ASHOK RAJAMANI
pulitzer prize-luminary commended author
BRAIN & BLINDNESS 411
RESOURCES:
The Aneurysm and AVM Foundation
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH
brain injury society
traumatic brain injury survivors network
AVM Survivors Network
traumatic brain injury survival guide
headway: brain injury association
brain-aneurysm.com
CIDNY: Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York
ada: americans with disabilities act
brain injury radio
the neuro network
brain-surgery.com
NORD: national organization for rare disorders
BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Brain Injury Association of New York State
epilepsy.org
epilepsy foundation
hemianopsia.net
The Hemianopia Society
Lighthouse International
THE DAY MY BRAIN EXPLODED reveals Ashok's experience surviving extreme, near-fatal brain trauma in 2000 -- namely, a massive subarachnoid hemorrhagic stroke.
The incident was caused by the sudden, orgasm-induced explosion of an unknown arteriovenous malformation (AVM) hiding in his brain.
AVMs are rare, congenital birth defects, affecting less than 1% of the population.
From brain-aneurysm.com: "An AVM is a site of abnormal connectivity between arteries and veins. It is basically like a tangle of worms, where the greatest concentration of worms in the central portion of the AVM (this part is the "nidus") is made up of abnormal blood vessels that are hybrids between true arteries and veins. AVMs are fed by one or several arteries, and are drained by one or more major draining veins; these feeding and draining vessels may be unusually tortuous (winding like rivers), and unusually large."
AVMs might be rare, but traumatic brain injury in general, or TBI, is hardly uncommon, afflicting millions of Americans yearly. Some astounding statistics:
-5.3 million people in the U.S. live with a disability caused by TBI.
-TBI-related deaths exceed AIDS-associated deaths and affect more people annually than AIDS, breast cancer, and multiple sclerosis combined.
Yet TBI research receives far less funding.
Although Ashok is still alive, the massive hemorrhage has left him with life-long blindness in half of both his eyes, epilepsy, erratic amnesia, and distorted hearing, among other deficits.
His permanent bisected-blindness is called homonymous hemianopsia, or hemianopia. It is the condition in which half the field vision is gone forever. In his case, it is the left side, since it was the right side of his brain which hemorrhaged.
Hemianopsia can affect one or both eyes. In Ashok's case, it has affected both eyes.
Ashok's very own AVM
Another major result of the hemorrhage is the advent of full-blown epilepsy, one of our most misunderstood neurological conditions. He has battled different forms of seizures, including tonic-clonic convulsions, commonly known as the Grand Mal, the most severe type of seizure. He encourages everyone to find out more information on this ailment, which has often developed an unaccurate reputation based somewhat on myth and fear. His own experiences with epilepsy are fully documented in THE DAY MY BRAIN EXPLODED.
He is fortunate to have successfully survived these conditions. Many are not so blessed. It is his wish that, one day, we'll be able to find solutions to permanently heal and prevent AVMs and all brain injury, as well as find a cure for hemianopsia and epilepsy, once and for all.
Please click on the right column for resources and more information on AVMs, epilepsy, brain injury, and hemianopsia/blindness.