July 14, 2025 • 34 mins
Imagine going blind in a London tube station at age 28 - this was just the beginning of Daniel MacQueen's extraordinary story of survival and transformation. After experiencing a life-threatening brain hemorrhage that left him in a medically induced coma for four weeks, Daniel faced the daunting challenge of relearning basic skills like walking and talking.
Through sheer determination and the unwavering support of his loved ones, particularly a motivating nurse who sparked his competitive spirit, Daniel defied the odds. His journey from emergency brain surgery to rehabilitation showcases the remarkable resilience of the human spirit.
The episode delves into practical "life hacks" Daniel developed during recovery, including his creative "icebreakers" strategy for navigating busy London streets. His story isn't just about survival - it's about completely redefining what's possible in the face of devastating circumstances and encourages us to "Live life better than yesterday."
Ready to be inspired? Listen to this powerful episode to discover how Daniel transformed a near-death experience into a testament to human potential and the power of unwavering determination. #Resilience #Survival #Inspiration
Through sheer determination and the unwavering support of his loved ones, particularly a motivating nurse who sparked his competitive spirit, Daniel defied the odds. His journey from emergency brain surgery to rehabilitation showcases the remarkable resilience of the human spirit.
The episode delves into practical "life hacks" Daniel developed during recovery, including his creative "icebreakers" strategy for navigating busy London streets. His story isn't just about survival - it's about completely redefining what's possible in the face of devastating circumstances and encourages us to "Live life better than yesterday."
Ready to be inspired? Listen to this powerful episode to discover how Daniel transformed a near-death experience into a testament to human potential and the power of unwavering determination. #Resilience #Survival #Inspiration
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What do you do when your entire world turns upside
down when the path you were walking so confidently is
suddenly gone. At twenty eight, living a vibrant, active life,
our guest Today Daniel McQueen, found himself faced with that
very question. After an eye appointment turned into an urgent
(00:23):
trip to the hospital.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Dan's life changed in the blink of an eye.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
On June twenty first, twenty fourteen, a brain hemorrhage forced
him into a battle for survival, a journey through emergency
brain surgery, a coma, and months in rehabilitation. In the
face of overwhelming odds, Dan discovered that there is nothing
(00:48):
like a brain injury to refocus the mind and rethink
what truly matters.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
With great resilience and.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
The unwavering support of friends, family, and a caring medical team,
Dan not only reclaimed his life, but crackted a powerful
message of hope and strength that he shares with audiences worldwide.
His strategies to be hashtags better than Yesterday remind us
(01:17):
of the untapped potential within each of us to overcome, rebuild,
and emerge stronger than ever. Join me as we dive
into Dan's inspiring story on life Jack The Resilience Podcast,
where insight meets the fortitude and be prepared to change
your perspective.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Sometimes life gives us lemons, Sometimes it gives us lemonade.
Other signs, it gives us something entirely out of left
field that makes us say w t F. But no
matter what obstacles come, there is most often a way
out on the other side.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
And we are once again victorious. My name is doctor
Room and you are listening to my podcast about resilience.
Every guest shares a tragedy to triumph story to give
listeners like you the inspiration to push through every single day.
(02:22):
Listen now as my next guest shares how they.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Were like Jack, Hi, Dan, welcome, Thank you so much
for being a guest on my show.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (02:35):
I'm bray Well, thank you. I got to get my
introductions going forward. That was pretty pretty damn good.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well I try.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I mean, your guest number eighty five, and I love
my show and I love doing this, so it's time
I try to make it better than the last.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
I'm hyped. I'm hype let's do this absolutely not Dan.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
For those who may not know you, please tell us
a bit about you and your life before everything went awry.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Sure, So I just finished a master's in Sweden. I
did leadership for sustainability in Malmo, Sweden, a gorgeous part
in southern Malmo. It was free for me because I've
got a European passport. So I found this little hack
where if you can get free education in Scandinavia if
you got a European passport. So I decided, you know what,
let's do that. Got a master's in Sweden, travel around
the world and decided, you know, let's keep this party
(03:23):
going and you're a bit longer. So I moved to London, England.
So moved to London in twenty twenty one. I'd say
or no sorry twenty twenty eleven two Toy twelve and
got a job in tech working for a company called
hoot suite SO, a social media management company. I worked
as an implementation specialist, so training clients on the platform.
(03:46):
I worked at a mia so Europe, Middle East and Africa,
so thank clients in Saudi Arabia in the morning too,
Italianos in Milano, Italy in the afternoon, and then a
client in like the interior of the London in the afternoon.
So quite a wide variety of clients and a good experience.
And I started having these headaches. You know that worked,
You know, I missed the day of work, went to
get my eyes checked, or went to the hospital. They
(04:08):
thought it was subvertigal. They sent me home on the
way up there, told me I could I was get
my eyes checked by an optometrist. Right, so I think
that's much about this. I'm like, all right, let's pick
the autumatic vertical medication on the tube. One day. The
tubes hey zig zagger around London, lumbering towards none hill
Gate tube station on the District line. It's a slow
(04:28):
roll the best of times. Headaches were so bad my
visions started to go sorry, and I thought start bull.
They started to fade to black. It was a race
if you could rip the station first, me or the blindness.
I arrived at nine hill Gate tube station, stepped onto
the platform and mind the gap and the lights went out.
(04:50):
I couldn't see a thing. I was blind. So I
want to ask you, doctor, you're my shoes, what would
you do with the nut situation?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Honestly I would freak the hell out.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
Yeah, that's a good response. That's pretty normal. I think
that's pretty pretty spot on there. I'll tell you. I'll
tell you what I did. Doctor. I stepped on in
the platform and I froze like a statue. I'm like,
I don't want to move. I don't want to draw
attention to myself. What do I do? What do I do?
What do I do? The station's swirling around me, noises,
train announcements going off, people brushing past me, and the
(05:24):
stations a swirling a mess. It's mid after a rush hour.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Right, Wait, so I want to ask you. I just
had to.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
Ask you really quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
So so it really is true that if you lose
one of your senses that everything else becomes heightened.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
Well, I don't know who was heightened, but I could
do was listening, So I didn't have any other gauge
of what was going on in my world, right, so
I could just hear about being around me. Right, So
I'm just listening, like how am I going to get
out of this pickle? And after the longest treaming into
my life, my vision came back and I carried all
my day but the night there was hold on.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
You know, I got to stop you right there?
Speaker 5 (05:59):
All right?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
So you step off of the tube. You're standing there,
you're going blind. You go blind, and.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
You're trying to figure out what's going on around you
to try to make sense of everything, and so you
just pause and then for about three minutes you're trying
to figure out what is going on, and then your
vision returns and then you just move on with your life.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
I carried all my day, picked up a mic away
from a friend of mine, and then you did some
tasks and then I'm like, well, it's worshun I go
back to any Yeah, so I did. I went back
to you, and I said, a very responsible young man
and I stormed the day and he had told me,
you know, what the hell's going on here? I was
blinding that tube station in London. This is not normal.
