I just assumed I was coming down with the flu, so I took the normal precautions that I would for that type of sickness. Later on, I found myself feeling weaker, and before I knew it, I had fallen into a coma. I stayed in the coma for a month. I would have been out of it sooner, but the doctors decided to keep me in one, so I wouldn't be in so much pain. During the course of my coma, doctors informed my family that I had an AVM stroke. This was short for arterial venus malformation. Doctors painted a grim picture of my condition. Things didn't look very well, but they said if I did live, I would never know who my parents were. A few years ater the injury, I feveloped epilepsy.
It's amazing how things can change. I lived, and stayed in the hospital for three more months after that. I'd always been a go getter, and I had goals, but whether or not these dreams would be fulfilled was still a mystery.
I lost the use of my left side temporarilly, but got some use back. I was in a wheelchair for about a year after that. Later on, I started walking with a quad cane. Today, I walk without either. I am nineteen today, and in college. I am studying psychology, and want to be a social worker. I think it's a reflection of who I've become as a result of my abi.
I'm going to have to put myself through college after this year, because I have to go to a university. It's tough, but at least it gives me a sense of what the world is really like. I hope to visit England someday. That's always been a dream of mine.
I've joined a group that specializes in brain injuries, and have met a lot of new people. Things have brightened up a lot in the past few years for me.
I have a message to impart to whoever reads this story. Always believe in yourself, and always believe in your dreams. If you do so, you shall get what you want.
Good luck!
Yours truly,
Shannon Lester
