Good morning, everyone 👋
What’s one moment from your life that played an enormous part in shaping you into who you are today?
I ask that, as 12 years ago this Friday, on Thursday, the 16th October 2014, I came three hours from death, in a story I’ve always referred to as “Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome: My Dance with Death”.
For today, if you want to grab a coffee, feel free to do so before we get into a story that can always be so difficult to put into words.
Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!
180 minutes. Three hours. That’s all it was.
That’s what separated me being here with you today, and me not making it past that day. That morning, and the events of the day before, are something I’ll never forget. A time that terrified my family and me, but one that, looking back, I am always grateful for making it through.
I’ve covered this story more or less every year since I started Sweeney’s Blogs back in 2019, and I usually do it in a similar way, so I think this year, I’ll mix things up a little bit. I don’t really know how, but we’ll see what happens:
When you’re growing up, you never expect that one day, after eating a bag of Walker’s Salt and Vinegar crisps, you’re going to end up in hospital hours later, coming three hours away from death. It’s not something that even enters your mind.
Back then, I’d stopped playing football, but I was still going to my local brass band practice every Wednesday, and I was swimming around 3-4 evenings each week. I was studying for my GCSEs, looking at my options for college. In essence, I was like every other 15-year-old – doing what I could to make sense of the world around me.
What happened next nobody could have predicted, but it highlights something that a lot of people say, but I can tell you first-hand is very true:
You don’t truly know what you’re capable of until the situation calls for it.
Did I think that I’d pull through that operation? Honestly, I don’t really know.
Was I ready to spend nearly a week in hospital, having to learn how to walk, breathe independently and do so much more again? Nope.
Did I make it through? I mean, of course, or I wouldn’t be writing this blog today!
Flash forward 12 years, so much has changed, yet, in a way, not much has at all.
I’m an older version of myself, that’s true, but the stories that mattered so much back then matter just as much to me today. I’ll never forget what happened on that day back in 2014, and I never want to. It’s all a part of what made me who I was, what makes me who I am, and what makes me who I’ll go on to be in the future – James Connor Sweeney.
So, it’s with this that I’ll leave you with the full story itself. If you have read it before and want to read it again, please do feel free to. If you’re reading for the first time, thank you for joining the journey.
Here’s my Peutz-Jeghers Story, or as I also refer to it, my “Dance with Death”:
This always feels like a strange one to share, but that’s part of why it’s so important to do so. When I first started blogging, I made a promise that I’d always be as open and honest as I can be with you guys, which I strive to live by in every single blog.
Thanks for always supporting me. For reading along. For bringing what you bring to the world.
You are seen. You are valued. You are appreciated.
I’d love to hear what you think 😊
Hope you have a fantastic week ahead, and thanks for reading,
James Connor
JC
Sweeney