Whatever you've diagnosed you with, it's not what I've got
(06:45):
because I couldn't see a damn thing. They ran some
more tests and again they thought it was verdigo. They
sent me home. On the way out, they told me
I could always get my eyes kept buying optometrist, which
I thought was rather weird. But I'm not a doctor,
so let's go. Would they recommend? The next day, the
heights were back with a vengeance. I wasn't blinded by
(07:05):
the headaches, but I could have. You know, the headaches
were so the pressure was so much in my head
I couldn't handle it. So you know, I'm gonna get
my eyes checked by an automatous mister Bettell was midway
through a routine exam when he stopped it, excuse him,
stuff in the room and comes back a few minutes
later with a steeled envelope, which he hands to me.
He told me to go directly to Morefield's eyes, for
which I did. Well, doctor, I'll tell a lie to
(07:27):
you just now. I stopped at home first to grab
a jack, reach a book by the child phone charge
of white teeth. Then I arrived Mortals Hospital handing the envelope.
They ran the same test there again, then escalated me
up to charing Cross Hospital. We're getting somewhere. I'm thinking,
this is positive, this is good. Now it turns out
I had a dangerous build of pressure my brain cost
(07:47):
my non cancerous system of pinut lust. The prevents my
brain drains and only would causing the pressure to build up.
And turns out our require emergency brains are tomorrow. Turns
out to change altogether. So after a frantic back and
forth with folks in Canada, the last text message my
(08:08):
my mom received reads, I'll assume Mom, I think I'll
have a new hair cuttings on, see you, love Dan.
Mom's in the airport on London, June twenty first, twenty fourteen.
On the operating table, something goes poorly wrong and I
have a massive lead in the brain. Brain hemmerh. The
fifth birth one nouns and finds them in critical condition.
(08:29):
Critical condition. I was in a coma for four weeks.
Wasn't any functions for months after this. Things are pretty dishy,
touch and go. When all of a sudden, I wasn't
going to walk, talk and smile again.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Wow, So you were excited about trying to go find
out what was going on with you when you got
the field envelope from the optometress, because I guess you
were like, okay, well maybe i'll make the leadway right,
am I right? And like you were like thinking, okay,
well maybe I'll finally get some real answers to these
headaches and what was going on?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Right?
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Like?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Is that what you were thinking? Especially?
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Yeah, well I figured like this looks like it's going
to be not like a casual visits of the doctor.
So let's go get some lunch, get a book, get
a phone charger, put us and supplies, and then go
and carry on my day. Right. So that's why I
stopped at home to get them food, right, And sure
enough I was there getting a battery of test. They
kept it pretty hash hash. What was happening was there overnight,
got transferred overnight to the hospital, and then you know,
(09:26):
communicating my mom over text and vibrant WhatsApp and all
this stuff. And then on the operating table, everything went
sideways and just you know, the fifth they think the
fifth exploded when they operated the pressure changed and that
caused a massive brain hemorrhage. And I was putting the
medically induced coma for four weeks and clinging to life.
They used ice blankets above and the long to keep
(09:47):
my core temperature down, it said the violent shivering family say,
it's horrible to watch. Hooked up to thirteen tubes and
hosed them on various things, give me medicine alarms. Constant
went off his blood pressure spect to heart rate too high.
They told my parents and family, like, look, he may
not make this. This is looking pretty die right now.
And I clung to life in a comba four weeks
(10:07):
and then woke up four weeks later to my mom,
dad and brother run the bed. I'm trying to talk,
but I can't talk because the vocal cords were fried
from the trade. Heydt me. They gave me to keep
me alive, So give me a pen and paper. They
give me a pen and paper and write down which
I'm sure there will that I could still think and
write the brains get the hell out of here, and
(10:30):
that point of my brother, you make this happen? And
what do you want me to do? Man? I couldn't
walk my leg at astreet in the coma. I would
sitch up the tubes and hoses. I said, a brain
hemorrhage with my first reactions like the hell out of
dogs just looks expensive and I don't want to be
in the hospital anymore. But needless to say, he did
not heed my request and I was in the hospital
for months after this.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
I mean, talk about the ultimate life jacked moment, Daniel,
I mean, seriously, you know I have a lot of
y on and talk about you know, these couple of
them are just minor inconveniences. A couple of the stories
are really tragic and traumatic like yours.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
But I tell you, you know, like you said, you
were living your dream life. You were doing whatever the
hell you wanted to do. You were over in Europe,
you were just living your life.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
You had a nice job, and you know, were able
to connect and network with people all over the world,
and just as just doing what you know you can
do at a twenty you know, at twenty something years old,
like exactly what we're supposed to do is just do
whatever you want and live your life. And as I
(11:36):
describe what life jacked is is that when it's an
unfortunate or unplanned event comes along and jacks with your life.
So ultimately you definitely were life jacked, like seriously, so
I have to ask you, you know, you say that
you have relied on perseverance and resilience or learn to
(11:57):
relearn rather basic life skills, because like you said, you
had to learn a smile again, learn to walk again,
learn to talk again when it was something that you
totally didn't expect, and things that you already learned how
to do up to twenty eight years of your life,
and now here you are you were having to do
it again, but now you're twenty eight having to do
(12:19):
it as opposed to over time when you had to
do it when you were younger. So like, how did
you like fix your mind to go through all of
this rehabilitation.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Yeah, well it's a very pertinent question because I mean,
it's wasn't something I chose to go through and not
something i'd recommend himone to go through myself. But I
quickly came to realization and look, you're you're still alive man.
And they didn't think you'd make it through the coma,
they didn't make it, make it the brand emerge, but
you're still alive, so you're not dead. Rights And I
quickly realized, like there's no point we're about why this
(12:55):
happened or you know what what I'm in this situation now,
this is my new parameter. Now this is excact since piece,
and you can choose to face this like you can
go through it or grow through its behind, Keith Sampson
SAIDs And like I quickly realized, like, you know, I've
got a lot if they give here still, and I
want to rehab as best they can. So I started
starting getting to work and you know, get that wheelchair
(13:16):
to forty five minutes to get into the first day.
Next week, get try to make it in forty, then
thirty five, then thirty and twenty five and then twenty
his full exercise send strained effort to get into a
wheelchair in forty five minutes. The next week, I tried
doing forty, and I slowly started rashing things up better
than yesterdays. And then I say, my my bio, but
(13:37):
like that's really what I used to harness my gritten
perseverance to kind of navigate through this, this this process,
and like it was difficult, arduous, strenuous, painful, like it
was everything right to get me talking again. The nurse
and the doctor told my parents, like he may not
be a talk again. His whole course look pretty frighten.
(13:58):
My parents are builds a little be dasty about me
about who Dan is outside the hospital when I was
in a coma, to kind of make me more of
a person, less of a blob on the bed, which
I thought was really helpful, to kind of make me
more I don't know if it helped the pay the
nurses and doctors and practitioners care for me, but it
made me more of a real person. She read my
file and she goes, oh, get Dan talking again. In
(14:18):
that file said Down was a big sportsmen. He played
lot of the sports played soccer, football, hockey. They cannot stand
so she goes, oh, I'll get them talking again. Took
me down in the park. There were some kids playing
football across the park, soccer across the bor. She goes, Dan,
those kids across the park, they don't think you're good
enough to talk, Dan, they don't think good enough to talk.
(14:40):
And I've found out pretty quickly that's a trigger for me,
and I yelled, and for fans across the park. I'll
spell you and your listener today. But it means to
say I found my motivation. Proven you wrong. As a
report of my bo he thought it was, you know, sportsman,
probably pretty competitive. And then she just ignited that and
fired me and let me run with it. But massive
st up on her side. But like it worked and
(15:01):
it was a harnessing moment for me to realize that
really motivates me. I want to share through but in
the hospital, learning to walk in if I'm met with
your group, is that okay?
