Michael Hennessey


thewizard339

It was February 28, 1994 and I was 27 years old. It was about 8 pm and my girlfriend, Cindy and I were sitting at the table drinking coffee and talking when my right eye began to hurt. The pain quickly increased from a dull pain to an intense sharp pain, which felt like a metal skewer was being driven through my eye. Then my speech became unintelligible, the left side of my body went numb and I fell to the floor in a heap.

 

I was taken to a nearby hospital only to be sent home several hours later. The doctors said there was nothing wrong with me. I spent about four days at home with no treatment and went from weighing 126 lbs to 106 lbs. I was finally seen by a doctor at a local clinic who sent me to another hospital for testing. A CAT scan showed a large bleed in the right hemisphere of my brain located in the basil ganglia and thalamus.

 

I spent several months in rehab then went back home. Two months after I returned home I was told to leave because my girlfriend found someone else. I then moved in with my mother until I was approved for SSDI. Then I obtained my own apartment.

 

One year after I had my stroke I won custody of my daughter, Kala, who was four-years-old at the time. I have raised her on my own ever since. She is now 16, an A-B student and cheerleader. I am now 39 and finishing my senior year at a local college majoring in sociology.

 

The last 12 years have been painful and challenging to say the least but I can honestly say I have learned a lot about life as well as about myself. Prior to the stroke I had very low self-esteem and a very negative attitude. Now I am the complete opposite. I have wanted to write a book about my experience but I have no idea how to write it. Maybe I

From the category:

Bios

· 104 images
  • 104 images
  • 152 image comments


Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.