Hi, I'm Annabel
I'm the Founder of
10 years ago on the 1st April 2010, I had a brain bleed. NO! it was no April Fools and YES it really did happen on April fools.
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Ten years later IAmAliveAndWell!!!, Married and now have 2 amazing children. #iAmGrateful!
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Watch my video as I open up and share in brief my testimony. At the same time join me as I blog about this life changing experience - I can promise you that you too will learn something!
To arouse your curiosity though, let me give you a glimpse into what happened. 1st April 2010 I experienced a brain aneurysm. I was actually working from home that day as it was approaching Easter and my husband had encouraged me to be home the day before the incident actually happened. On the day of the brain bleed, I had a meeting and apparently (as I was told) during the meeting my speech became slurred and not understandable.
This was the beginning of the transformation of me and my life!
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My short term memory was the hardest hit! At the time, I didn’t recognise my husband, some friends, the year we were in, my date of birth, my address and so much more - mostly to do with my short term memory. In hind-site I could compare myself to a video recorder on constant repeat - asking the same questions after 2-3 mins as if I was asking it for the 1st time.
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My challenges have included (loooool I laugh at myself as I recall some of them - but they include):
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- Not remembering My husband when he first visited me in hospital and after 10 mins greeting him as if I had not seen him for time in the same day
- Strongly believing that whilst in hospital that this was all a dream and that I will wake up real soon!
- Not remembering where I work whilst on my way to work! I would call my husband at the train/tube station and ask who I worked for, the location of my office and at times what tube and train I had been taking:
- Not remembering how old I was. I would always have to work it out if and when asked.
- Not remembering whether I had had a bath or not. I could easily have 4 baths in the same morning because I couldn’t remember....
10 years later after being discharged from the Neurologist that performed the Gamma Knife operation on me, I realise more than anything that I had been leading and living a life of lost identity, confidence, ambition and unknown pain.
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I was grieving what I wasn’t even sure about - grieving what I thought I had lost or was losing. In fact the last 10 years have been like isolation for me - where we as a world are experiencing self imposed isolation as a result of the Carona Virus pandemic, I can relate to it!! The last 10 years have been exactly that, except it was IMPOSED ISOLATION based on the injuries and the emotional war that I was not prepared for or warned about.
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BUT NOW I have freed myself - I woke up 01.04.20 - 10 years later and faced myself in the mirror and said to myself -
“Today iChoose LIFE”
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iChoose to take control of my every days, iChoose to respond and not react to anything and everything that is within my sphere of influence and control.
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In my blog I will be sharing and giving you in-site into my world/perspective as a brain aneurysm survivor. My battles, my wins, and the lessons that I have had to learn and/or face head on whether I like it or not! In fact at times whether I was ready or not I still had to address it! It’s also in those moments of not being ready and feeling like I’ve been thrown into the deepest and widest sea that I have had to CHOOSE! Do I sink (allow life to have its way with me!) or do I swim and take full control come rain or shine! I have decided!
From Today iChoose!
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Join me as we share and CHOOSE to lead life and NOT be led by life!!
