To our great sorrow Massalah Ahlishjah was diagnosed with the cauda equine syndrome. That was at the end of 2010. As the paralysis had extended halfway through her body, we unfortunately had to put her to sleep on May 2nd 2011. We still think of her every day.
Cauda equina is Latin for ‘horse’s tail’. The cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a rather rare neurological condition, named after the bundle of roots of all spinal nerves below the first lumbar vertebra. These nerve roots spread out like a horse’s tail. When the nerves get compressed, this results in all kinds of dysfunction.