As many of you know, I suddenly became critically ill in 2015. I was diagnosed with a rare, congenital and benign brain tumour. What followed was an horrific, harsh period of surgeries, radiotherapy, physiotherapy and hospital stays. The entire experience was terrifying and disconcerting. I wrote this memoir to help myself and others with similar or non related serious health issues. I felt so isolated and traumatised at the time that I sought out the help of professionals in the counselling field and in brain injury organisations. I acquired the answers to several pertinent questions and the rest of my answers were discovered through my own long journey and road to recovery.
This memoir was therapeutic for me as I was able to express myself, revise my writing and it gradually improved as did I. I asked (my sister-in-law) Jen for her initial advice after I had composed a few chapters. She provided me with a multitude of valuable guidance and tips. She shared that I was engaging in word repetition, over long sentences and I needed to add a slice of humour and mystery to my memoir. I followed all her advice and I enjoyed generating new words to prevent repetition and I edited my over extended, poorly composed sentences to make them flow more evenly. What followed were a plethora of hours, months and years of personal development and joy. I felt liberated and filled with hope. I never understood to the full extent the recovery period of anyone who suffered a major illness but I do now. I want to share all my experiences both positive and negative in a very honest and detailed way. It was therapeutic as I was slowly processing all my emotions whilst I was writing and typing. I surrendered all of my disconcerting feelings and memories. I began chronicling my illness early on and kept all relevant dates and appointments in my phone. This allowed me to share my story in an accurate way. There were surgery details that were not clear to my memory so I had the assistance of Donal to acquire these answers. I journalled through pen and paper then evolved to typing. My mind was constantly flooding with ideas even when I was on the bus or out for a walk. I inputted any novel ideas into my phone and added them to my story when I returned home. I am now ready to share my story.
I found the composition of this book to be rehabilitative. My mind was consistently occupied and I was on a daily challenge to improve my writing. It was my new full time job as I often spent hours composing and improving chapters. My brain was on a daily work out and my life in general was benefiting from it. My time was now filled with book writing and my life was evolving. I also gained courage and confidence in other areas of my life which I reveal in my memoir. I hope you find solace in my words and face your own fears without trepidation. My new world of writing is a blessing. I felt so lost and dejected after I became sick and writing helped me find my way back. It sharpened my brain and supplied me with satisfaction and happiness. I believe I was always meant to write and my tale spin in life provided me with a captivating story to share. Many people who heard my epic story motivated me to share it and I often witnessed jaws drop (in a literal sense) when I shared all my woeful moments with them.I will be consistently updating my facebook page with helpful tips, and anecdotes. I can only provide my opinion as I am not a medical expert but I promise that my answers will be genuine and well prepared. If you would like to read my memoir, you can purchase it on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094NXJQHS
Heads or Tales 