Are you coping with a traumatic injury or know someone that is? A great inspirational book to read during this trying time is Haloman: A Memoir of Survival Against All Medical Odds by book author Alan Goodfried. Through my interview with Alan I have learned about his personal survival story that helped him beat all medical odds and how his book can help others too.
Tell me a little bit about yourself. I have been a psychotherapist for 25 years. Prior to breaking my neck, I worked in Solano County, California, as a program manager for a psychiatric intensive day treatment program for children and adolescents. When my doctor told me that I would never drive again, I retired from my county position and began a journey of self-discovery that included studying piano and writing this memoir. Today, I maintain a private psychotherapy practice in Walnut Creek, California and use my life experiences and new perspective to help clients overcome their emotional and physical challenges to reach their goals. I live with my wife Jaine in the San Francisco Bay Area and have two adult daughters who reside in Southern California.
What made you decide to write “Haloman: A Memoir of Survival Against All Medical Odds“? In 2005, I became unconscious and fell in my living room. I suffered a cervical fracture at C2. I woke up in the hospital eight days later (from a medically induced coma) in a halo traction device, not knowing where I was, or what happened to me. Slowly, over the next few days, I learned that I lost consciousness and fell. It wasn’t until a year and one-half later, that we discovered the reason for my fall. Haloman began as a journal. As a psychotherapist, I know the value of journaling as a way to sort out unusual or stressful situations. As I shared some of my anecdotal stories with my wife and friends, I was strongly encouraged to turn my journal into a book. My main goal was to publish something that would be inspirational to others who might have a similar or complimentary experience.
What is the book “Haloman: A Memoir of Survival Against All Medical Odds“about? Haloman has a few themes that run through it. On the surface, it is about a man who becomes unconscious, falls and breaks his neck at the C2 vertebra. The story begins with me waking up from a medically induced coma, not having any idea of what happened. I am in a halo traction device and my right arm is semi-paralyzed. I am also hallucinating from the drugs that they gave me during my first week in ICU, which I describe very vividly. The story follows me out of ICU to a rehabilitation unit in the hospital, and then finally being discharged home. My question: Will I ever be normal again? runs throughout the book.
On another level, the story is about the impact of my dad dying when I was five years old and how I believed that I caused his death. Through backstory, the reader is witness to the inner guilt that I felt and why I assumed (for many years) that I too, would die on the anniversary of my father’s death – in 1996 when I was the same age as he was. The story takes a huge twist due to unforeseen circumstances. Now that I survived a C2 neck break and a year later, quintuple bypass, I am left wondering about my longevity and how I will adjust to my new situation of being extremely limited in what I can resume doing.
Another theme is how I came to terms with my situation, adjusted my expectations and found new ways to explore my world. I quit my job with a County Mental Health Department, when I was told I would never drive again, became focused solely on my private practice, and began writing my memoir. Today, I am driving (with adaptive equipment) and enjoying my work with helping people come to terms with their emotional and / or physical disabilities.
Who can benefit from reading “Haloman: A Memoir of Survival Against All Medical Odds“? Anyone suffering from a traumatic injury and / or chronic pain will benefit from reading my memoir. Friends and family members of someone in the hospital or on a rehabilitation unit will be inspired to feel hopeful in their loved one’s outcome. When I was at home, in my halo for eight months, I had no-one to turn to, to ask questions. Unlike with other illness, I knew no-one who had experienced anything like this. I would have loved to have a book like this to read.
Where can someone purchase “Haloman: A Memoir of Survival Against All Medical Odds“? Haloman: A Memoir of Survival Against All Medical Odds is available as both hard copy or e-book for Kindle at Amazon.com and is also available at Barnes and Noble.com. It may also be ordered through your local bookstore.
Thank you Alan for doing the interview on your book, Haloman: A Memoir of Survival Against All Medical Odds.