Force
![Through the ages [IV]](http://c0170361.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/2071029_22912_86f0f9d641_m.jpg)
By Christine Lebrasseur
30 Oct 2009
Francine, mon modele impromptu refuse toujours que l'on prenne des photos de son visage. Elle est atteinte d'une maladie orpheline ; l'Ataxie cerebelleuse, hereditaire, incurable et qui atteint inexorablement le systeme nerveux central sans affecter ses facultes mentales.
Cette image lui est destinee, un hommage a sa dignite, a sa force et a son combat de chaque jour...
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Francine, my sudden model always refuses that we take photos of her face. She is reached by an orphan disease; Cerebellar ataxia, hereditary, incurable and which affects inexorably the central nervous system without affecting her mental faculties.
This image is intended for her, a tribute to her dignity, her strength and in her every day fight.
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Wikipedia : Ataxia (from Greek , meaning "lack of order") is a neurological sign and symptom consisting of gross lack of coordination of muscle movements. Ataxia is a non-specific clinical manifestation implying dysfunction of parts of the nervous system that coordinate movement, such as the cerebellum. Several possible causes exist for these patterns of neurological dysfunction. The term "dystaxia" is rarely used as a synonym.
The International Ataxia Awareness Day is observed on September 25 each year.
The term sensory ataxia is employed to indicate ataxia due to loss of proprioception (sensitivity to joint and body part position), which generally depends on dysfunction of the dorsal columns of the spinal cord, since they carry proprioceptive information up to the brain; in some cases, the cause may instead be dysfunction of the various brain parts that receive that information, including the cerebellum, thalamus, and parietal lobes. Sensory ataxia presents with an unsteady "stomping" gait with heavy heel strikes, as well as postural instability that is characteristically worsened when the lack of proprioceptive input cannot be compensated by visual input, such as in poorly lit environments. Doctors can evidence this during physical examination by having the patient stand with his / her feet together and eyes shut, which will cause the patient's instability to markedly worsen, producing wide oscillations and possibly a fall (this is called a positive Romberg's test). Worsening of the finger-pointing test with the eyes closed is another feature of sensory ataxia. Also, when the patient is standing with arms and hands extended toward the examiner, if the eyes are closed, the patient's finger will tend to "fall down" and be restored to the horizontal extended position by sudden extensor contractions ("ataxic hand").
