Dan - 36
Two emergency brain surgeries, weeks in a coma, and months in a rehab hospital. Nothing like surviving a brain injury to refocus the mind!
At 28 I was leading a healthy, active life. After an optometrist appointment to identify the cause of my persistent headaches was cut short, I was handed a sealed envelope and told to go directly to the hospital.
On June 21st, 2014, my reality was shattered by a devastating brain hemorrhage. With no map to guide me on the gruelling path to recovery, I had to rely on my grit, perseverance, and resilience to relearn everything I once knew, how to walk, talk and even smile.
My family calls what happened next a “roller coaster of ups and downs.” While I was in a coma, the nurses had to keep my core temperature below 40°C, the brain hemorrhage had damaged parts of my brain that regulate temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and other essential body systems. My temperature kept soaring, so ice blankets were applied above and below my body to try and keep my core temperature in the desirable range, this led to violent shivering, which lasted on and off for about a week. My family tells me it was horrible to watch.
Initially a ventilator was used to help me breath. I was hooked up to 13 tubes and hoses, for feeding, life saving drugs, and to monitor my vital functions. Alarms constantly sounded as my blood pressure, or my heart rate spiked.
I was unconscious most of the time in the Intensive Care Unit but would occasionally respond to my family through blinking and hand squeezes. Thankfully, I do not remember this bit. This was the low point of my medical journey and the darkest time for my family. They weren’t sure if I would make it out of this, and if so, in what state I would live the rest of my life.
After 2 months at the Wolfson rehab unit, there was a chance for a home visit. I hadn’t been home in five months. At this point, I was still learning how to walk. The only thing that stood in my way of getting a home visit was the stairs I needed to ascend to get up to my flat in Hammersmith. As my mom put it, “There must be at least 100 steps”. Actually, there were 44. 44 steps, stood between me, and a chance at a weekend at home. A chance to leave this hospital behind, if only for a moment.
44 steps didn't sound like much but keep in mind, I was freshly out of a wheelchair, and that seemed like a rather tall order. I began training on the stairs in the hospital. Taking on small chunks to build my way up. 44 was all I needed to have a weekend away, a weekend out of this dreary hospital. I set this goal for myself, or rather, it was set for me. Come hell or high water, I was going home.
Over the course of a few weeks, I managed to build up to 44 steps and was allowed to leave. Home Sweet Home! I got home and was able to make myself (a feat in itself) the best BLT I have ever had. Man, that was a good feeling!
Driven by a positive mindset, I have battled through excruciating rehab exercises to rebuild my life and return to a job I loved. I am grateful for the doctors who saved my life and my friends and family who supported me. Now I want to pay it forward. I have found purpose in publicly sharing my story and the tools I used to build back my life to help others facing challenges.
The Stairway to Heaven was actualized after I reframed the obstacle to be just 44 steps rather than the 100 steps that we thought it was. What are you looking at in your life that may be just 44 steps and not the 100 you think it is?
Music - Dan’s music choices during our photo session included The Black Keys, The Rolling Stones, Arcade Fire, The National, and A Tribe Called Quest.
