It was a Monday in March when long-term Abu Dhabi resident Carl Davies had a massive stroke – a medical emergency he was lucky to survive.
Eight months later, Davies, who has taught modern languages in the UAE since 2003 but is currently on sabbatical from teaching duties, is sharing his experiences, and providing insight and guidance into what recovery from a stroke really looks like.
To that end, this month he took a step into the world of book publishing with the release of his memoir, Stroke Me – My Road to Recovery, which is a self-published account of being visited by a life-changing medical event and his rehabilitation journey since the spring.
The book is presented as part-journal, part-guide for carers and a patchwork narrative in catharsis. It is also what some might term unflinching, as it is peppered with phrases that are raw and graphic as well as being infused with an indomitable this-is-me spirit. It’s a visceral and real account of a survivor.
“I am just an average middle-aged man who suffered a life-changing bleed that led to a haemorrhagic stroke and who wanted to tell his story,” writes Davies early in his pages. “Statistically speaking I should not be here, but I am.”
Another takeaway from Carl Davies' book might be to prove the role of journaling in helping to manage stress and improve well-being
His 55th birthday arrived five days after he was taken to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in March. A picture in the book’s final pages shows Davies in those first few days in hospital lying still in bed with eyes closed, surrounded by get-well cards and a jumble of wires connecting him to ICU machines and, pertinently, a viable future outside the confines of an emergency ward. He has come a long way since then.
In all, he spent 17 weeks in hospital, both at CCAD and at Reem Rehabilitation Hospital. He returned to his family home last summer, his life punctuated by regular sessions of rehabilitation and therapy.
Incidents of strokes have increased by more than two-thirds around the world since 1990. The World Health Organisation estimates that 15 million people globally have a stroke every year. About one-third of that number die and another 5 million are left with permanent disabilities. The main causes of strokes can be related to a basket of lifestyle issues.
Most patients, traditionally, have been aged 65 and above, but times and case profiles are changing alongside lifestyles. In the UAE, the average age of stroke patients is 55. That same downward trend in age profiles is happening elsewhere, too. UK media this week noted a stark rise in strokes among adults, particularly in men and women in the 50-to-59 age bracket.
The book details the moment of the stroke itself.
When I sat down with Davies this week to talk about the book and his recovery, he told me he experienced no warning signs beforehand and led a healthy lifestyle. The shorthand for what happened, he says, was a “massive brain bleed”. His months of rehabilitation to recover motor, balance and cognitive function began in earnest soon afterwards.
The book is also an exercise in the slings and arrows of life after a major medical event. Recovery is rarely straightforward or assured, even if popular culture sometimes portrays it that way. The adage about one step forward being followed by two steps backwards can be surprisingly accurate.
In those febrile first days after his stroke, there were initial concerns that his speech and motor functions might not return, but piece by piece they have, and they are. “You cannot rewrite the beginning of your stroke story, but you can choose how your story ends,” he writes.
Davies experienced the gamut of physical, occupational and speech therapy, each one presenting their own pockets of momentum gained and lost. Marginal gains and small wins became guiding principles. He learnt to recognise and manage his emotions on difficult days. He’s found it helpful to remind himself of how far he had come in his recovery each time he reached a roadblock. He says he is a “very patient patient” and understands that every person’s trajectory is different.
“The book is about human fortitude and spirit. There is always a way through these things by being positive,” he says.
“I am very proud of my journey. I have come from being close to not being here anymore, to functioning as a human being again. I am the same person I was before. I am the same character, but my mindset has changed enormously,” he says.
His written work also presents the case for therapy, both physical and mental. Davies writes in the book that anxiety and depression are often “bedfellows” of stroke survivors. Given that the book was born from an instinct to take notes as those early days of recovery began, another takeaway from its pages might be to prove the role of journaling in helping to manage stress and improve well-being.
Davies says that if the book, and his story, helps just one person get to a better place, then it has been worth it. That aim has almost certainly been achieved already.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
Scorecard:
England 458 & 119/1 (51.0 ov)
South Africa 361
England lead by 216 runs with 9 wickets remaining
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
Company%20profile
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Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%20profile
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