It's FOR me, not TO me
I survived sudden cardiac arrest, but the experience has changed me forever.
Five months ago today, I left the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital.
On January 29th, I had gotten my taste back after a nasty bout of COVID. I was beginning to feel like myself again, so my husband and I took our two sons out for a restaurant week brunch in Alexandria, Virginia. I returned home to chillax before beginning a nightly writing session. The next thing I know, a week had gone by and I woke up in the ICU.
The cause?
Sudden cardiac arrest.
The American Heart Association reports that globally cardiac arrest kills more people than all forms of cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined, and yet only a fraction (1 out of 10) of those who experience cardiac arrest survive.
After my husband, Dave, performed CPR and saved my life, I spent two weeks in the hospital: one week in a coma and on life support and the other plotting ways to escape from the medical facility.
My husband is a hero and I am alive because of his actions. Talk about our Me Power.
Before I woke up from the coma, doctors told Dave that it would be a miracle if I survived WITHOUT brain damage. My two-week stay in the ICU was the longest time I had ever spent in a hospital.
I am so thankful to be alive and well today.
It’s a miracle from the most high that I am alive and that I do not have brain damage after half an hour with no oxygen to the brain.
I was a week late and still finished my revisions in record time.
Wow.
Me Power Book Updates
On Monday, July 11, 2022, my first book manuscript was accepted for copy editing!
One major milestone is COMPLETE.
The immediate next steps ahead are:
Complete author bio and book descriptionComplete author one pagerSecure early praise reviews (1 down, 4 more to go)
Complete review of copy edited manuscript and hand it off to proofreading
Work with designers on the book cover
This was a book cover concept that I worked on with designers at the beginning of the year. It captures the notion of “we” inside of “me”— a key meaning of Me Power. One idea I’m considering for the cover is to make people the background, and set the title in a bright color that pops out. Any ideas, dear reader?
Thanks to Iain Broome’s newsletter, one of my favorite websites is The Book Cover Archive. So, so awesome to check out.
The cover concept you see here is not final. Over the next couple of weeks, I should have a few more options to share.
Thank you all so much for your help and support along the journey.
Three ⚡️ in 31 Seconds
⚡️ Me Power is a term I coined to describe the ability to realize and exude one’s authentic self – all of whom you are – in order to live a happy, productive, fulfilling life. When we tap into Me Power as a force of energy, we can use that energy to create change in our lives and the world around us.
⚡️ In what ways do you evaluate a book by its cover?
⚡️ So grateful for Kafka’s diary!
