Kavita Basi - Room 23: Surviving a Brain Hemorrhage

While neurological conditions are often considered rare, there are over 350 different conditions of the brain and spine that together affect more than twelve million people in the UK. In many cases these conditions have long-term impact, without the prospect of a cure. Kavita is an inspiration. We are delighted that she is a Community Ambassador for the Brain & Spine Foundation. Thank you, Kavita, for raising awareness of neurological conditions and sharing your amazing story.

ALICE DOYLE, Chief Executive, Brain & Spine Foundation

Kavita has been an important part of the Li & Fung family for many years, and an absolute joy to work with. After her unfortunate illness, she has been a true inspiration to our community worldwide and continues to motivate many of us to face adversity in a positive manner.

SPENCER FUNG, Group CEO, Li & Fung

I have known Kavita Basi both as a family friend before and after her subarachnoid haemorrhage and as a patient under the care of my neurovascular colleagues at Salford Royal. I know firsthand what she went through during her illness, and how gravely ill she was. That she recovered so well was impressive enough, but it is truly remarkable what she has gone on to achieve. It is both a testament to her as a person and an inspiration to all thosepast, present, and futurewho find themselves on the path she has traveled.

ANDREW KING, Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital

Room 23

Copyright 2018 by Kavita Basi

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, digital scanning, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please address She Writes Press.

Published November 6, 2018

Printed in the United States of America

Print ISBN: 978-1-63152-489-9

E-ISBN: 978-1-63152-490-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018949688

For information, address:

She Writes Press

1563 Solano Ave #546

Berkeley, CA 94707

Interior design by Tabitha Lahr

She Writes Press is a division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC.

Names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of certain individuals.

I dedicate this book to my dearest friend, companion, and true love, Deepak Basi, for all the support he has given and shown to me during this challenging journey we have been on together.

Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.

Jim Rohn

I only just remember two of the seven weeks I was hospitalized after suffering a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage. I have largely relied on family, friends, video, and personal diaries to piece together the early stages of my recovery. Some events in the timeline of the overall story may appear out of chronological sequence for the sake of storytelling. Some speeches and dialogue have been edited for brevity. Any company figures given are not exact, but estimates to show scale and/or volume.

A week before I suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage I told my sister, Rajni, and husband, Deepak, about a reoccurring dream I was having.

My head is shaved and Im in my pajamas in a wheelchair being pushed around by family members, I said.

Its just a dream, they said. Nothing to worry about.

But this wasnt the first time Id had premonitory dreams.

I wasnt feeling well the day of the hemorrhage. My back was hurting and I had a headache that wouldnt go away even after taking aspirin. We had our usual team meetings at work about how to increase revenue for our growing fashion business. And I was due to be in Dublin the next day for customer meetings. I decided to leave early since my headache wasnt going away and I needed some rest.

My daughter Jasmines birthday was the following day as well. Instead of resting when I got home I wrapped Jasmines presents with my son, Jay, and we hid the birthday cake. It was so hard to believe my baby was going to be fifteen.

Later in the evening, I huddled together with my kids and husband on the bed to watch my favorite TV program, Mr. Selfridge. I still had a niggling headache.

Its been three years since I suffered the brain hemorrhage early on that morning of Jasmines birthday. I was in the hospital for a total of seven weeks, only two of which I remember. During that time, I underwent four operations.

Though recovery from a brain hemorrhage is a lengthy processone whose end I, just three years out from the incident, have not yet seenI felt it was important to share my story in the event it could help others. However, writing this story wouldnt have been possible without the shared memories of my friends and family, who helped piece together the events of a timeline I dont entirely remember.

Even though it feels like so much time has passed since my brain hemorrhage, I still sometimes think about what may have caused my brain to bleed. People who suffer a subarachnoid hemorrhage usually have or are one of the following:

Heavy smoker

Alcoholic

Overweight

High blood pressure

I was none of these.

Before the incident, I was a mother and wife working as a high-powered executive in the fashion industry who traveled internationally most weeks of the year. I was a pescatarian and exercised regularly. I didnt feel under any more pressure than usual to maintain our very busy, modern lifestyle, though I had been getting headaches more regularly. The only other explanation was that this could have been hereditary; my grandfather had a history of stroke.

I dont think this is a question that will ultimately be answered.

Im a different person now as a result of this experience. I feel closer to the person I was when I was younger, before the world got its hands on me and molded and shaped me into what it wanted me to be. I feel a sense of freedom now that I didnt have before. Im direct and say what I mean. And Im taking advantage of lifes opportunities in a new way.

This change hasnt been easy for all of my family and friends. As Ive slowly recovered, theyve had to adjust to this new person Ive become. I feel like the change is positive, but others dont always perceive it that way.

Ive always had a sense that I want to contribute something to this world. My hope is that through this book, I will. Approximately ten thousand people suffer a subarachnoid hemorrhage per year in the US alone, and more than fifty percent die within the first thirty days. My intention for this book is for it to not only help those who have suffered and survived this deadly brain bleed and other neurological problems, but also to be a comfort to family and friends of those in recovery, so they know they are not alone and have a sense of what to expect.