I woke up one morning in an odd hospital bed. I thought I was a Secret Agent and isolated in a crazy prison.
My best friend and Mother were looking at me as though something bad had happened.
I could not walk, I had to use a wheelchair. My sight was odd, everything appeared cloudy with an intense pain on the left side of my face.
I was a little dazed and confused and then they told me…
I fell 3.5 stories into concrete. Off a roof and into the abyss.
I had a brain injury so I forgot many things from 2014. I felt like I was living in 2013 and had a problem with short-term memory and attention.
For instance, I had been to China but I was only able to recall Hong Kong. I did not remember my little note to myself on the Great Wall – that did come back to me till a later date as I healed.
I wheeled around for a while and I was obsessed with getting back to work. I did not feel 100 per cent but I was determined to work.
I had a film festival to organise and had to look for another job. This bizarre feeling led me to do a strange thing. I decided to write my recovery story, as many told me that work was not an option.
While short-term memory and attention failed, my education lived on.
Just the accident itself was a big story. Very few people survive 3.5 stories to tell their tale. Just that truth was changing the way the world worked.
However, we are still in recovery as the accident only occurred less than 12 months ago, and then life took over to make me happy.
I decided I would travel Australia, from Melbourne to Perth by land, for one month in November. My recuperation was great and therefore positive. What you have on your hands is the greatest survival story imaginable.
You know how I did it? Luck. That word has been mentioned 4 billion times in the book, because my life is built on luck. My recovery exists through luck.
So I hope you follow me to read my book once it is released and keep trail of the journey across the country.
* Paul McMahon is an up and coming author, as a result of the accident he suffered. You can follow his journey of recovery here. His Facebook page also has links to his travel blog, where you can also find out more details about his upcoming book.
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