A year ago, things looked different from today. I awoke on that Saturday morning, the 14th of May, and noticed a loss of functionality on my left side.
I was having a stroke. My speech was fading, and I knew I needed to get to the stroke clinic.
Table of Contents
The Emergency Room
The folks at Sentara Hospital Emergency were right on it and shortly afterward, they found a clot in the right side of my brain, and brain blood flow was less than 30%… and dropping. They estimated I had less than an hour left and shot me up with a drug called TNK, before sending me to the ICU.
Within hours, I noticed functionality returning, yet speech was still intermittent. After leaving, I spent two-weeks home reading and recording my voice from one of my books out loud until I had better control.
I was both light and sound sensitive, and dizzy. The dizziness was something that existed since a 2019 stroke.
Physical and Mental Effects of a Stroke
After that first incident, I lived with dizziness every day. My pulse dropped to 36, blood pressure went up to 160, and the brain fog and memory were absolutely scary. For a time, I was nonfunctional.
When the COVID period started shortly afterward, I couldn’t get stroke care because appointments went to those associated with the pandemic.
I was on my own.
Fortunately, that time allowed me the ability to focus on self-care. I dropped 45 lbs and set a better level of fitness. Yet, the long list of other health issues from 2019 threw me in the direction of a depression.
As a coach and therapist, I worked with depressed people. I found there’s a HUGE difference when looking at depression from the outside in, to living with it from the inside out.
Organizational Failure
I worked for an organization that loved to “talk” about mental fitness and how they are there to help. Because of the incident in 2019, there were things my organization could have done. Yet, they hid behind email and ignored my requests for help.
During a meeting in October 2021, a senior female told me, “You’re getting old. Why don’t you just leave?”
That wasn’t helpful.
A person from a senior office called them and said they needed to be helpful. Despite being awarded every year for 20-years, and just receiving my fourth performance-based pay Increase, suddenly I was now considered a problem.
Poor leadership always points away from themselves, rather than consider their own actions. Seeing the writing on the wall, I retired to take my life back.
3 Key Points:
1. Stroke Numbers are Increasing
Take time for self-care before it is no longer an option. Many people suffering strokes are much worse than how I fared out. A stroke affects both you and your family. Start taking action now.
2. Depression is Real and Often the Cause of Suicide
If you or yours find each day has lost its joy, emotions are all over the place, and being fearful occurs more than happiness, get help.
3. Our National Condition
Our nation seems to have transitioned to a place where leadership is something that’s only “talked about” and poor managers now refer to themselves as “the leadership”. We are in an environment where outstanding organizations continually seek good people.Don’t stay stuck in a place with an unhealthy climate or culture. Take advantage of the current employment environment.
You deserve better.
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He has earned a national reputation for his Transformative Life Centering work with clients from across the nation. His unique approach helps clients remove underlying fears and triggers, and then through coaching, helps them pursue and accomplish life and career goals.
He provides coaching and Hypnotherapy sessions remotely through Zoom. If you have challenges with procrastination, Contact him HERE to create the life change you desire.
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