Rebooting My Brain: How a Freak Aneurysm Reframed My Life - a memoir by Maria Ross

“When the hectic and meticulously-packed suitcase of your life gets dumped out all over the floor, it’s actually a blessing. You can repack it however you want. My life had whipped itself up in a frenzy of change and stress until my head (quite literally) exploded. Once the rubble was cleared away, I saw the world in sharp focus.”

Rebooting My Brain is the true story of what happens when you get yanked out of your life by a crisis―and have to get back on the ride all over again. With refreshing candor, Maria Ross shares how the relentless pace of her life came to a screeching halt when an undetected brain aneurysm ruptured and nearly killed her. Along her stubborn road back to health, her resulting cognitive and emotional challenges forced her―sometimes kicking and screaming―to reframe her life, her work and her identity.
With humor and heart, Ross shares what it was like being blind for six weeks, how a TV crime drama and a brain-games website played key roles in her recovery, and why a handmade necklace helped her regain her sense of self.
Ross reveals the keys to her extraordinary comeback and how her perspective is forever changed, mostly for the better. Funny, touching and real, this book not only shares an inspirational story of transformation but enlightens readers about the surprising effects of brain injury… and explores the question, “How do our brains define who we are?
“Maria Ross weaves a tale of inspiration, love and hope about an active woman reclaiming her life after an unexpected crisis. Her humorous and honest voice leaps off the page and makes you feel as if you’re talking to her over coffee, even when she’s describing medical procedures. This is a must-read for anyone who’s ever had the rug pulled out from under them, not just brain injury survivors and their families.” –Ingrid Ricks, author of Hippie Boy: A Girl’s Story