For almost two years after his brain injury, Paul Jamieson could not eat or drink anything. When his speech pathologist finally decided he was ready to try, she asked him what he wanted. He said mangoes. He still remembers exactly what it tasted like.
Nearly nine years ago, Paul was wakeboarding on a lake in Victoria when a fall headfirst into the water caused a severe brain bleed. He was helicoptered to the Alfred Hospital, where surgeons drilled a hole in his skull to relieve the pressure. In the weeks that followed, Paul was absent from his own body, with doctors at one point considering palliative care. Then, without explanation, he started to get better. His partner Adam, who sat beside him every day when Paul could not respond, felt a hand squeeze one afternoon and asked Paul to do it again. He did. That was how Adam knew he was still in there.
Host Daniel Dougherty sits down with Paul to trace the nine years since: the speech pathologist who worked on his swallowing muscles for months, the physiotherapist who pressed her body weight onto his knees to get one revolution on a stationary bike, and the slow accumulation of a life rebuilt in Brunswick. Paul is now riding an electric tricycle 30 kilometres at a stretch, co-authoring a research paper, pursuing motivational speaking, and training for a 40-kilometre ride. He is also, by his own account, happier now than he was before the accident.
In this conversation:
– The wakeboarding accident that caused a severe brain bleed and the emergency surgery at the Alfred Hospital
– Almost two years on a feeding tube, and the pureed mango that ended it
– The hand squeeze in a hospital bed that told his partner Adam he was still there
– The physiotherapist who pressed her body weight onto his knees to get one revolution on a stationary bike
– How the brain injury changed Paul’s relationship with negativity and what replaced it
– Paul’s goals now: a 40-kilometre bike ride, allied health reception work, and motivational speaking
00:00 Introduction
01:47 The wakeboarding accident
03:14 Surgery and the brain injury
08:52 Moving into his own apartment
13:56 Absent from his own body
17:34 Two years without eating
20:01 The stationary bike to the tricycle
25:20 Adam and the hand squeeze
30:38 Positivity after the injury
43:28 Happier than before
Resources Mentioned:
– Beyond the Impact, Paul’s Recovery Story, https://open.spotify.com/ (Paul’s five-part podcast series on Spotify featuring his speech pathologist, OT, and physiotherapist)
– Paul Jamieson’s website, http://pauljamieson1.com (Information on Paul’s motivational speaking services and background)
– Jigsaw (Organisation where Paul is completing a traineeship in preparation for allied health reception work)
– Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI), https://www.wehi.edu.au (Medical research institute where Paul worked in the breast cancer lab prior to his accident)
– The Alfred Hospital, https://www.alfredhealth.org.au (Melbourne hospital where Paul received emergency surgery following his brain injury)
– Kintsugi Heroes, https://kintsugiheroes.com.au (Tax-deductible donations to support the podcast)
The Kintsugi Connection
To see the visual story of Paul Jamieson’s journey and explore more episodes of resilience, visit our YouTube channel:
youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes/videos
Kintsugi Heroes is an Australian not-for-profit (DGR endorsed) dedicated to strengthening mental wellbeing through the power of storytelling. We believe that lived experience is a gift to be shared, not a scar to be hidden.
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