Just a Breath Away…
It was sudden. Lightning struck inside of my head and the flash of immense pain shot from one side of my skull to the other. The magnitude was beyond any conceivable reality. I was rushed into emergency surgery in an attempt to reduce the massive amount of pressure that squeezed my brain like a melon in a vice grip. My world was crumbling from within and death was imminent.
With maybe a five percent chance of survival, and the distinct possibility of landing in a vegetative state, hope was fading quickly and the outcome was looking grim. I was a just a breath away from the other side.
Blind and lost in a world of fear and pain, I awoke to find myself longing for a comprehendible voice to pass my desolate existence. Language made no sense and the reality of my dark, lonely world made me question my own survival. Was this the world I was destine to live in, one that few enter and even fewer ever leave, or was this merely part of the journey as a severe traumatic brain injury survivor?
Leaving behind my former self, my journey became one of discovery. Through strength, determination, perseverance, and above all, faith, I came to terms with this new person inside of my head and embraced the newfound gifts God had granted me. Though the physical and mental struggle continues, to me, every sunrise is a mystery and every day is a new canvas full of possibility, just waiting to be painted.
Kathleen Newhouse’s full-color soft cover book is available online through LuLu while ebook versions are available for Nook and Apple, and coming soon for Kindle.