitness trainer in the best shape