In real life Alice Kreuger has severe multiple sclerosis and is unable to walk without the use of crutches. She rarely leaves her home except for trips to see her doctor. In the virtual world of Second Life she leads a radically different existence. Here, she is the avatar Gentle Heron, the co-founder of the Heron Sanctuary – a self-described “support community” for others facing similar situations. In this clip she takes us on an eye opening and moving tour of her world. The clip was among the most popular at Health 2.0.
Produced by our friends at Scribe
Categories: Uncategorized
Excellent work. People’s lives are clearly improved by the work of the Heron Sancuary.
This is such an interesting topic being someone who is facinated by sociology and social media. I’ve started a topic in our forums at HealthCareerWeb, feel free to join in if you feel so inclined.
I’m in a similar situation. Don’t know where I’d be without the computer – blogging, in particular, has been my outlet.
I also blog on health care innovation and I think that technology like Second Life will soon be able to help people visualize their dreams, leave their dysfunctional bodies behind, and also train our practitioners to be more confident and competent. Keeping people connected is the key to the human experience and Second Life and others like are creating a place where handicap is forgotten and true interaction can take place!
That’s great to hear that it was well received at Health 2.0. Gentle Heron is doing a super job in Second Life putting together this effort.
More info on The Heron Sanctuary at:
http://virtualability.org/
If you have a Second Life client you can use this link to visit The Heron Sanctuary-
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%204/124/24/25
There are quite a number of healthcare and support groups within Second Life. It really is a wonderful place to communicate and to share.
John
SL: Knoh Oh
What an innovative way for neurological disease patients and other disabled patients to regain some control and enjoyment in their life. Who would have thought Second Life could provide such a therapeutic benefit…how cool!
Jessica Bond
Medical Careerist
http://jessicabond.blogspot.com