“Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is characterized by a brief but widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that damages myelin – the protective covering of nerve fibres. ADEM is sometimes misdiagnosed as a severe first attack of multiple sclerosis (MS), since the symptoms and the appearance of the white matter injury on brain imaging may be similar. Unlike MS patients, persons with ADEM will have rapid onset of fever, a history of recent infection or immunization, and some degree of impairment of consciousness, perhaps even coma.”
After nine months of travelling in South America in 2016, my life was reset. Reset period. There were no ifs, ands or buts. ADEM knocked me down. I was living a dream of mine when my life took a 180°. My journey from then to now has been harrowing and, frankly, fantastical at times. As I was recovering, people always asked me, “How are you doing?” It was difficult to answer that question. The truth was always too big to fit into any conversation. There are too many moving parts and swirling thoughts.
So, here it is. The answer to that question of “How are you doing?” Reset. is a collection of memories, mine and others’, that I have collected to fill in the gaps for five weeks in the summer of 2016. Contained in these pages are my thoughts on what happened, some tangential mutterings, and a good deal of writing psychotherapy. I want to preserve the information surrounding what happened in 2016, and the aftermath, for posterity, but also to remember that it happened at all, because there are days when it just seems too unbelievable, too ridiculous, to have really happened to me. When I talk about it to other people, it feels like I’m describing someone else, someone in a movie.
After nine months of travelling in South America in 2016, my life was reset. Reset period. There were no ifs, ands or buts. ADEM knocked me down. I was living a dream of mine when my life took a 180°. My journey from then to now has been harrowing and, frankly, fantastical at times. As I was recovering, people always asked me, “How are you doing?” It was difficult to answer that question. The truth was always too big to fit into any conversation. There are too many moving parts and swirling thoughts.
So, here it is. The answer to that question of “How are you doing?” Reset. is a collection of memories, mine and others’, that I have collected to fill in the gaps for five weeks in the summer of 2016. Contained in these pages are my thoughts on what happened, some tangential mutterings, and a good deal of writing psychotherapy. I want to preserve the information surrounding what happened in 2016, and the aftermath, for posterity, but also to remember that it happened at all, because there are days when it just seems too unbelievable, too ridiculous, to have really happened to me. When I talk about it to other people, it feels like I’m describing someone else, someone in a movie.