Peter was by no means a typical patient. At just 33 years old and having moved from the UK to Perth, Western Australia, he had wonderful prospects before him – a life in the sun, enjoyable work and marriage to his fiancée, Jade. Not even his devastating illness was going to prevent his dreams coming true. For weeks, he lay in hospital, afraid, helpless and unable to communicate. Initially, his prognosis was poor. Considering him to be brain-dead, doctors even discussed switching off his life support.
Fortunately, his fiancée Jade, who had been scouring through the internet for any information she could find on LIS, encouraged him to blink if he understood her. Then, with the help of an alphabet board he was able to communicate. One blink for ‘Yes’, two blinks for ‘No’. He also began to progress physically, becoming the world’s fastest recovering locked-in survivor.
Just 6 months and 1 day after his stroke, Peter walked out of hospital – weak and unsteady, yet nevertheless a free man. Written in the first person, the book begins with the onset of Peter’s illness, charting events as they occur to emphasise the sheer terror and confusion Pete experienced at the time, along with horrific hallucinations.
While locked-in, Peter reflects on his life, written in a series of flashbacks – his happy childhood, his adolescent pranks and brushes with the law, his meeting with Jade, and life in the army with all its dangers and abuses. During his tour of Northern Ireland, Pete was not only surrounded by mobs but also suffered bullying from older soldiers. His army career came to end when he was diagnosed with cancer - Hodgkins Lymphoma – which he overcame.
Refusing to accept that he would never walk or talk again, Pete used visualisation – imagining his hand was a lobster’s claw which he repeatedly tried to close. This technique eventually triggered the memory of his synapses, sending messages to his fingers, willing them to move. These efforts paid off, and it was with tears in his eyes he blinked out a message to Jade from his Alphabet Board: “LOOK AT MY HAND”. The movement was small but enough for his neurologist Professor David Blacker to refer Peter for physiotherapy. This decision was crucial to Pete’s astonishing recovery.
The second part of the book tells of Peter’s fight to regain his life – his wedding to Jade, their move to Thailand where his father set them up in their own business – a small restaurant which failed dismally – and desperate but fruitless efforts to repair their relationship. Despite the heartache, after returning to Perth Peter continued to improve, eventually re-discovering his voice and qualifying to be a health care worker. And, throughout his trials, Peter kept, charting his experiences from the onset of his stroke to his current state of health.
Due to Pete’s colourful past, sheer determination and astonishing recovery, this story – though harrowing at times - is inspirational and life-affirming. Lying in his hospital bed, seemingly alone, Peter promised God that if he could only get well again, he’d do everything possible to help others in similar situations. This book is just one of the ways he intends to do that. Available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Reborn-PeterCoghlan/dp/1727145593/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1593787390&sr=8-1 UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blink-Eye-Reborn-Peter-Coghlan/dp/1727145593/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2CAIJA8FWLOBT&dchild=1&keywords=in+the+blink+of+an+eye+reborn&qid=1593787494&sprefix=in+the+blink+of+an+eye%2Caps%2C277&sr=8-1
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