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yeah, Well, give me just a moment. Let me ask
you a question and then we can get to that.
And it seems like you had an incredible support system
that surrounded you throughout this process. I mean, you know
you talked about your family, your parents, your brother, friends, doctors,
is a nurse right and even your employer Hoop Sweet,
which is you know spectacular that they.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
All played a critical role in your recovery.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
So yeah, can you share, you know, a specific story
in ways that you know support really helped you kind
of clamor back to your life.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Yeah, for sure, So WinCE, I shares. My friend Claria
Ferguson or Claaria Nash came visit me in in London
before she went to Scotland to the roof is it.
She came with me in Wilson Remson. I was in
a wheel shaw when she came out of as me
and Dan, you're recovering so well, You're trying so hard,
You're like doing so well, You're doing awesome. Yeah, I
can make it look like I'm trying hard, but I
(16:06):
knew I could try a bit harder. My vibe and
like I'm like I can, I can try harder, I
can give more. She went to Scotland for a week
and then she came back down on her way out
of the country. In that time, I started walking on
the zimmer frame on zoom frames at four post walking
you kind of lurched forward on. I wasn't walking unaided,
but I was walking without a wheelchair, which was phenomenal.
(16:27):
She goes, damn this. I wanted to throw her right.
Part of my motivating factory, proving you right, moving you wrong, massive,
massive motivating factors for me. But friends from threat, this
is from friends and family in the hospital. You know,
my job was phenomenal. They told them we got you.
Take your time, you get a job. When you come back,
(16:47):
We're gonna support you. They gave me my parents went
to visit the office. Gave him a swag bag and
all this free stuff. And I had food delivered to
the flat when my parents are riving. The free cell
phone the company to helped at them to make phone
calls back to mecuber. They went above and beyond to
make this work. And I got a lot to graduate
for that company. And you know, really chill douse values
as an employee as a person, and that's the poor
(17:10):
system is instamount Like in I can't put a price
on what they did from there. That bread so much
loyalty and compassion for the company for me, and I
want to pay them back for all that effort and
good faith they gave me. Well that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
I know.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Rebuilding after such a life altering event requires great courage
and determination, which obviously you have a lot of, because,
like you said, you found your triggers like don't tell
me I can't do something like which is awesome life.
That is just like a true athlete, I love it.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
So you know, when you think back.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
To your rehabilitation, what were some of the most significant
hurdles that you face and how did you overcome them?
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Good question, Well, that was probably first and foremost was
the most obvious thing to kind of combat and to address,
and that was to avoid the petty spiral, to avoid
the woesby mentality of it, why did this happen to
be and to kind of realize, like, you know, it's
not fair that it happened, but guess what's your responsible
and now to navigate this change and to get One
(18:18):
of the most simical things was I was in a
wheelchair for the first four months in this the operation
because leodaskon nick homa. The way they got me walking
again was they suggested I undergo this not experimental, a
new sort of treatment with an injection with botox in
the back of my leg, loosen at my knee, and
then it were splint every night to help stretch out
(18:40):
the leg muscle back to shape. And that botox injection
was aside with Samurai for what I swear to you,
so hude that wanted to improve it and to chase
this down. So we're the split in the first night, notion,
no stress, this will be easy. I thought this will
be easy, thinking it's not going to be easy out there.
The second night, we're the slim per. Twenty minutes painful,
(19:02):
thirty minutes was dreadful. Forty minutes is unbro buzz the
news clicking. Take the punch off my legs because I
can't handle the pain. But I caught her elf before
she left and I told her tomorrow we're doing this
for an hour. I'm a walker. I can handle the pain.
Big talk right. Third night, they wrap the left tie
it off of the ankle. They give me the click
(19:23):
of the nurse call button. They go patrol the wolfson
ward the wolf wars an no shape so short in
the side, long on the side, short on the side
and long on the side. You know that house room
that smells the only hoss room can smell it. They're
aized it's clean, but you want to went to her
trophy to make clinner. The guys that let me a
minute legs painful after thirty minutes, like past the clicker
(19:49):
back for trying to start off. Then the doctor I've
got dilevision from the brand dream. It means that he
threw everything in the world, which is quite distracting, dishorrington.
It means I can't see this going back and forth.
I'm kind of grow oping of this. And there's the
pain rat throws the more enthusiastic and neverly. I dropped
the clicker and I was in the hard little and
(20:10):
floor three and after dot remember, I say, and you
don't figgart look at the edge of the bed quickly
the line before looking back me. If forget that clicker,
I can stop this pain. I can end this monstrousity.
Only problem was a fall from that height might break
my arm. In fact, I forget about a fifty to
fifty chance of break. Marm a coin flip. Not the
(20:30):
best stots. I say, stat, I'm trying to untie the slim,
but it's tied up with the ankle, not at the head.
I can't reach out far down. I'm not that flexible.
Help fum yelling the ward the wolveson was anos of
right sword the side along on the side, but the
part in the war. They can't hum for help. I
decided to put the coin drop down and grab the colicker.
(20:53):
Even if I break marn, the spoon's gotta call my mind.
There's probably number one, two and three. I lowered myself
up the edge of the bed and I crashed down
the heap blankets of wires was an absolute yard sale
arm holes and I hammer the clicker, expecting the nurses
to take come burst in through them like the batslism
and put up. They kind of stroll in five minutes
(21:15):
flitter what you do on the floor of First of all,
I say, it's a pretty saxium there would you five
of them? Again? No, doctor, I didn't say that I
should the CT off of my leg. Please, I'll tell
you all about this is not what happens, see, but
how you respond to the matter is right. The reason
why I'm telling you stories I learned through lessons from
this comperimence. The first lesson, being probably most obvious, was
(21:36):
let's not pass the clicker, bry go forth, that's a
bad IDEA. Second lesson was to splint up at the hip,
not at the ankle. That way I can untie this
sh and just drop in the future. And the third
lesson and probably most found with us always the solutions
oriented from the small boards. One thing is you go sideways,
which sure as you're born they will. Let's focus on
a solution space approach. How do you resolve your issue?
(21:56):
How do you fix your problem? And backtrack from there.
That clicker was everything for me, come hell or how
water is getting that clicker, and I was willing to
risk break in the arm to get it because that
was so excruciatingly painful. I was willing to risk it,
which is probably a four movement hindsight. But arm didn't
break and I got the clicker off or I got
the clicker, so it worked out in the end. But
it was definitely rolled the dice, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Well getting one Trying to get the clicker, I can
see is one of the strategies that he used in rehabilitation,
and like you said, it wasn't fun, but it was
something you had to do. But you've also spoken about
using other tools through your recovery process. So what are
some strategies or life hack if you will, that you
have found to be the most effective in a recovery
(22:41):
process or a rehabilitation process such as yours.
Speaker 5 (22:46):
Yeah. Well, I've got a number of hacks to have
kind of created a necessity. One in London, I used
quote that was called icebreakers. So let me spell it
out for your group, because it's a bit confusing if
I don't explain it for your group. Icebreakers, So think
about an ice going through the Arctic right cracking the
ice in London. It's quite a buzy. See. Have you
been to London? Doctor? I have not. Okay, So London's
(23:09):
got some busy spots. It's, you know, pretty busy at
the time, like officer circus, pickle the circus or a
bloody circus that's for damature and walking in these situation
is quite strenuous and difficult. But if I can find
an icebreaker someone to walk behind, and I walk pretty
close behind them, they break the ice for me and
I can save bamwidth by letting them break the ice.
