Life in a box... 100 miles
- Joe Siar
- May 24, 2020
- 4 min read
100 miles
So, today I reached 100 miles this month, I was accompanied by my lovely oldest daughter who said she was proud of me!
100 miles was a goal I had set for myself at the beginning of the month. It took me 24 days. I could have accomplished it in a shorter time frame but I took a few days off.
Now, your probably saying - oh wow(sarcastically)no big deal dude.... A lot of people do this all the time.
Well I’m going to tell you a short story as to why it personally significant to me.
2 years ago I was suffering from very intense migraines that would come out of nowhere, It was a very stressful time in my life and they were so bad I had to either leave work or go to my car and push through the day. This was not something I had dealt with prior and it was new to me. One night at my daughters school night tour I became very ill, lost my balance, my breathe, and I was really struggling. We ended up going to the hospital, I was so out of it I had to use a wheel chair and it was by far the worst head pain and fatigue I had experienced up until that time. They scanned me and said I was not bleeding so they gave me meds, sending me home with a bad headache.
Just a few days later on Sunday night I had a major stroke. The head pain was so intense that it literally felt like I was being shot in the head! So painful I was puking but could barely get to the bathroom because my balance gone. I took 8 Advil, and an ice pack and attempted to sleep It off. I considered it just another migraine.
The next morning I woke up and got my kids going and went into the kitchen with my middle daughter Faith. As I attempted to speak to her the words were not forming. I was trying to eat cereal and I could not swallow. My face felt weird and I knew something was not correct. I drove to work, checking my face in the mirror and saying to myself... man something ain’t right... I go to work and discussed it with a friend and he told me to go to the hospital. I sucked it up and just made a doctors appt later in the day. After scans, it was the same thing headaches caused by stress. The next morning I took a shower and could not feel hot water on the right side of my body.
I called the doctor and saw a Nueroligist for more scans, it was not until the following day that I was told to come see her and go straight to the hospital. She told me I was not having migraines by that I was having strokes caused by 2 tears in my vertebral arteries (the ones in the back). She showed me the brain damage and how it’s been happening for an unknown time. This all made sense since I have swelling my neck, always having neck pain, etc.
7 days in the hospital, multiple cat scans, and MRIs a day - like 20 total, And I was released to go home and begin rehab. I had to learn to eat again, speech therapy, occupational therapy, counseling. I lost my drivers license and went on medical leave.
So, what does all this have to do with 100 miles?
Rock bottom for me was this moment in my life, sitting in a physiologist office being told I would never be the person I was before. Hearing that along with a few other personal factors in my life it was devastating.
Having to relearn things I have never struggled with before, not being able to drive myself around, not being able to be myself, documenting my day, along with my new set of 8 prescriptions. This all sent me into a deep depression, thankfully the people at my rehab and my close family who supported me helped me get through it.
I was in some ways having to start over. Everything stopped for me, I was restricted from almost all activity for 6 months, I was working my way back up to “normal.”
Since that time I went through a huge personal change that made me a single father to 3 girls and having custody of these 3 girls 90% of mine and there lives. My job was different too, after 12 years, my daily habits, everything.
This 100 mile goal is the first real goal have set for myself since all these things in my life had changed. I had basically given up on me, my physical activity, and bettering myself. I was just surviving, I had no no real self discovery or personal growth going on in my life. It’s bitter sweet, but Covid-19 changed all that for me.
These 100 miles have allowed me time to myself, time to better myself, educate myself, and be myself. It means a lot to me going from stroke survivor to accomplishing what I consider a very significant goal.
It’s another step forward vs making no progress or even moving backwards...
The moral of the story is, one mans 100 miles is may hopefully be another persons inspiration.
Congratulations Joe! I m very proud of you! You kids are lucky to have you for their dad!