Three years ago tonight (almost to the minute, as I write), in this very chair, the icy fingers of Death grabbed a baseball bat, aimed at the back of my head and swung for the fences. When I woke up three weeks later in ICU in the Cleveland Clinic, I was told I'd had a major stroke: an aneurysm at the base of my brain that nearly killed me. Later, I spent 4 weeks in rehab; My time in bed and my injury had weakened my to the point that I not only couldn't walk, but I couldn't get myself in and out of a wheelchair.
This is apropo of nothing really, I just thought I'd share, I came out of the experience with much less in medical bills than you would expect, enough titanium in my skull to build a bicycle, a pathological fear of headaches, and a faith in Christianity that had been difficult for me to grasp prior to the incident. I think that, if there was a design behind the whole thing, that last may have been the purpose. I don't really talk about it much, because it doesn't come up much in everyday coversation, but as it's kind of a special day for me, and it informs a number of the opinions I have on any number of topics relevant to this blog, I thought I'd share.
Arik
Congratulations on surviving, and I'm glad you're here with us!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Glad to be here!
DeleteHaving had my own scrape with death recently, albeit not nearly as difficult and painful as yours, I understand now how such things force you to pause, contemplate your own mortality, and assess life in a whole new way. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteMy mom told me she was proud of me, because I bore it pretty well, and never asked "Why me?" Frankly, it never occurred to me. I mean, why not me? And if not me, then who?
DeleteI find it ironic that scary terrible experiences that we would never choose for ourselves are often the ones that mean the most to us and make us who w are. Miracles are real.
ReplyDeleteFunny, but it really wasn't all that scary or terrible for me, at least, not that I remember. After the ambulance ride to the hospital, almost everything is blank for the next three weeks, except for a few odds and ends. My wife had it far worse than I did she had to deal with not knowing what would happen (They told her pre-surgery that I might not make it, and then I was literally out of my mind for three weeks), two young kids to care for, and she ended up sleeping in the ICU waiting room for several nights. She's a tough old lady. Well, not old, she'll be 29 again in June, but, you know...
DeleteSpeaking of miracles: Did you know they can do brain surgery through the groin? I was amazed. My wife, however, not surprised at all, for some reason. I checked my skull for scars when I came around, eventually, and they were like "Nope, Femoral artery." and I was, like,"Groovy!"
And another miracle: When I was out, my dad and uncle came to me and told me I was going to be alright. And from that point on, I have mostly been 100% sure of an afterlife. My faith wavers from time to time,but then, so did Mother Theresa's. I'll bet even the Pope has his moments of doubt.
Actually, if you are interested in that sort of thing, there's a book for Kindle called "Epic:The story God Is Telling," by John Eldredge. It was pretty cheap, and it really offers less in the way of answers than a new perspective, a new way of viewing Life, the Universe and Everything. I got that recommendation from a Facebook friend who I think unfriended me over my earlier article on this very site. I don't think she got the satire, and thought I was being disrespectful (I was, just not in the way she was thinking).
"Did you know they can do brain surgery through the groin?"
ReplyDeleteBut only on guys, right? I mean isn't it a proximity issue?
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I don't mean to make light of such a serious issue... OK, I *do*, but only that little aspect of it, and I'm not mocking what you've been through. It's just that that observation was just SITTING THERE, and I HAD to throw down...
Egads. It is 2:11 AM and I've already beclowned myself.
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Great testimony, Arik, and thank you for sharing.
Yeah, that's the joke I was hinting at. I didn't want to come right out and say it, though, but what the heck...
DeleteI always say: " I was amazed that they can do brain surgery through the groin. My wife wasn't, though she was surprised the catheter needed to be more than 6 inches long."