(23:30):
For me, I was half created after the brajury. Bending
on the Ponies another one that I used to love
doing on the tube. Bend on the Ponies is trying
to find someone who looks like they're getting off with
the stops ahead and position yourself to get the seats.
You can sit down sitting the tube that lots of
you were refreshed to recharge your battery and not strain
yourself too much by being able to wrap yourself. It
(23:51):
saves a lot of bandwidth and battery for other activities
you want to do. But I've had a big mortgagtine
that I follow every day doctor that I really you know,
I'm really anything, but doing that's that involves, you know,
waking up. Today I started doing a new routine. Well,
adding to it, I started to push up in the morning.
So he woke up preparis in business and and we
(24:13):
had to taken did them came? I can put up?
Did those and then I jumped in the shower and
the shower cooled. Why do I in the shower cold?
Will they say that don't mean that's released? And end
in the shower cold is equivalent to a bump of
copain and have a vacuity allegedly, of course, allegedly, but
(24:35):
it gives you a gidea up and go that you
can take on the day and have some struggle in
your vibe. I know you can do it. After this meditate,
get myself geared up full breakfast on the start of
the day. Every day is kind of similar. I gear
up the same way to allow myself to rebood and
recharge and take on the day. But by doing hard
stuff and ingrain that in my body, I know I
(24:57):
can do hard things. And you try building up this
evidence off that says you do what you say you
can to do. That cold shower is never the first
thing I want to do in the morning, but I
do it every morning because it's something hard to do.
By stacking these difficult tasks on top of each other,
you get to show yourself that you can do what
you say you're gonna do. Keeping promises to yourself is
(25:17):
the most important thing you can do. I've got a
new one that I've just created a little while ago.
I'll share with you. No, I swim, so I've some
prextacized most weeks, three times a week. Last week only
did twice because my past ran out for the month
and it's refreshed next week, which is cool. In the sauna. Right,
I'm in the sauna for maybe five ten minutes, sweat buckings.
(25:39):
It's getting hot, and I decide I'm not the next
one out of the sauna. In walks this middle aged lady,
Asian lady. She's how misiding. I'm like, oh, for sure,
all for sugar to beat here he goes into this
like yoga pose and starts breathing like a like a
(26:00):
like in these gold or something like this, and I'm like,
oh my goodness, what if I set myself up for
this is gonna be a failure for sure, And I'm
breathing heavy, I'm panty, but I'm not the next one
of the sauna. Because I've said this out loud, thankfully,
about five more people walk in, sit down. About three
minutes later, some one of them leaves and I can
leave behind them. But I wasn't the next one out
of the sauna. I made that proclamation to myself, and
(26:22):
I keep that promise to myself. I'm not the next
one on the sauna. Little things like that in the
day can help you navigate change and to show that
you do what you're sae you going to do. But
keep promise yourself is the most important thing. To keep
it too, because that's where waiting is done. If you
can do that and know you do that no matter what,
that's what you can overcome and foster resims.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
It's great advice. So follow someone that can be an
ice breaker for you. Bet On the pony in with
a cold shower. Now that's something that I do every morning,
so I can attest to that that that really does work.
It helps me get going on my day and meditate,
and I love that. I love that, like, and I
think that's what life is about, especially in the wake
(27:03):
of adversity, is you have to find those little life
hacks to keep you going. And I love that you
have the ones that you have now. I can't say
that change often begins with a shift in perspective, and
I love that you have shifted your perspective on how
you deal with life, like this is your normal and
you have embraced it wholeheardly and and I love and
(27:27):
I commend you for that. So how can someone listening
to this episode right now start changing their perspective to
ignite their resilience and tackle challenges more effectively.
Speaker 5 (27:39):
Well, I'm going to share a story with you about
how my perspective shift really occurred and how it allowed
me to see the delight side of things so well
through The up center used to be in Twoting Broadway
in South London. There they call up and coming, thank
c loud sirens, drugs, gangs, it's dirty, a technic boys
and busy walk with a ca and I'm walking an
(28:00):
eye patch after four months in a whel chair, I'm
lily baby on nice. Then the portant to walk on
the high Street for the first time, immediately get slammed
into myself, bag your back, of your deep Someone's scurious
passing on the r hand side. I thought I was
down the rest. Someone had been stabbed on the sidewalk
over here. I'm thinking this is a pretty wild place
(28:21):
in her walk. After a few days, I was thinking,
this is the worst place on her walk in the world.
Can't they see him trying to walk here? Can't they
see him trying here? And then one to my perspective change,
maybe it's the worst place on her walk in the world,
and maybe this is the best. If I can walk here,
I can walk anywhere. The team broughtway didn't change right
(28:45):
and went from the worst to the best. In my
mind that I reflected that what are you looking on
your lefe You're convinced to the worst, convinced that's the worst? Hey,
maybe it is. Can find a way to turn down
the suck a little bit ship that perspective, little bit iron.
Mike Tyson famously said, everyone's got a plan till they
get punched in the mouth. Now, your punch may not
(29:07):
be a brain image right, facts will be a job
loss to break up diagnosis for you will loved one.
You won't take that punch the mouth, I respond, I'm
offering a compass, don't. I'm out with a compass. It
always points towards to look at things like mindset, perspective
and hands at a team in this day morning. My
(29:27):
name is Dana Queen. And the reason why I told
you so we're willing to walk into Broadway. It's when
you change the way you look at the world, it
will look at changes and you don't need a brain
hemorrhage understand that. So I hear that throw with the
group to kind of understand how this unlocked my mind
and I realized, you know, if I were to design
(29:48):
a place to teach you how to walk in the world,
but I want to be easy and without stripe and struggle. No,
I wanted to be tough and challenging. That mindset. Ship
from the worst you know the best. Maybe look forward
to my walks bumping to be crashed aastly good on.
If I can walk here, I can walk anywhere. The
reframing stuff in your vibe and your in your life
is so so important for this the worst know the best,
(30:10):
And that made all the difference, because then I look
forward to my walks, the strife, to struggle, the strain
like it. It was making me better, like bring this on?
Why me trying me? Like, let's go. I want to
get going with this. And I've taken that lesson and
cascaded that into my life with everything. You know. I
lost my job two years ago from Hootsweet, part of
a corporate restructuring. Lost my job, part of the wrong
(30:32):
side of the threadsheet, lost my job. I was talking
to my brother, he goes Dan, knowing you just be
a minor hiccup, And it was because I've been able
to shorten the time to acceptance. Acceptance is the most
important step to navigating change and adversity. Now that slaps
for real, because acceptance is like, you know my story
and this is I'm not going to accept this. Hey,
(30:55):
that's fine, you keep doing you. I'm telling you from
a point of fact, you cannot imp something less you
accept it. I've got a new feel that I'm working
on now called triple A framework Acknowledge, accept and adapt.
