La1. The Day Everything ChangedOn July 28th, 2024, I came home with a severe headache.A few moments later, I collapsed.I was alone.My partner was working in another city, almost ten hours away. When my messages stopped, he understood something was wrong and drove through the night. Without the keys to the house, he had to call the fire department.They found me unconscious.I had suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke.2. The Missing TimeSome parts of my story are lost forever.The stroke damaged the area of my brain responsible for memory and thought. I do not remember everything that happened. What I know is that after about 22 hours, I was taken to the hospital. A CT scan revealed how serious my condition was, and I was transferred to a specialized brain hospital.I underwent a nine-and-a-half-hour brain surgery to remove the blood clot compressing my brain and to reopen the blocked blood vessels.That surgery saved my life.3. Waking Up in a Silent BodyWhen I slowly regained awareness, the right side of my body was paralyzed.I could not walk.I could not speak.I remember sounds more than images: nurses’ voices, needles for blood tests, machines, and countless CT scans. I remember the stroke unit on the third floor — and the suffering shared by patients, families, and medical staff.