A Dublin model has opened up about her inspirational road to recovery after being given a 'death sentence' cancer diagnosis in 2006.
When Lana Salome Kurasidze was told that she had a tumour the size of a chicken egg on her brain, she thought her life was over.
Doctors admitted that the young woman had a mere three months left to live. That was sixteen years ago.
Now, the inspirational woman has learned how to walk again, and can even manage her favourite high heels.
The Latvian native is a disability activist and was determined to continue her modelling career as a wheelchair user, despite a lack of representation in the industry.
Lana told Dublin Live that she thought her life was over when her doctors found her brain tumour.
She said: "I was diagnosed with very aggressive brain cancer in February 2006, Glioblastoma Multiforme Stage 4.
"It is a so called 'death sentence'.
"My tumour was located in my brain stem, which is an inoperable location, and it was already very big when diagnosed (the size of a chicken egg).
"The doctors predicted that I had no more than three months left."
"I felt like that it was it and my life was over. But that was only in the beginning.
"After that, I realised that I didn’t just want to give up and I decided to try to overcome the disease. I always had one main thought in my mind - that I really want to live and that there are still a lot of things I need to do!"
The Ballymun resident was a hostess at one of Dublin's most popular nightclubs at the time of her shock diagnosis.
Her family in Latvia tried to hide just how bad her illness was as they pushed to get the treatment she needed.
She said: "I didn't know anything about brain cancer before I was diagnosed.
"For me it was something that only exists in the movies. Also doctors never told me how bad my situation was, they only told my mom and she preferred not to let me know.
"It was only in 2013, when I returned to live in Ireland after my treatments in Latvia, that my Irish friend told me how bad my diagnosis was."
Doctors are blown away by the fact that Lana is back confidently strutting around in high heels with the help of a walking aid.
The young woman has completely gained her independence back, a goal she has worked towards for many years.
She said: "I honestly don’t understand why doctors look at me like I'm the 'walking dead'. They seem to prefer not to comment much on my case.
"But every time I meet a new medical professional, who isn't familiar with my case, they think that I'm newly diagnosed and become amazed when they learn my story. It can be quite funny to see their reaction!
"Apart from my mobility issues, I have a number of other disabilities - I'm visually impaired, have slight speech impairment, my hands don't work very well and I have a neurological condition which causes tremors in my body. By the sound of it I shouldn't be out of my bed, but you can barely notice all these when you meet me in person!
"I was always sure that I would be able to walk again, even though many professionals were telling me that I had no chance.
"Now with this amazing device, LifeGlider, I'm walking on my own! I've made a HUGE step towards my final goal -independent walking in high heels.
"Previously, I was told that it's 'more than likely impossible', but this is just my nature – to break predictions."
Lana is chairperson of the Ballymun Active Disability Interest Group and is sharing her road to recovery with others.
She said: "I started my journey ages ago, when I was still bed-bound and unable to even raise my head or sit independently.
"At the time, I weighed 94kg.
"My physiotherapist recommended exercises and I was doing thousands of repetitions of the exercises instead of the twelve prescribed by my physiotherapist. I was exercising five hours per day, six days a week. By the time I became stronger and started to attend a regular gym. I had already learned to stand up independently and to look after myself.
"I lived in a rehabilitation centre in Latvia with my grandma, who helped me with everything.
"I received no state financial help, as somebody with a 'death sentence' wasn’t entitled to it, and I was surviving on money donated to me in Ireland and Latvia.
"I wanted to return to Ireland, my home, and when I finally was able to do so I was in a wheelchair and alone.
"I joined the local gym, learned to cook for myself, do gardening and even look after my cat!
"I kept working on my walking skills and I did regular walking practice around my block using a standard rollator with the support of my neighbour.
"He actually gave me the idea to look for a safer walker, as I have pretty severe balance issues. I googled it and that's how I found LifeGlider, the device which has become a life-changer for me!"
Learning how to walk again was never going to be easy after using a wheelchair for eleven years.
However, Lana was determined not to give up even when it seemed she was fighting against the odds.
She said: "I was a full-time wheelchair user for eleven years. After I got my LifeGlider it was very difficult to relearn to move forward when stepping as my body had forgotten it and I was automatically stepping backwards.
"So, on purpose, I didn't use my wheelchair at all for one week, relying instead on LifeGlider.
"It is very safe on a smooth surface, so I was safely able to use it while at home alone.
"I quickly got better and better and now I am able to walk up to 9km a day!"
Lana feels that there is a lack of disability representation in the media, particularly in the modelling industry.
She said: "At first I thought that I can't continue my modelling career while I'm in a wheelchair, but then a guy told me that I'm still beautiful and that I should try.
"So I went for it and it worked.
"I think that it’s very important that people of all abilities are given the chance to participate in different areas of life and I am proud to participate as a disabled model in modelling shows – in a wheelchair or on my LifeGlider.
"There is not much modelling work in Ireland even for able-bodied models, so models with disability almost have no chance - especially for someone like me with such severe disability, as I can't do my hair and makeup.
"I am slow when changing my clothes, and I need assistance with transportation, moving around the stage or taking poses in front of the camera.
"Unfortunately, modelling with disability is a lot of hassle but thankfully there are a few good people in the industry who are willing to do their bit to help us.
"I truly believe that nothing is impossible, if you really want it!"