Let me walking through the process here. So acknowledge. That's
the head. Hey, Dan, you had a brain memorrhage being
told this, you know, on the bed. I was a
(31:15):
bit of a stun gun and didn't really really understand this,
but I acknowledge it. Accept is the heart. This is
where the real acceptance occurs. You got to kind of
feel it on it and just realize this is your
new parameters. And then there was adapt and this is
the empowerment piece. How are you going to adapt to
fit your new parameters after you accept it? If you
walk to acknowledge, acceptant, adapt, you can navigate change and
(31:37):
navigate adversity and any sort of capacity. But the acceptance piece,
the heart piece, is so key because you got to
really feel it. You got to really believe it, and
you got to navigate and adapt to it to make
through these difficult things. And that can be anything. That
can be the job, loss of breakup, but a car accident,
a school issue like there's something like that's going to happen.
(31:58):
But if you can follow that framework, you can navigate
a change and effectively kill me.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
The said, Wow, I love that you said acceptance is
the most important step to navigating adversity. That is so true,
and I think it's absolutely fantastic that you do have
this framework that you are developing.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
It's truly fantastic. Thank you, Dan.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Your story is a testament to the power of the
human spirit and the incredible potential we have to rebuild
and rise stronger than before.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Thank you so much for sharing your journey.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
On this episode today and for inspiring countless others to
be hashtag better than yesterday to our listeners tuning in.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
I hope Daniel's.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Words have sparked a new perspective on resilience and how
to harness it in the face of adversity. Remember the
tools and strategies are within your reach, and every step
forward is a step towards achieving your goals. So, Daniel,
how can listeners find and connect with you?
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Yeah? Thank you so much, doctor, So Queen Dan m
ac qu e n dan dot com and I'm a
Queen Dan across the socials and you can inquire there
as the speaking stuff or listen to me on podcasts
or follow me Instagram, go for there and go for broke.
Thanks for your time, doctor.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Yes, do you have any last words of encouragement for
the listeners?
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Better than yesterday is what you want to accomplish and achieve.
I'm having a tough time. Okay, be better than yesterday.
Do you know? I used to walk for blocks in London,
walk for you know, one block, two blocks, two blocks,
four blocks. I ramp it up, practice things up. Better
than yesterday is what I adhere to and I preach
so better than Yesterday's what I give you group.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Wow, Dan, thank you again. I just want to wish
you and your family nothing but blessings and abundance. Thank
you for being a guest.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Please take care, appreciate you Daniel McQueen.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Everyone be sure to join me next time for more
uplifting stories and insights on resilience.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Until then, keep pushing forward.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Embrace the journey and remember that every setback can lead
to a greater comeback.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
Doctor Rogue signing off.
What do you do when your entire world turns upside
down when the path you were walking so confidently is
suddenly gone. At twenty eight, living a vibrant, active life,
our guest Today Daniel McQueen, found himself faced with that
very question. After an eye appointment turned into an urgent
(00:23):
trip to the hospital.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Dan's life changed in the blink of an eye.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
On June twenty first, twenty fourteen, a brain hemorrhage forced
him into a battle for survival, a journey through emergency
brain surgery, a coma, and months in rehabilitation. In the
face of overwhelming odds, Dan discovered that there is nothing
(00:48):
like a brain injury to refocus the mind and rethink
what truly matters.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
With great resilience and.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
The unwavering support of friends, family, and a caring medical team,
Dan not only reclaimed his life, but crackted a powerful
message of hope and strength that he shares with audiences worldwide.
His strategies to be hashtags better than Yesterday remind us
(01:17):
of the untapped potential within each of us to overcome, rebuild,
and emerge stronger than ever. Join me as we dive
into Dan's inspiring story on life Jack The Resilience Podcast,
where insight meets the fortitude and be prepared to change
your perspective.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Sometimes life gives us lemons, Sometimes it gives us lemonade.
Other signs, it gives us something entirely out of left
field that makes us say w t F. But no
matter what obstacles come, there is most often a way
out on the other side.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
And we are once again victorious. My name is doctor
Room and you are listening to my podcast about resilience.
Every guest shares a tragedy to triumph story to give
listeners like you the inspiration to push through every single day.
(02:22):
Listen now as my next guest shares how they.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Were like Jack, Hi, Dan, welcome, Thank you so much
for being a guest on my show.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (02:35):
I'm bray Well, thank you. I got to get my
introductions going forward. That was pretty pretty damn good.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well I try.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I mean, your guest number eighty five, and I love
my show and I love doing this, so it's time
I try to make it better than the last.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
I'm hyped. I'm hype let's do this absolutely not Dan.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
For those who may not know you, please tell us
a bit about you and your life before everything went awry.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Sure, So I just finished a master's in Sweden. I
did leadership for sustainability in Malmo, Sweden, a gorgeous part
in southern Malmo. It was free for me because I've
got a European passport. So I found this little hack
where if you can get free education in Scandinavia if
you got a European passport. So I decided, you know what,
let's do that. Got a master's in Sweden, travel around
the world and decided, you know, let's keep this party
(03:23):
going and you're a bit longer. So I moved to London, England.
So moved to London in twenty twenty one. I'd say
or no sorry twenty twenty eleven two Toy twelve and
got a job in tech working for a company called
hoot suite SO, a social media management company. I worked
as an implementation specialist, so training clients on the platform.
(03:46):
I worked at a mia so Europe, Middle East and Africa,
so thank clients in Saudi Arabia in the morning too,
Italianos in Milano, Italy in the afternoon, and then a
client in like the interior of the London in the afternoon.
So quite a wide variety of clients and a good experience.
And I started having these headaches. You know that worked,
You know, I missed the day of work, went to
get my eyes checked, or went to the hospital. They
(04:08):
thought it was subvertigal. They sent me home on the
way up there, told me I could I was get
my eyes checked by an optometrist. Right, so I think
that's much about this. I'm like, all right, let's pick
the autumatic vertical medication on the tube. One day. The
tubes hey zig zagger around London, lumbering towards none hill
Gate tube station on the District line. It's a slow
(04:28):
roll the best of times. Headaches were so bad my
visions started to go sorry, and I thought start bull.
They started to fade to black. It was a race
if you could rip the station first, me or the blindness.
I arrived at nine hill Gate tube station, stepped onto
the platform and mind the gap and the lights went out.
(04:50):
I couldn't see a thing. I was blind. So I
want to ask you, doctor, you're my shoes, what would
you do with the nut situation?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Honestly I would freak the hell out.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
Yeah, that's a good response. That's pretty normal. I think
that's pretty pretty spot on there. I'll tell you. I'll
tell you what I did. Doctor. I stepped on in
the platform and I froze like a statue. I'm like,
I don't want to move. I don't want to draw
attention to myself. What do I do? What do I do?
What do I do? The station's swirling around me, noises,
train announcements going off, people brushing past me, and the
(05:24):
stations a swirling a mess. It's mid after a rush hour.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Right, Wait, so I want to ask you. I just
had to.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
Ask you really quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
So so it really is true that if you lose
one of your senses that everything else becomes heightened.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
Well, I don't know who was heightened, but I could
do was listening, So I didn't have any other gauge
of what was going on in my world, right, so
I could just hear about being around me. Right, So
I'm just listening, like how am I going to get
out of this pickle? And after the longest treaming into
my life, my vision came back and I carried all
my day but the night there was hold on.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
You know, I got to stop you right there?
