dancewalker

Donna Marie Paquette

Memory Loss and Remembrance

I had traumatic brain injury surgery in 2005. Had real bad migraines in my 20s. In 1999 I fell from a 5-foot ceiling and landed on the back of my head. When I was fixing a curtain, my foot slipped and I landed on the back of my head. Although Doctors fixed my broken wrist, elbow and collarbone, they never checked for head injury. The injury went unnoticed for many years. In 2005 I had life threatening surgery for a large Tumor that rendered me unable to walk.

They told my family I might not make it. My surgery took 8 hours and I was in a fight for my life. I was in ICU for 6 weeks. I had patches on my eyes and my head was wrapped and developed amnesia, blurred double vision and low vision. I only see part of the picture. I have Diplopia and was hooked up so many wires even for Breathing.
I could not move and had no memory and my blood pressure was so high that I had burn marks on my face. The priest was with me all the time teaching me how to accept my death. I went to rehab in a wheel chair. After I was stable, I had to relearn everything, how to walk, brush my teeth and even how to talk.

They said I have expressive aphasia speech. I was in rehab for one week. My brain was swelling and bleeding. I was rushed back to the main hospital. They had to give me high doses of steroids. I had to stay in the hospital again. I had to live with family sense I could not live alone. I was in a lot of pain.

I have been living alone now for 4 years. I have a Tumor in my Brain Stem, and my vision got worst. Now I run and dance walk with all my weights. I was in the newspaper a few times as the route 7 dance walker. I am known as the dance walker. I dance walk because of my vision and can kill deadly zones, cancer and other illness. We have to eat healthy and keep moving and think positive. And always have a goal.