THE POWERS THAT DRIVE

For the person or persons in one’s life that makes us, not uses us for their own benefits, but rather for our capabilities, our own resources, prosperity and power to drive us to overcome our obstacles in life, and the obstacles of other lives in the process.

I have been gifted my entire life with many family members who taught me the ins & outs and the rights & wrongs when the help was needed to drive me to accomplish many of life’s problems, aside from school.

School was good, and expensive, but a mathematician I was not, not then and not now, but school can’t teach you everything that you need to see firsthand on how to drive yourself for greater things in life.

And I did, but my epilepsy kept me away, always, to do more for others as they were driven to do for me. So let’s flash forward 27 years since I was ten, to June 7th, 2017, on an anniversary road trip to Portland, Maine.

(Note: A trip that I will share with you soon)

At 7a.m. after the bellhop had our luggage, which was way too much as always, on that very last minute leaving the hotel room, a broken right leg occurred caused by seizures in both a bad time and place. This should not drive you into certain circumstances that is out of your control or fault, but the pain remained, thriving since then having to walk on a broken leg while grasping the wall in a Hotel with long hallways and to stand and hold my ground, waiting for the valeted car to arrive.

And some of us take it as a test; a test from The Lord to see just how strong we are and in all actuality, it is the drive that keeps us waking up every morning, always expecting THAT day to be better than the last.

And June 7th was no different, having to hold my leg up with both hands on our entire 5 hour road trip of hills and bumps, hi-way traffic and street traffic back to New York, keeping the pressure off my leg, never to touch the ground. I had the strength and power to drive myself to do such a thing, so, I used it to the best of my capabilities.

A broken leg is sometimes just a broken leg, and we are not gods, but we are God’s creatures and children, so, we drive ourselves to find ways to better the condition that was handed down to us, and so, a double layered fiber glass cast was ordered by my doctor due to the matter of epilepsy, our best of two options which was first that surgery with a steel bar and screws would be more painful to a person suffering from falling issues.

We make choices on how to cooperate with the issue at hand to show others the way we live with what we must use to get by day after day, night after night to drive us to do good for others rather than yourself alone.

My doctor gave me some insight which is that every one pound of body weight is ten pounds on your ankles, meaning that my body weight x ten is 2,100 pounds of pressure and with all that, I have kept myself in shape so that that would have never of been an issue normally.

On crutches, in and out of wheelchairs, and on scooters lifting one leg up while the rest of you rolls yourself around homes and city streets, we find ways to recuperate by the drive that is given to us to wait as long as it takes to get the job done.

We must never forget the sacrifices that others do for us, family or friends, that gives to you all the help that they can offer to keep you in check day by day, and sometimes a bit too much before they get hurt from things they do, like straining muscles bringing your things from one place to another. This should give you just one realization - the power that drives THEM.

Depending on the severity, the problem can take up to 6- 8 weeks, 6 months to a year and then some on the recovery process, especially if the problem keeps occurring, and for an epileptic like myself, whose issues won’t falter, there is one thing that keeps me in check every day, which is

My Power to Drive to do better things for the lives of others!

Part IV - A VISIT WITH MY NEUROLOGIST

JANUARY 11TH

Going to see Dr. Kuzniecky with my parents and his team of epileptic scientists and nurses at 4p.m., I walked in and out with a face of happiness and laughter, not sorrow and depression!

This was a great surprise to see, by my doctor, that an oil along with all other meds was finally working in my favor. I offered him my bottle of CW OIL which he accepted thankfully, being that he hadn’t had one or seen it in hand; the bottle was close to finished, possibly only a few days left, so to study the oil in the bottle seemed smarter rather than an empty glass bottle, plus I had another waiting for me back home.

Be that at it is, my mother, father, Michelle (on the phone, working as usual) and I, all gave him the same story of a much healthier and much more loving person than ever before. “I love my momma, I can’t go a day without kissing her hello and goodbye”. My mother said the same, sort of “Bruno is like a totally different person now”!

My mother, always the Mother of a Million questions, was speechless. We were just waiting to see what Dr. Kuzniecky had to say, what did Kuzniecky have up his sleeve to share this time, which in the years past given the question “So what’s next?” (medication wise). Not this time. This time I wanted to ask “So how soon until I can start running track & field again Doc, or my laps up and down the Hudson River?” (Too much too soon). Instead he requested and Ambulatory EEG for a day in April. An AEEG for those who are not familiar, is an EEG just like any other, but to be worn for a day to show your results in your daily lifestyle, while strapping a bag to your waist for the device to work. Then the information is delivered back to your neurologist for further review the very next day.  

Pictured above is my greatest Neurologist, Dr. Ruben Kuzniecky from the NYU Epilepsy Center in NYC.

The one and only thing that was not changed in my life was my napping epidemic. On an average day, my napping pattern is an afternoon 2p.m. hour and a half rest, two at most, anything longer affects me, plus I’m not planning on sleeping my day away, no matter how crazy the situation may be. Dr. Kuzniecky always has the best and obvious advice, a quick one two punch! To take an extra amount of oil, just one more afternoon drop of your normal amount and let’s see how that does, because apparently, its working for everything else. And it does indeed! From that day on my naps were not so dreaded, but rather accepted in my life’s personal issues. No more waking up dazed and concerned in my Epileptic Netherworld of what was to come.

As it went on I could see how they were all dumbfounded, but I was not! Nor was Michelle. Her and I could see all the major differences that were finally happening, but some could not. Or just couldn’t conclude on what they always wanted to happen was finally happening. And many people can’t, even those you know. And for myself, it seemed like something that was pulled out of a Tim Burton movie. I could see my life being pulled into different directions, the right directions, and everything was moving in slow motion. All on my behalf from a now 36 soon to be 37yr old who’s life has been upside down and spinning all around since I was ten, and from birth!

On a side note - a little back story about myself - as we all hope to God know already, being yanked out of your mother’s womb with a pair of metal forceps on an infant’s delicate not to be touched head is trouble waiting to happen!!