Speaker 5 (05:59):
All right?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
So you step off of the tube. You're standing there,
you're going blind. You go blind, and.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
You're trying to figure out what's going on around you
to try to make sense of everything, and so you
just pause and then for about three minutes you're trying
to figure out what is going on, and then your
vision returns and then you just move on with your life.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
I carried all my day, picked up a mic away
from a friend of mine, and then you did some
tasks and then I'm like, well, it's worshun I go
back to any Yeah, so I did. I went back
to you, and I said, a very responsible young man
and I stormed the day and he had told me,
you know, what the hell's going on here? I was
blinding that tube station in London. This is not normal.
Whatever you've diagnosed you with, it's not what I've got
(06:45):
because I couldn't see a damn thing. They ran some
more tests and again they thought it was verdigo. They
sent me home. On the way out, they told me
I could always get my eyes kept buying optometrist, which
I thought was rather weird. But I'm not a doctor,
so let's go. Would they recommend? The next day, the
heights were back with a vengeance. I wasn't blinded by
(07:05):
the headaches, but I could have. You know, the headaches
were so the pressure was so much in my head
I couldn't handle it. So you know, I'm gonna get
my eyes checked by an automatous mister Bettell was midway
through a routine exam when he stopped it, excuse him,
stuff in the room and comes back a few minutes
later with a steeled envelope, which he hands to me.
He told me to go directly to Morefield's eyes, for
which I did. Well, doctor, I'll tell a lie to
(07:27):
you just now. I stopped at home first to grab
a jack, reach a book by the child phone charge
of white teeth. Then I arrived Mortals Hospital handing the envelope.
They ran the same test there again, then escalated me
up to charing Cross Hospital. We're getting somewhere. I'm thinking,
this is positive, this is good. Now it turns out
I had a dangerous build of pressure my brain cost
(07:47):
my non cancerous system of pinut lust. The prevents my
brain drains and only would causing the pressure to build up.
And turns out our require emergency brains are tomorrow. Turns
out to change altogether. So after a frantic back and
forth with folks in Canada, the last text message my
(08:08):
my mom received reads, I'll assume Mom, I think I'll
have a new hair cuttings on, see you, love Dan.
Mom's in the airport on London, June twenty first, twenty fourteen.
On the operating table, something goes poorly wrong and I
have a massive lead in the brain. Brain hemmerh. The
fifth birth one nouns and finds them in critical condition.
(08:29):
Critical condition. I was in a coma for four weeks.
Wasn't any functions for months after this. Things are pretty dishy,
touch and go. When all of a sudden, I wasn't
going to walk, talk and smile again.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Wow, So you were excited about trying to go find
out what was going on with you when you got
the field envelope from the optometress, because I guess you
were like, okay, well maybe i'll make the leadway right,
am I right? And like you were like thinking, okay,
well maybe I'll finally get some real answers to these
headaches and what was going on?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Right?
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Like?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Is that what you were thinking? Especially?
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Yeah, well I figured like this looks like it's going
to be not like a casual visits of the doctor.
So let's go get some lunch, get a book, get
a phone charger, put us and supplies, and then go
and carry on my day. Right. So that's why I
stopped at home to get them food, right, And sure
enough I was there getting a battery of test. They
kept it pretty hash hash. What was happening was there overnight,
got transferred overnight to the hospital, and then you know,
(09:26):
communicating my mom over text and vibrant WhatsApp and all
this stuff. And then on the operating table, everything went
sideways and just you know, the fifth they think the
fifth exploded when they operated the pressure changed and that
caused a massive brain hemorrhage. And I was putting the
medically induced coma for four weeks and clinging to life.
They used ice blankets above and the long to keep
(09:47):
my core temperature down, it said the violent shivering family say,
it's horrible to watch. Hooked up to thirteen tubes and
hosed them on various things, give me medicine alarms. Constant
went off his blood pressure spect to heart rate too high.
They told my parents and family, like, look, he may
not make this. This is looking pretty die right now.
And I clung to life in a comba four weeks
(10:07):
and then woke up four weeks later to my mom,
dad and brother run the bed. I'm trying to talk,
but I can't talk because the vocal cords were fried
from the trade. Heydt me. They gave me to keep
me alive, So give me a pen and paper. They
give me a pen and paper and write down which
I'm sure there will that I could still think and
write the brains get the hell out of here, and
(10:30):
that point of my brother, you make this happen? And
what do you want me to do? Man? I couldn't
walk my leg at astreet in the coma. I would
sitch up the tubes and hoses. I said, a brain
hemorrhage with my first reactions like the hell out of
dogs just looks expensive and I don't want to be
in the hospital anymore. But needless to say, he did
not heed my request and I was in the hospital
for months after this.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
I mean, talk about the ultimate life jacked moment, Daniel,
I mean, seriously, you know I have a lot of
y on and talk about you know, these couple of
them are just minor inconveniences. A couple of the stories
are really tragic and traumatic like yours.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
But I tell you, you know, like you said, you
were living your dream life. You were doing whatever the
hell you wanted to do. You were over in Europe,
you were just living your life.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
You had a nice job, and you know, were able
to connect and network with people all over the world,
and just as just doing what you know you can
do at a twenty you know, at twenty something years old,
like exactly what we're supposed to do is just do
whatever you want and live your life. And as I
(11:36):
describe what life jacked is is that when it's an
unfortunate or unplanned event comes along and jacks with your life.
So ultimately you definitely were life jacked, like seriously, so
I have to ask you, you know, you say that
you have relied on perseverance and resilience or learn to
(11:57):
relearn rather basic life skills, because like you said, you
had to learn a smile again, learn to walk again,
learn to talk again when it was something that you
totally didn't expect, and things that you already learned how
to do up to twenty eight years of your life,
and now here you are you were having to do
it again, but now you're twenty eight having to do
(12:19):
it as opposed to over time when you had to
do it when you were younger. So like, how did
you like fix your mind to go through all of
this rehabilitation.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Yeah, well it's a very pertinent question because I mean,
it's wasn't something I chose to go through and not
something i'd recommend himone to go through myself. But I
quickly came to realization and look, you're you're still alive man.
And they didn't think you'd make it through the coma,
they didn't make it, make it the brand emerge, but
you're still alive, so you're not dead. Rights And I
quickly realized, like there's no point we're about why this
(12:55):
happened or you know what what I'm in this situation now,
this is my new parameter. Now this is excact since piece,
and you can choose to face this like you can
go through it or grow through its behind, Keith Sampson
SAIDs And like I quickly realized, like, you know, I've
got a lot if they give here still, and I
want to rehab as best they can. So I started
starting getting to work and you know, get that wheelchair
(13:16):
to forty five minutes to get into the first day.
Next week, get try to make it in forty, then
thirty five, then thirty and twenty five and then twenty
his full exercise send strained effort to get into a
wheelchair in forty five minutes. The next week, I tried
doing forty, and I slowly started rashing things up better
than yesterdays. And then I say, my my bio, but
(13:37):
like that's really what I used to harness my gritten
perseverance to kind of navigate through this, this this process,
and like it was difficult, arduous, strenuous, painful, like it
was everything right to get me talking again. The nurse
and the doctor told my parents, like he may not
be a talk again. His whole course look pretty frighten.
