My Story

This is where I get to tell you a little bit about me, there is just so much to say and so little space…..

Imagine you are at work, it is a Thursday like most any other and you are interrupted by a phone call from a number on your cell phone you don’t recognize. Most of the time, you don’t answer numbers you aren’t sure of but this time, you do pick it up.

“Hello, this is Dan” is my normal response even when I do know it who it is. When I say it this time, I am greeted by a man on the other line who sounds slightly excited, not in a telemarketer way, more like just got over panicking and rushing around way.

“Is this Daniel Pate?” ”Yes, it is; who is this?” He goes into who he is stating he is Doctor Someone and he is reviewing my MRI that had done earlier that day. You see, I have had migraine headaches for most of my life since just before High School. I have tried everything under the sun to not get them and some worked for a while but then I always got them again. My doctors have given me everything in the pharmacy as far as medications with the same eventual result–headaches. Headaches that would knock me out for a couple of days in most cases, I even had a head that felt sensitive to touch the next day, not sure if this was real or just me being an oversensitive wimp, but I felt it nonetheless.

On this day I was 33 years old and had gone through all of what I had in my life with the symptoms and never had anyone done a scan of my head. Finally my primary care Doctor sent me to a Neurologist for evaluation. When I met with her she suggested at first that a CT scan be done and then at the end of the appointment she said “I’m gonna send you for an MRI.” She thought there might be an abnormal formation of nerves and blood vessels at the base of my skull getting inflamed when I exercised, then developing into a migraine. She was right about something abnormal forming in my head.

Back to my phone call. I am now listening to the Doctor on the phone explain that I “have something in my head that shouldn’t be there.” This is when I am really caught off guard by the call, and I start to feel things I have not felt in some time. My reactions take hold of my body and immediately my palms are sweating, I am breathing rapidly and my heart starts pounding. My body is ready to fight or retreat. I can no longer hear the man on the phone so clear as the sound that fills my ears is my own blood rushing past my eardrums. Not sure what to do or say the man continues by saying he is “so very sorry” to have to give me this news. Without waiting for me to respond, not like I could anyways, he continues to tell me he has an appointment with a Neurosurgeon scheduled on Monday morning for me and that doctor will tell me more about what is going on. He warns me not to do anything strenuous until I am seen by the other Doctor. I can’t remember if he told me the mass in my head was blocking the flow of fluid out of my head or not, but that is what was causing my headaches. After calming down as much as I could in about 5 or 8 seconds I ask some questions of him about what the hell I should do now; he tells me just don’t work out until I see the Doctor on Monday morning and he is sorry.

There are people who can say they have distinct moments in which their lives have significantly altered, never to be the same again. I am one of those people. From that day, my life has been different. This was actually the phone call I needed. This removed the unseen excuse from my arsenal forever, which excuse you may ask. ”I’ll do that later…” This was the day my life got better, a lot better.

I wish I could tell you it has been all roses and happy dancing gnomes but it hasn’t been that way at all. I am now moving down a path I have not gone down before; and I am scared. This path takes me to where I tell people about my life before and after my “Fear Death Experience”. It is now my purpose to give to others the gift I have been given, without the tumor! Please join me; visit my site, join my email list, and hopefully you too can have an event in your life, one that will forever alter how you think and act…..again without having it be dangerous!

Remember, this is life and nobody gets out alive!