My Disentanglement: An AVM Survivor's Story

By Minda Thurman

:

Minda has been a featured guest on podcasts heard nationwide such as "Blatantly Honest" with Makaila Nichols, "Kelly's Reality" Podcast with Kelly Houseman, "Crooked Illness" Podcast with Paris Prynkiewicz, as well as live social media interviews, one on of which with fellow AVM survivor, Greg Graham. These podcasts are available on several platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and many more!

Originally born in Dallas, Texas, Minda was raised in California until the age of 9 when she moved to Virginia with her mom, Marisa. She enjoys reading, physical fitness, and authentic Mexican and Thai cuisine. She also loves to spend quality time playing board games and having dance parties with her 6-year old boy/girl twins, Davin and Moriah.

Minda works hard while successfully juggling motherhood and recovery. She seeks to raise awareness for AVM patients, survivors, and their families. She is currently pursuing her BS in Health Information Management at Southern New Hampshire University and advocates regularly for AVM awareness and stroke survivors.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638744320

Book preview

cover.jpg

My Disentanglement

An AVM Survivor's Story

Minda Thurman

ISBN 978-1-63874-431-3 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63874-432-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Minda Thurman

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Longest Two Weeks of My Life

The Unexpected Drama

The Chopper and the Hospital

Recovery, That's Tough

Walking and Showering

COVID-19

The Long-Term Gains in Shor-Term Pains

Note to Self

Healing Is a Process

Take Your Time

The Brain and Its Wonders

The World, Me, and You

Predestination

Stroke Patient(s)

God Is My Glow Up

Conclusion

About the Author

Introduction

First of all, next to Goodnight Moon, this will probably be the shortest book you will ever read. No, really. It's short. I figured I'd drop this disclaimer before I tell you my story. My brain needs breaks. So I take breaks. I no longer apologize for it. I have taken many breaks while writing this, and I honestly almost gave up. But then I didn't, and now, you have the chance to get to know me—to understand or relate to what happened to me. We will eventually go our separate ways, but by the end of this brief meeting, I hope we can both say that we've grown for the better and have changed some lives.

Life is funny. You'll never know what's going to happen next. I know now that we definitely exist in a universe of infinite possibilities. Part of what makes up these possibilities are both what we plan for and all the things we don't. It has been like that since the beginning of time and for as long as I can remember. For me, life has thrown me so many twists and turns. It's really a miracle that I'm not dizzy 24-7.

So, let's get started. Nobody I know brags about having nothing to do or having no plans. Even people with plans to do nothing, have a plan for that! As a matter of fact, who doesn't have a good life plan? And, who doesn't want the best for themselves, both now and in the future? I'm 99.978 percent sure that deep down, realistic or not, we all want the best of everything, for ourselves and for our loved ones. No normal person would ever want to die in their prime. Who doesn't want to survive? Who doesn't want to live?

We all want it, and we all fight for it at some point. Whether you're having a good day or not, you are living in this very moment. Chances are, you want to be here. But how do we deal with a major change to our plan? What do we do when everything in our world flips upside down? (Insert your favorite Fresh Prince lyrics here.)How do we live with ourselves when it unexpectedly dawns on