Some of the most helpful and inspiring videos on the web are done by people at Ted talks and over the years a number of them have been posted into the SCA UK Facebook group. I’ve collated 5 of them for easier reference.
1. Janine Shepard – A broken body isn’t a broken person
It’s easy to feel a bit broken after an SCA and the following talks gives a really powerful message about the human potential for recovery. Cross-country skier Janine Shepherd hoped for an Olympic medal – until she was hit by a truck during a training bike ride. Here she shares her powerful story and her message: you are not your body, and giving up old dreams can allow new ones to soar.
2. Ruby Wax – What’s so funny about mental illness
Recovering from an SCA can be a real roller coaster with anxiety, depression and other mental issues being a problem for some survivors. Ruby Wax is well known in the UK for her shows and comedy but also for her writings on mental health and Mindfulness…
3. Neil Pasricha – The 3 A’s of Awesome
Neil Pasricha is the New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Equation. He is the Director of the Institute for Global Happiness and one of the world’s leading authorities on happiness and positivity.
4. Jill Bolte Taylor – My stroke of Insight
Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroscientist who also happened to have a stroke. She has written an excellent book on how her brain has been affected. There are many similarities between the damage a stroke and an SCA can do and so is well worth watching…
5. Sandrine Thuret – You can grow new brain cells
Many SCA survivors end up with some sort of brain impairment due to hypoxia. It’s always worth asking whether this can get better. The question is, can we, as adults, grow new neurons to help repair our brain? Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can. She offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis—improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.
And a bonus video which is a light hearted though quite clever guide to AED use…
After our first meet-up in February 2015, I realised I was not alone. It was the first time since my cardiac arrest the previous year that I had spoken face-to-face with someone who had experienced what I had. This was also true for my wife, who also happened to be my lifesaver. From that meet-up, the idea of SCA UK was born. Since then, we have achieved a considerable amount, primarily providing information, resources and support to others in a similar situation but also raising the profile of survivorship and the need for better post-discharge care. We are starting to get traction in this, and with the formation of the charity, I genuinely believe we have a bright future ahead and will make a significant difference in the lives of many who join our ranks.