When I was 25 years old, I suffered a cardiac arrest, as my heart went out of rhythm due to a complication called long QT syndrome. I had to have a pacemaker and an ICD implanted as my heart was in great danger of going into cardiac arrest again.
I was attacked while at work. I had just been acknowledged companywide for the work that I had done within the community. During the attack my head flew back, and everything went white.
Antonio Iannella is a writer and published author. In this excerpt from his memoir, Antonio writes about the impact of stroke. Left paralyzed from the neck down, he navigates the shocking reality of recovery in a foreign country, grappling with the physical, emotional and psychological toll. Through humor, vulnerability and raw honesty, he reflects on the meaning of ‘normality’ and the long road to healing, highlighting both the struggles and the unexpected moments of grace that come with redefining life after a traumatic event.
My name is Kyle and I am from a small town on Vancouver Island in Canada. I am a brain injury survivor and part of a marginalized group that has not voiced or spoken out as much as needed.
In October 2013, after an evening out, I awoke from sleep with a bad headache and feeling sick. I didn’t know at the time, but I was having a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
I was 15 when my injury happened on December 2, 2005. I collapsed and fractured my skull while out with my family, which was caused by multiple blood clots and bleeds on my brain and skull.
My name is Deya. My stroke story starts when I was 28-year-old Dispensing Optician and Practice Manager at an independent opticians in Leicester. I remember sitting and having a really bad headache, one like I've never had before.
My name is Laura Renner, and I’m a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse and author. I’m sharing my journey of surviving and recovering from a traumatic brain injury, hoping my story can inspire and support others walking a similar path.
My name is Nazia, and my brain injury story began at age 45 when I suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm (subarachnoid hemorrhage) and cerebral vasospasm.
My name is Valeriia. I’m a passionate linguist who has recently moved to Berlin. Just a short time ago I was unexpectedly diagnosed with a cerebellar stroke (ischemic stroke in the cerebellum), caused by a tear in one of the arteries in my neck.