Rob Plaskas - My Fight for Recovery: A Story of Overcoming Life-Threatening Brain Surgery

MY FIGHT FOR
RECOVERY

A Story of Overcoming Life-Threatening Brain Surgery

ROB PLASKAS

MY FIGHT FOR RECOVERY

A STORY OF OVERCOMING LIFE-THREATENING BRAIN SURGERY

Copyright 2019 Rob Plaskas.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-9511-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9512-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020902873

iUniverse rev. date: 02/26/2020

CONTENTS

Dont give up. Dont ever give up.

Former North Carolina State
basketball coach Jim Valvano

W hen I was in my late teens, I was a fairly popular seventeen-year-old high school student. I was funny, friendly, and handsome, or so I was told. I like to believe that was true, at least about the handsome part anyway. I was a decent athlete who started on my baseball team. Everything was fine, or at least as fine as it could have been for a guy in his late teens who, like everyone else at that age, was trying to come to terms with life as a young adult. I looked to the future with optimism, hope, and faith.

Then things went terribly wrong. I was diagnosed with a benign tumor in the left temporal lobe of my brain. To say I was scared would be the worlds biggest understatement. The doctors said theyd keep an eye on the tumor and that if it decided to grow or play some other dirty trick, theyd have to saw a hole in my skull and yank the damned thing out. The only upside to the potential surgery, other than the obvious of not having a growth thriving in my brain, was the possibility that the procedure could also end my epileptic seizures.

Then the inevitable happened. The tumor grew.

You have to have the surgery, Rob, my doctor said, his face grim. Youve got no other choice now. The tumor is likely to keep growing, and your symptoms will get worse. Itll be harder and harder for me to excise the tumor.

Oh great, I thought. This is just what I need.

I wasnt happy about having to undergo the operation, but my doctors said I had to do it. Or else. If I didnt have it done well, lets just say the alternative wasnt the greatest. So, I had the surgery, and things went sideways. During the operation, I suffered a brain hemorrhage caused by a rupture in my internal carotid artery branch deep in my brain. The surgeon placed me in an induced coma as I lost massive amounts of blood. I essentially suffered a major stroke, leaving me with right-side paralysis, severe speech impairment, significant short-term memory loss, and lifelong dependence on anti-seizure medication, which mostly worked but not always.

Today, I am forty-two years old and work for the Illinois General Assembly as a communications analyst in Springfield, Illinois, where I earn an average income. I have lived in my city since 2004 and bought my house in 2007, in a nice neighborhood on the west side of town. I attend a huge Christian church and a religious support group, and I volunteer regularly by greeting people who come to our services, because I owe my life to Jesus. I have great friends who care about me and allowed me into their lives because I was always optimistic, funny, and caring. I love socializing, playing sports, traveling, wine tasting, exploring, eating chocolate, and smiling.

I am a brain injury survivor. And surviving quite well. Most brain hemorrhage survivors who are adults with similar circumstances to mine are not able to walk or talk without difficulty. Older adults with brain hemorrhages usually die within ten years because of many medical complications, or so says the data on stroke.org.

I wrote this book because I want people to know that survivors of a severe brain injury can accomplish many recovery goals if they have determination, willpower, and a positive outlook on their new lives, and if they are willing to do hard mental and physical work. They can develop skills to handle workloads of research and develop creative writing skills to finish a memoir, with the will to publish it. I have shared private details of my recovery because I want readers to understand brain injury survivors do not have to diminish themselves or their family relationships during their relearning and rehabilitation exercise activities.

My recovery shows how some survivors of severe brain injuries can recover and have productive lives if they work hard at their physical, speech, cognitive, and emotional therapies. They can accomplish some of their recovery goals if they have confidence, determination, and the willpower to succeed in their new lives.

During the past two decades, despite my injury, I have come to love my new life and friends who have given me support and encouragement throughout my long journey of recovery. I would not have, eventually, discovered the strength and willpower to keep going in my new life if it were not for the early support and encouragement I received during the first few years after my surgery. In time, I learned to embrace my injuries instead of hiding them, as I had done earlier in my recovery. I gained more confidence through my family, friends, and girlfriends and eventually developed a great attitude toward my new life.

I hope this book will inspire others who have either suffered serious brain injuries or are close to those who have. There is hope. There is quality life. Its not always easy getting there. The road to a better life can be long, arduous, and often frustrating, but my story is testament that the journey is worth pursuing. We all have our challenges. I believe the truest test is to overcome adversity with a positive attitude, even when you want to quit. Rising up to greet each new day with a sense of can-do and hopefulness is the essence of a peaceful and satisfying life, and getting to that point, even if life seems to have dealt you a barrelful of lemons, is what really matters.

CHAPTER 1
Brain Surgery

W ednesday, January 4, 1995, the day before my brain surgery, I got up refreshed in the morning and went to my high school. I did not have to go to school, but I wanted to say goodbye to all of my close friends before I left for the medical center. I was slightly nervous and scared that day because I knew it was possible things could go very wrong during surgery. The person coming out might be different from the one going in. I was worried I might not see my family and friends again, as they knew me, if I had complications in my surgery.

As I was leaving at noon, the weight of the upcoming surgery pushed me down emotionally and spiritually. I fought against depression as I said goodbye to more of my close friends. I found myself wandering around the halls of my school, yearning for normalcy to return to my life. I made my way to the weight room, a place where I felt at home. No one was there. The lights were dim. The room smelled of old sweat and cleaning solutions. I did a light set of exercises to remind myself I would be back in a few weeks or a couple of months, when I was done healing from my surgery. As I was leaving, I looked back at all the equipment I had used to get myself in excellent shape for my surgery. I had exercised more, doing a daily routine, after I was diagnosed for the second time with my benign tumor. I would be back in the weight room once I got back on my feet again, after my recovery from surgery. At least that was what I told myself on that momentous day.