(13:58):
My parents are builds a little be dasty about me
about who Dan is outside the hospital when I was
in a coma, to kind of make me more of
a person, less of a blob on the bed, which
I thought was really helpful, to kind of make me
more I don't know if it helped the pay the
nurses and doctors and practitioners care for me, but it
made me more of a real person. She read my
file and she goes, oh, get Dan talking again. In
(14:18):
that file said Down was a big sportsmen. He played
lot of the sports played soccer, football, hockey. They cannot stand
so she goes, oh, I'll get them talking again. Took
me down in the park. There were some kids playing
football across the park, soccer across the bor. She goes, Dan,
those kids across the park, they don't think you're good
enough to talk, Dan, they don't think good enough to talk.
(14:40):
And I've found out pretty quickly that's a trigger for me,
and I yelled, and for fans across the park. I'll
spell you and your listener today. But it means to
say I found my motivation. Proven you wrong. As a
report of my bo he thought it was, you know, sportsman,
probably pretty competitive. And then she just ignited that and
fired me and let me run with it. But massive
st up on her side. But like it worked and
(15:01):
it was a harnessing moment for me to realize that
really motivates me. I want to share through but in
the hospital, learning to walk in if I'm met with
your group, is that okay?
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yeah, Well, give me just a moment. Let me ask
you a question and then we can get to that.
And it seems like you had an incredible support system
that surrounded you throughout this process. I mean, you know
you talked about your family, your parents, your brother, friends, doctors,
is a nurse right and even your employer Hoop Sweet,
which is you know spectacular that they.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
All played a critical role in your recovery.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
So yeah, can you share, you know, a specific story
in ways that you know support really helped you kind
of clamor back to your life.
Speaker 5 (15:46):
Yeah, for sure, So WinCE, I shares. My friend Claria
Ferguson or Claaria Nash came visit me in in London
before she went to Scotland to the roof is it.
She came with me in Wilson Remson. I was in
a wheel shaw when she came out of as me
and Dan, you're recovering so well, You're trying so hard,
You're like doing so well, You're doing awesome. Yeah, I
can make it look like I'm trying hard, but I
(16:06):
knew I could try a bit harder. My vibe and
like I'm like I can, I can try harder, I
can give more. She went to Scotland for a week
and then she came back down on her way out
of the country. In that time, I started walking on
the zimmer frame on zoom frames at four post walking
you kind of lurched forward on. I wasn't walking unaided,
but I was walking without a wheelchair, which was phenomenal.
(16:27):
She goes, damn this. I wanted to throw her right.
Part of my motivating factory, proving you right, moving you wrong, massive,
massive motivating factors for me. But friends from threat, this
is from friends and family in the hospital. You know,
my job was phenomenal. They told them we got you.
Take your time, you get a job. When you come back,
(16:47):
We're gonna support you. They gave me my parents went
to visit the office. Gave him a swag bag and
all this free stuff. And I had food delivered to
the flat when my parents are riving. The free cell
phone the company to helped at them to make phone
calls back to mecuber. They went above and beyond to
make this work. And I got a lot to graduate
for that company. And you know, really chill douse values
as an employee as a person, and that's the poor
(17:10):
system is instamount Like in I can't put a price
on what they did from there. That bread so much
loyalty and compassion for the company for me, and I
want to pay them back for all that effort and
good faith they gave me. Well that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
I know.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Rebuilding after such a life altering event requires great courage
and determination, which obviously you have a lot of, because,
like you said, you found your triggers like don't tell
me I can't do something like which is awesome life.
That is just like a true athlete, I love it.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
So you know, when you think back.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
To your rehabilitation, what were some of the most significant
hurdles that you face and how did you overcome them?
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Good question, Well, that was probably first and foremost was
the most obvious thing to kind of combat and to address,
and that was to avoid the petty spiral, to avoid
the woesby mentality of it, why did this happen to
be and to kind of realize, like, you know, it's
not fair that it happened, but guess what's your responsible
and now to navigate this change and to get One
(18:18):
of the most simical things was I was in a
wheelchair for the first four months in this the operation
because leodaskon nick homa. The way they got me walking
again was they suggested I undergo this not experimental, a
new sort of treatment with an injection with botox in
the back of my leg, loosen at my knee, and
then it were splint every night to help stretch out
(18:40):
the leg muscle back to shape. And that botox injection
was aside with Samurai for what I swear to you,
so hude that wanted to improve it and to chase
this down. So we're the split in the first night, notion,
no stress, this will be easy. I thought this will
be easy, thinking it's not going to be easy out there.
The second night, we're the slim per. Twenty minutes painful,
(19:02):
thirty minutes was dreadful. Forty minutes is unbro buzz the
news clicking. Take the punch off my legs because I
can't handle the pain. But I caught her elf before
she left and I told her tomorrow we're doing this
for an hour. I'm a walker. I can handle the pain.
Big talk right. Third night, they wrap the left tie
it off of the ankle. They give me the click
(19:23):
of the nurse call button. They go patrol the wolfson
ward the wolf wars an no shape so short in
the side, long on the side, short on the side
and long on the side. You know that house room
that smells the only hoss room can smell it. They're
aized it's clean, but you want to went to her
trophy to make clinner. The guys that let me a
minute legs painful after thirty minutes, like past the clicker
(19:49):
back for trying to start off. Then the doctor I've
got dilevision from the brand dream. It means that he
threw everything in the world, which is quite distracting, dishorrington.
It means I can't see this going back and forth.
I'm kind of grow oping of this. And there's the
pain rat throws the more enthusiastic and neverly. I dropped
the clicker and I was in the hard little and
(20:10):
floor three and after dot remember, I say, and you
don't figgart look at the edge of the bed quickly
the line before looking back me. If forget that clicker,
I can stop this pain. I can end this monstrousity.
Only problem was a fall from that height might break
my arm. In fact, I forget about a fifty to
fifty chance of break. Marm a coin flip. Not the
(20:30):
best stots. I say, stat, I'm trying to untie the slim,
but it's tied up with the ankle, not at the head.
I can't reach out far down. I'm not that flexible.
Help fum yelling the ward the wolveson was anos of
right sword the side along on the side, but the
part in the war. They can't hum for help. I
decided to put the coin drop down and grab the colicker.
(20:53):
Even if I break marn, the spoon's gotta call my mind.
There's probably number one, two and three. I lowered myself
up the edge of the bed and I crashed down
the heap blankets of wires was an absolute yard sale
arm holes and I hammer the clicker, expecting the nurses
to take come burst in through them like the batslism
and put up. They kind of stroll in five minutes
(21:15):
flitter what you do on the floor of First of all,
I say, it's a pretty saxium there would you five
of them? Again? No, doctor, I didn't say that I
should the CT off of my leg. Please, I'll tell
you all about this is not what happens, see, but
how you respond to the matter is right. The reason
why I'm telling you stories I learned through lessons from
this comperimence. The first lesson, being probably most obvious, was
(21:36):
let's not pass the clicker, bry go forth, that's a
bad IDEA. Second lesson was to splint up at the hip,
not at the ankle. That way I can untie this
sh and just drop in the future. And the third
lesson and probably most found with us always the solutions
oriented from the small boards. One thing is you go sideways,
which sure as you're born they will. Let's focus on
a solution space approach. How do you resolve your issue?
(21:56):
How do you fix your problem? And backtrack from there.
