I’m John Centofanti.
One day in January 2018, I went for my daily run.
Shortly after I would become a cardiac arrest survivor.
I’m a writer and creative professional, as well as a husband, father and grandfather.
When your life ends in an instant, there’s no guidebook to show you how to build a new one while you live with the effects of anoxic brain injury.
This is why I’m sharing my story of losing my previous life and my journey to build a new one I love. My hope is to help others who are learning to thrive, not just survive.
Same Run. Same Route. Life-Altering Event.
On January 11, 2018, I went for my run, frustrated that I kept having to walk to catch my breath. I’d learn after the fact that I was having a heart attack during that run. I had no chest pain, and no indication that I should be concerned. It was no different from the previous 100 runs. If you had told me I was having a heart attack, I wouldn’t have believed it. I felt fine.
Being Grateful and Angry at the Same Time
Conflicting emotions aren’t rare or odd. They are part of life. What’s rare is to ever have a single emotion without another one nearby pushing its way into your mind.
I’ve learned that I can be grateful to be alive, and frustrated that I’ve fallen up the steps… again.
I Believe It. I Need You to Believe It.
“Past performance is not indicative of future results” is good news for anyone facing a major life setback. Forget Your Past Performance Any advertisement you see for an investment firm includes the required disclaimer, “Past performance is not indicative of future…
Invisible Illness: How I Look Doesn’t Reflect How I Feel
There are so many people with serious health conditions that suffer from what doctors call invisible illness. Invisible does not mean a patient is fabricating a health issue. It means that the condition is not observable by others. This makes sense. It’s logical. Yet, most people falsely believe if they can’t see a clear indication of illness, then whoever they are looking at must be healthy. This is very common with neurological disorders.