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28 Days Later

3 min read

This is a story about mortality...

Black cab ride

I can't bring myself to read the comments on Twitter from approximately this time 4 weeks ago. For some reason it makes me feel physically sick and psychologically overwhelmed, to take myself back to that time.

I have no idea why I've taken the photos I've taken.

Usually, photos are taken from scenic panoramic views, or at tourist attractions. Our friends and families smile back at us from our photos - happy children and kissing couples. Our photos help us recall social gatherings and other pleasant occasions.

For over 2 years I've documented my lonely and erratic life. I haven't photographed my breakfast cereal, but instead I've photographed things that are like a breadcrumb trail, that will perhaps lead me back to wherever I misplaced my marbles.

Pictured above is the cab ride I took where I decided to kill myself.

It seems apt that there would be a gap where I was without my smartphone. If anybody's read Finsbury Park Fun Run, then they'll know that our smartphones are recording where we are all the time (part 3 is where you can see the geolocation data I downloaded from my phone).

It seems apt that there would be a gap where I was without a camera.

What you might find surprising is that the only hole in my memory is the part where I was in a coma on life support. I remember exactly what it felt like to have a seizure. I remember almost everything. You'll have to take my word for it though. I do also have the documentary evidence I've been able to gather: things like hospital discharge summaries and other bits of paper I collected on my erratic journey through the last 28 days.

I've started to think about my life in terms of 'pre' and 'post' the events of 9th September 2017.

You might think that you'd be flooded with relief if you found yourself unexpectedly alive after a near-death experience. Certainly, a man who survived a suicide attempt from the Golden Gate Bridge said that he felt regret the moment he jumped off. I did not feel regret at any point.

I'm sad that I traumatised friends and Twitter followers. I haven't really had a chance to speak to some important people in my life. I can't really face ringing round. I know it'll be good when I do though - I'm immensely grateful for the phonecalls I received soon after I got my phone back.

If we consider hospitalisation for somebody who's experiencing a life-threatening crisis, 28 days seems like the usual minimum amount of time that somebody would take to get well - we'd hold people in a safe environment for 4 weeks, to make sure they're not going to fall flat on their face.

Perhaps Wednesday/Thursday is the bigger milestone, because that'd be 4 weeks since my mind finally fractured and I became so unwell that I had to be hospitalised for psychiatric reasons.

It's as if my body needed to be synchronised with my brain - there weren't any physical feelings that matched what was going on in my mind.

Today, things feel a bit more lined up.

 

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