I woke up about 4:30, I felt a tingling. It was like I had cut off the circulation in my whole body. “I have to pee,” I thought. It was very difficult to move but I struggled. I had to pull myself to the toilet. I was having another stroke. I had had a stroke a year ago, however it had not been as bad and I had not seeked out medical attention or changed my lifestyle. I have always been stubborn this way.
I started smoking at twelve, of course trying to fit in. Every Summer I was given money for lunch by my parents. I would convert it into a 6-pack of Dr. Pepper and Taco Bell. I started growing and loosing my health at a massive rate. Later that year I also found marijuana, which made it much easier to indulge in “the munchies.” I was always good in school, but in the back of my head I was embarrassed of my size, which made me eat much more. School, that is where the lying started. I would tell lies to get approval from friends and was mean to people to make myself feel better, which both lasted my whole life until the stroke.
I called out to my mother from the toilet seat, she came. Then my sister arrived, who called the ambulance. When I got to the hospital my blood pressure was 225 over 145. I then went in for a CAT scan. I was told I had a brain hemorrhage in my brain stem and they could not perform surgery. I was alive but I had realized I was a terrible person who did this to himself.
I was put in intensive care for a week. I was then transferred to a rehabilitation hospital next door. I was given Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy. The kindness of the doctors, nursing and therapy staffs at both hospitals were inspirations to me. It was then that I decided I would change my life. No more incredible portions of food, no more lying and no more meanness.
It has been four months now, I have lost 54 pounds, I have stopped the lying and started confront people with truth and I have abandoned the meanness. I now look forward to a happy life.
Mark Ramsey™ 