My Adventure: an Encounter with Life

Book excerpt: Bill Millard is a commercial attorney with an international law firm in Dallas, Texas, and life could not be better. On top of his lucrative job, he is married with two wonderful children, lives in a nice neighborhood with great schools, and is a proud Texan. But his world comes crashing down as his health starts to decline. At first, it’s not clear what is wrong, but then he is diagnosed with several near-fatal diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which is a progressive nervous system disease that causes a loss of muscle control. He loses his family, career, home, and health. After a period in a comatose state, he wakes up as a quadriplegic, suffering severe seizures. He is unable to eat, drink, swallow, speak, stand, breathe without respiratory care, or carry on life as he knew it. In this inspiring memoir, Millard reveals how he coped with his diagnosis and made a miraculous recovery, spending seven-plus years fighting for his life in long-term health care facilities, physical rehabilitation facilities, and other centers. Millard’s story also offers a unique first-hand patient’s perspective as to what it is like to live in skilled and senior healthcare facilities today, containing many observations on what he thinks makes a better facility for patients and their families.