Escaping the Grim Reaper 21 Years Later

21 Years
7,476 Days
183,960 Hours
10,765,440 Minutes
662,256,000 Seconds

Countless Memories…

 

Twenty-one years ago, I escaped the Grim Reaper. Every year since that fateful day, I have marked July 17 as an “Homage to my Hemorrhage,” celebrating the gift of more time here on earth.

Initially, I felt that time was another foe on the stroke’s side, it ticked so slowly. Brain Injury recovery is measured in minutia. As time passed, however, it changed sides to become my ally. It was now like a time-release antibiotic for recovery.

Each day I awake, I exclaim, ’WOW,’ surprised that I am still here, much as I did 21 years ago when the grim reaper’s scythe failed to claim me. I embrace the day as if it is my last. My life has been shaped by my past. I am grateful to live in the present. I look to the future with hope. I know up-close-and-personal that there are no guarantees in life and that every minute I’m alive is a bonus.