Remember to Smile:

Saturday, December 30, 2006, I awoke around 9:00 a.m. to what was nice winter day...a bit cloudy, with temperatures in the upper 30's, but fair. That wouldn't be bad for going out later to buy some groceries for the next week. Ready to start my routine for the day, I went downstairs to have breakfast. My 17 year-old daughter Marissa was soon up to join me, and we began discussing a project she had to do for school...though for the life of me, neither she nor I can remember it now. I knew right where the particular book was she was looking for, so I went to my study to get it. What happened to me next was something I still have a hard time believing. There was no warning, no headaches, no signs whatsoever. Out of nothing it came. All I can remember is that I went to my bookshelf, reached out my right hand to get the book off the shelf, and suddenly screamed “Ouch!”, in reaction to the terrible pain that was enveloping my head. I then lost consciousness. That's all I remember. I did awaken a short time later because I remember telling the EMT that I just got a terrific pain in my head, screamed out in response to it, but then I was once again passed out. The next thing I recall is that about two weeks later I “woke up” at a hospital and learned I had suffered a brain aneurysm. At that point I wasn't even sure what that was, but as time went by, I learned a lot about it. There was so much that happened during those first two weeks, though. We live in a small cape in which you can hear everything that is going on in the house, and my husband Bill was upstairs when he heard me fall with a thud. When I thought back on the situation later on, what amazed me is that he was home at all. He had been attending a funeral, but came home early because it began 15 minutes ahead of schedule as the minister was called on another emergency visit. Thank God for small favors. Bill came downstairs as Marissa was also calling for him. He figured I had a seizure of some type and fell to the floor. He told Marissa to dial 911. He also had her wait in the living room until the EMT'S came so she could direct them to the room where I had fallen. Bill tried to talk to me, but got little response. Although he said I spoke back to him about what had occurred, I do not recall it at all. The only thing I remember is telling the EMT once he arrived what I recalled, but then I was out again. Although the EMT's and medical staff did many things to me to keep me alive, I wouldn't remember anymore until January 14th.