Motivating others with recovery video online
View(s):
Donald with US Congressman Chris Van Holler
When 15-year-old Donald De Alwis injured his leg, he not only took the reins of the rehabilitation process, but also gained a remarkable insight into the daily struggles of those with physical disabilities. Inspired by his time spent on crutches, and the support of his friends and family, Donald is launching his own charity-The Motion Project, which will raise awareness about child amputees in Sri Lanka and provide monetary aid to deserving individuals and hospitals to improve the education and social situation of these youths.
Sri Lankan-born Donald who lives in the UK was injured whilst filming parkour, a sport based on overcoming obstacles and barriers to reach a final destination. “Parkour supplements one’s determination and creativity when faced with a problem, and the same concept can then be applied to daily life when facing other issues,” explained Donald in an email interview. “I first began practising parkour about three years ago after watching a YouTube video, and since then the sport has not only gotten me more fit, but has drastically changed the way I see obstacles.” Combining his affinity for the sport with an abiding love for photography and cinematography, Donald and his friends were shooting a video for his school when the injury happened.
Over the next few weeks Donald would come to terms with not being physically active and struggling to perform simple everyday tasks. While his cast was on, he spent time, analyzing the raw footage of his injury frame by frame to figure out what went wrong, and what he could have done to prevent it. He declined physio therapy wanting to learn more about what happened so he would be able to avoid a repeat incident in the future. “My interest in physiology and anatomy fuelled my quest for knowledge, and I began to research recovery and rehabilitation exercises that could be done without equipment,” he says.
“Performing the simplest of tasks became excruciating and very frustrating,” he remembers. “Though my injury was temporary, I gained insight into the lives of amputees with physical disabilities who have to go through these same problems every day.” After regaining flexibility, Donald performed simple exercises like seated calf rises and ankle jumps to regain his strength. “It was a blow to my ego to see how small and weak my leg had gotten after the intense muscle atrophy that occurred during immobilization, and my slow progress was very frustrating,” he shares. But he says the slow healing was all worth it-being able to help friends with similar injuries recover, and the confidence he gained after rehabilitating his leg changed the way he viewed and tackled problems. “Anything that had seemed impossible was now within reach, and I found myself being more patient when tackling a particular issue.”
Having posted his recovery video online, the reception and encouragement he received was very positive. “I received messages from complete strangers going through similar injuries who were inspired by the way I took the recovery into my own hands. Seven months and nearly 6,000 views later, it still brings a smile to my face when I read the thankful words of people who were motivated by my video.”
Donald plans to begin ‘The Motion Project’ with a debut video which explores the problem, and what could be done to remedy it. “By word of mouth, many of my friends are now aware of the issue, and a few have volunteered to help during the initial stages of the charity as well as during future fundraising events,” he says.