Paralyzed Irish Girl Walks Again, Thanks in Part to Wii Fit
Since a virus struck her at the age of six, ten-year-old Nicole Cahill, of Enniscorthy, Ireland, has lived with paralysis, incapable of taking so much as one step. But, thanks to medical treatment and a new Nintendo Wii Fit, Nicole has begun to walk again, reports the Belfast Telegraph.
This past December, returning to Ireland from a New York hospital where she took her first steps in four long years, Nicole -- like any number of kids -- was excited to discover a Wii Fit on Christmas morning.
The game system (aided of course by proper physical therapy) is helping Nicole to get fully back on her feet, her mother told the Telegraph. "The Wii Fit has really helped," Mairead Cahill explained. "It's great because there are so many balancing and stretching exercises on it."
Doctors and family, ecstatic at her progress, hope to see young Nicole throw away her walker and take strides on her own by the end of the year. Having nearly killed dogs, and successfully killed TVs, the Wii's karma points just went way up. [From: The Belfast Telegraph]
Wiimote Disasters (Wiinjuries?)
This poor soul had the misfortune of approaching her inebriated boyfriend while he battled a Zelda beast. Even with that smile on her face, and that relatively convincing story, we're still wanting to look up the hotline number.
This overly zealous 'Wii Baseball' player was shocked to find his bat controller slam into his Plasma TV. Try backing up in that batter's box there, slugger.
Mere hours after purchasing the system, one hapless Wii owner watched as his friend, aiming to deliver a strike in 'Wii Bowling', lost his grasp on the Wiimote and destroyed a 60-inch TV. And as for the brand new wrist strap? It broke. Nintendo had better get the bill for this one.
'Wii Bowling' + Adrenaline + Low Ceilings + Ceiling Fan = Bad News
This guy reached to snatch his cat off a restricted couch, but -- forgetting to remove his Wiimote -- clobbered the poor critter on the leg. Now, $512 worth of veterinary bills later, we imagine ol' boy will be a little more careful next time.
As ugly as the damage Wiimotes do to rear projection TV's is, we haven't seen anything like this Wii-destroyed LCD TV. The culprit? You guessed it. A broken wrist strap.
Deep in a game of 'Wii Tennis,' one Wii rookie let loose a fierce volley and -- the wrist strap breaking -- took a considerable chunk out of this door. Fortunately for this guy, a container of Bondo is a lot cheaper than a television set.
On Christmas morning, the kids in this Wisconsin household were overjoyed to find a new Wii system under the tree. After hooking it up to their recently purchased 70-inch RP TV, they let the good times roll. Roll right into the screen, apparently, thanks to a broken wrist strap. Television Deaths by Defective Straps (TDDS): 2.
Since the wrist strap of this majestic Wii spear is conspicuous in its absence, we're tempted to give this picture a TDDS rating. But, since this tube TV is resilient and still, apparently, functioning, we'll just give it a half-credit.
As he explained to WiiHaveAProblem.com, this Danish guy smacked into a light fixture while playing 'Wii Tennis' with, in his words, "great empathy and excitement." Forget broken fingers; empathizing with video games points to more severe problems.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eternal said 9:58PM on 1-22-2009
What an awesome outcome i guess nintendo is doing a great thing. I hope she is able to walk on her own, maybe this could be implemented as a means of physical therapy for similar cases.
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Jess said 1:47AM on 1-23-2009
Wii fit is used at many physical rehabilitaiton hospitals.
There are even specialized 'games' designed to aid patient who have suffered traumatic injuries. The games mimic real situations which require physical coordination as well as cognition.
I know of several Traumatic Brain Injury programs which also use the Wii when they are rehabilitaioning higher-functioning patients.
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Kat said 8:55PM on 1-24-2009
That's cool. It's good to see that video games are being used for more and more positive applications. Back in the day, they kind of isolated you, then MUDS and MMORPGs came alone and you could suddenly meet new people through video games. Next advance? The use of video games to treat post-traumatic stress in soldiers and NYPD/NYFD members and other 9/11 victims. Now this. If THIS is where technology is taking us, maybe it's not all-bad after all :)
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Dot said 3:50AM on 3-18-2009
Normally I would have not believed that story. I truly hope little Nicole has a speedy recovery and will be running around like other 10 year olds. I send my prayers to she and her family.
Since 1987 I have had severe muscle pain that was not diagnosed until 2002 as fibromyalgia. For years I have avoided anything that would cause me to over use my muscles and cause even the slightest increase in pain. This Valentines Day 2008 my boyfriend bought me a Nintendo Wii and I played the baseball. Imediately afterwards it felt like my arm was being torn off. A couple days later I tried again and have played all the games ever since until the pain decreased. Now I play daily and though the normal pain has not gone away, I am now using the muscles more than I was before and standing longer periods of time. I have the best workout with boxing!! OMG!! I have started to lose inches due to being more active. I will try the wii fit soon. That's where I think I will see more progress in my self-therapy for fibromyalgia and some weight lost. I haven't told my doctor yet of my self- therapy, but he will be happy. My boyfriend definately is. We play together before he goes to work. I have decreased my pain medicines that keep me groggy, just to play more of the game. He and my doctor have tried to convince me for years that exercise is what I need, and I wouldn't because I knew it would cause more pain. I am usually the most negative about video games and anything that I think may cause me to be in pain. If this helps me as much as it seems to so far, I may become a Nintendo Wii poster child (though I'm no child). Arthritis and Fibromyalgia sufferers like me may have to invest in Wii!! Can't wait to get my Wiifit now!!
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Lauri said 9:53AM on 3-29-2009
I too have fibromyalgia and was encouraged to read your story. I guess I need to push through the pain a little more...my 3-year old son wants me to bowl with him, but I, like you, feel as though my arms are being torn off. We just bought a Wii Fit last night. I haven't gotten to try it yet because my 13 and 16 year old kids; and my husband have been using it since then. Let me know how it works out for you and IF I ever get to use it, I will do the same.
Good luck!