“I realized how little I needed to feel happy, human, and whole and immediately I felt the urgent gratitude of simply being alive.”
In February, my friend Timmy O’Neill suffered a terrible stroke while on a climbing trip in Patagonia. He described it as a “thunderclap” in his head. An hour later he was in a nearby regional hospital, and the next afternoon airlifted to Santiago, where he battled through weeks of physical and emotional anguish before returning to the States.
Today, Timmy is lucky to be alive and I encourage you to read his story in Elevation Outdoors Magazine: Stroke of Luck – Timmy O’Neill in Elevation Outdoors
Timmy describes how he harnessed this experience to reconnect with his sense of place and purpose. “I didn’t need to necessarily change my life as much as I needed to change the way I was sharing and amplifying my life.”
Want to know more about Timmy? Follow him on Instagram (@timmyoneill) or check out episode 29 of the No Barriers Podcast.
Timmy is a savage athlete, generous friend, and selfless human. Timmy, I’m proud to know you and I’m cheering you on through your recovery. Life is fragile, but you are STRONG.
