I yearned to ski in the alps for many years and although it was summer, some of the mountains have such altitudes as to permit skiing in July. So off I went, off the cliff that is. I was in the clouds, visibility was poor and I was unfamiliar with the terrain.

Where I landed there was no snow. But I was all muscles and did not break any bones. The descent was about 100 feet. I did not splat on the ground but tumbled as far as I fell.

Resulting from severe whiplash I sustained multiple subdural hematomas, lapsed into a coma. Remained in such for a fortnight. While in same, I spiked a fever of 106 had this for 2.5 days as a result of renal shutdown.

My father refused permission to open my skull, so meds were used to reduce the swelling and intra-cranial pressure. A consequence of this procedure bloodclots traveled from my brain to my left leg. At my inferior vena cavae they clogged and restricted my circulation. That was called phlebitis, leaving me with permanent and irreversible vascular damage known as post-phlebitic syndrome.

When I emerged from the coma I weighed only 60 pounds some 90 less than before. I was completely paralyzed, had global amnesia, no speech, no equilibrium, and psychologically regressed to birth.

After 19.5 years of recovery I am left with some problems with analytical and critical reasoning, slowed speech, poor social skills, deficits with depth perception, reaction time and manual dexterity. As well as skewed perception of reality and less than perfect balance.

My IQ has gotten much better than it was initially but this comes as a consequence of much effort and the grace of God. My emotions are not commensurate with that of a healthy 36 year old male. Yet I remain hopeful that this may improve with proper therapy.

All things considered I have much to be thankful for. However I am a something of a psychological basket case and am dissatisfied with what I have become.

I use antidepressant medication and a sedative to help me cope with stress and sleep.

RSVP