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| Dan |
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I have made a career working in the fitness industry I am a Master Fitness Consultant. At the time I came down with encephalitis I was a retail store manager selling high-end fitness equipment.
I donated blood on July 9, 1999. I began running a low fever on July 12th. Each day after that I felt a little worse and ran a higher fever. On July 18th I passed out at work. A customer came into my store and found me. He dialed 911, an ambulance came and rushed me to the hospital. At first I was diagnosed with meningitis. The following day the diagnosis was changed to encephalitis. During my three week stay in the hospital I was visited by my mother from Ohio, and my two daughters, one from Oregon and one from Arizona. My best friend from Arizona also visited me. My wife lost her job because she stayed with me in the hospital. I have been told that I pulled 15 IVs from my arms while I was there. My wife was told by one of my doctors that at my age (49) I had only about a 5% chance of recovering.
When the doctors decided I could be released they suggested to my wife that I be put in an Alzchiemers Clinic to begin recovering. My wife refused and insisted that I come home with her to familiar surroundings. The doctors decided that would be OK. I was released from the hospital on Aug. 5th. My wife brought me home and cared for me with love and understanding. At first my short-term memory was almost non-existent and I remembered very little about my past. I couldn't even remember marrying my wife two years ago. I could not watch a movie on TV because I couldn't even remember how it got started. The Encephalitis also has taken away my sense of taste and smell. But if I had to loose two of my senses those would have been the ones I would have chosen. I also still cannot remember a day of my hospital stay.
About three weeks after leaving the hospital my wife was taking me with her to the grocery store and suddenly I remembered what kind of man I was. I declared to her at that moment that I am going to come back. That I am going to become the positive-minded, confident and happy man she married. I made up my mind at that moment to recover completely. I have never been a religious man but I have always been very spiritual. I began to recover my spirituality and I was confident that I would recover quickly.
Four weeks after being released from the hospital we made a trip to UCLA where there is a team of doctors who are specialists in encephalitis. I was put through a battery of psychological testing. Two weeks later we returned for a second set of tests. Two weeks after that we had a consultation with the chief Psychologist involved. He told us my recovery was very impressive. He said he usually does not see people recovering from this disease until they are at least six months into recovery.
About two weeks after my hospital release my wife tried to remind me of projects and plans I had been working on. She showed me a script I had written for a treadmill workout video we planned to produce. We had planned to begin the production on July 20th and I passed out at work on July 18th. At that moment I didn't really remember writing the script but I knew the words were mine and decided I would finish this project.
I began working to get myself back into good physical shape. We began the production of the video in the first week of October and finished on October 18th. Three months to the day of my passing out at work. The video is now on the market. Our dealers are very pleased with its success. And I feel very blessed to have recovered from this extreme health trial as well as I have. I am also a voice over artist but have never pursued this as a career. I can change my voice to do 17 different characters. After having encephalitis I have decided to use my God given vocal talents as a profession. One of the dealers carrying my video has asked me to produce a 60-second radio commercial for his store. My prayers are being answered. Anyone out there who has gone through this disease and is trying to recover should know that recovery is possible and probable with faith. Stay positive about yourself and your ability to become the person you are. God will provide you with the healing power you desire and the ability to become productive in life again.
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Dan
Nevada, U.S.A.
Posted: June 28, 2000 |
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