9 April 2012
It doesn't seem too long ago, even though I was just 7 years old. It was a beautiful day; one of those unnaturally hot summers that stay with you for a long time. I was playing in my best friends back garden, we were on a see-saw type swing. And, being a bit of a dare devil, I stood on it instead of sitting. Higher and higher I went, until I fell backwards and smacked my head off the lawn behind me. I felt fine, though. But something wasn't right. I felt blank, and slightly in shock. I went home immediately and had a strong urge to go to sleep - I was so damn tired. It turned out that I had actually developed a brain hemorrhage (subdural haemotoma in medical terms). I was flown by helicopter to Beaumont hospital in Dublin and immediately operated on for around 7 hours.
My post-ether memories are very strange, however. I still remember sounds, specific sentences people had said. The distant, echoic sound of children's laughter. I remember waking up, surrounded by machines, wires, tubes. The sound of my life support pulsing relentlessly. A network of tubes were going in and out of me. A particular memory, I will never forget is when I woke up, surrounded by around 50 Japanese doctors in white overalls, looking at me, taking notes. One of them then gave me a little container of sweet, sugary liquid. Very surreal.
It's an experience that will always stay with me..
A Memory • Opuss № I