That clicker was everything for me, come hell or how
water is getting that clicker, and I was willing to
risk break in the arm to get it because that
was so excruciatingly painful. I was willing to risk it,
which is probably a four movement hindsight. But arm didn't
break and I got the clicker off or I got
the clicker, so it worked out in the end. But
it was definitely rolled the dice, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Well getting one Trying to get the clicker, I can
see is one of the strategies that he used in rehabilitation,
and like you said, it wasn't fun, but it was
something you had to do. But you've also spoken about
using other tools through your recovery process. So what are
some strategies or life hack if you will, that you
have found to be the most effective in a recovery
(22:41):
process or a rehabilitation process such as yours.
Speaker 5 (22:46):
Yeah. Well, I've got a number of hacks to have
kind of created a necessity. One in London, I used
quote that was called icebreakers. So let me spell it
out for your group, because it's a bit confusing if
I don't explain it for your group. Icebreakers, So think
about an ice going through the Arctic right cracking the
ice in London. It's quite a buzy. See. Have you
been to London? Doctor? I have not. Okay, So London's
(23:09):
got some busy spots. It's, you know, pretty busy at
the time, like officer circus, pickle the circus or a
bloody circus that's for damature and walking in these situation
is quite strenuous and difficult. But if I can find
an icebreaker someone to walk behind, and I walk pretty
close behind them, they break the ice for me and
I can save bamwidth by letting them break the ice.
(23:30):
For me, I was half created after the brajury. Bending
on the Ponies another one that I used to love
doing on the tube. Bend on the Ponies is trying
to find someone who looks like they're getting off with
the stops ahead and position yourself to get the seats.
You can sit down sitting the tube that lots of
you were refreshed to recharge your battery and not strain
yourself too much by being able to wrap yourself. It
(23:51):
saves a lot of bandwidth and battery for other activities
you want to do. But I've had a big mortgagtine
that I follow every day doctor that I really you know,
I'm really anything, but doing that's that involves, you know,
waking up. Today I started doing a new routine. Well,
adding to it, I started to push up in the morning.
So he woke up preparis in business and and we
(24:13):
had to taken did them came? I can put up?
Did those and then I jumped in the shower and
the shower cooled. Why do I in the shower cold?
Will they say that don't mean that's released? And end
in the shower cold is equivalent to a bump of
copain and have a vacuity allegedly, of course, allegedly, but
(24:35):
it gives you a gidea up and go that you
can take on the day and have some struggle in
your vibe. I know you can do it. After this meditate,
get myself geared up full breakfast on the start of
the day. Every day is kind of similar. I gear
up the same way to allow myself to rebood and
recharge and take on the day. But by doing hard
stuff and ingrain that in my body, I know I
(24:57):
can do hard things. And you try building up this
evidence off that says you do what you say you
can to do. That cold shower is never the first
thing I want to do in the morning, but I
do it every morning because it's something hard to do.
By stacking these difficult tasks on top of each other,
you get to show yourself that you can do what
you say you're gonna do. Keeping promises to yourself is
(25:17):
the most important thing you can do. I've got a
new one that I've just created a little while ago.
I'll share with you. No, I swim, so I've some
prextacized most weeks, three times a week. Last week only
did twice because my past ran out for the month
and it's refreshed next week, which is cool. In the sauna. Right,
I'm in the sauna for maybe five ten minutes, sweat buckings.
(25:39):
It's getting hot, and I decide I'm not the next
one out of the sauna. In walks this middle aged lady,
Asian lady. She's how misiding. I'm like, oh, for sure,
all for sugar to beat here he goes into this
like yoga pose and starts breathing like a like a
(26:00):
like in these gold or something like this, and I'm like,
oh my goodness, what if I set myself up for
this is gonna be a failure for sure, And I'm
breathing heavy, I'm panty, but I'm not the next one
of the sauna. Because I've said this out loud, thankfully,
about five more people walk in, sit down. About three
minutes later, some one of them leaves and I can
leave behind them. But I wasn't the next one out
of the sauna. I made that proclamation to myself, and
(26:22):
I keep that promise to myself. I'm not the next
one on the sauna. Little things like that in the
day can help you navigate change and to show that
you do what you're sae you going to do. But
keep promise yourself is the most important thing. To keep
it too, because that's where waiting is done. If you
can do that and know you do that no matter what,
that's what you can overcome and foster resims.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
It's great advice. So follow someone that can be an
ice breaker for you. Bet On the pony in with
a cold shower. Now that's something that I do every morning,
so I can attest to that that that really does work.
It helps me get going on my day and meditate,
and I love that. I love that, like, and I
think that's what life is about, especially in the wake
(27:03):
of adversity, is you have to find those little life
hacks to keep you going. And I love that you
have the ones that you have now. I can't say
that change often begins with a shift in perspective, and
I love that you have shifted your perspective on how
you deal with life, like this is your normal and
you have embraced it wholeheardly and and I love and
(27:27):
I commend you for that. So how can someone listening
to this episode right now start changing their perspective to
ignite their resilience and tackle challenges more effectively.
Speaker 5 (27:39):
Well, I'm going to share a story with you about
how my perspective shift really occurred and how it allowed
me to see the delight side of things so well
through The up center used to be in Twoting Broadway
in South London. There they call up and coming, thank
c loud sirens, drugs, gangs, it's dirty, a technic boys
and busy walk with a ca and I'm walking an
(28:00):
eye patch after four months in a whel chair, I'm
lily baby on nice. Then the portant to walk on
the high Street for the first time, immediately get slammed
into myself, bag your back, of your deep Someone's scurious
passing on the r hand side. I thought I was
down the rest. Someone had been stabbed on the sidewalk
over here. I'm thinking this is a pretty wild place
(28:21):
in her walk. After a few days, I was thinking,
this is the worst place on her walk in the world.
Can't they see him trying to walk here? Can't they
see him trying here? And then one to my perspective change,
maybe it's the worst place on her walk in the world,
and maybe this is the best. If I can walk here,
I can walk anywhere. The team broughtway didn't change right
(28:45):
and went from the worst to the best. In my
mind that I reflected that what are you looking on
your lefe You're convinced to the worst, convinced that's the worst? Hey,
maybe it is. Can find a way to turn down
the suck a little bit ship that perspective, little bit iron.
Mike Tyson famously said, everyone's got a plan till they
get punched in the mouth. Now, your punch may not
(29:07):
be a brain image right, facts will be a job
loss to break up diagnosis for you will loved one.
You won't take that punch the mouth, I respond, I'm
offering a compass, don't. I'm out with a compass. It
always points towards to look at things like mindset, perspective
and hands at a team in this day morning. My
(29:27):
name is Dana Queen. And the reason why I told
you so we're willing to walk into Broadway. It's when
you change the way you look at the world, it
will look at changes and you don't need a brain
hemorrhage understand that. So I hear that throw with the
group to kind of understand how this unlocked my mind
and I realized, you know, if I were to design
(29:48):
a place to teach you how to walk in the world,
but I want to be easy and without stripe and struggle. No,
I wanted to be tough and challenging. That mindset. Ship
from the worst you know the best. Maybe look forward
to my walks bumping to be crashed aastly good on.
If I can walk here, I can walk anywhere. The
reframing stuff in your vibe and your in your life
is so so important for this the worst know the best,
(30:10):
And that made all the difference, because then I look
forward to my walks, the strife, to struggle, the strain
like it. It was making me better, like bring this on?
Why me trying me? Like, let's go. I want to
get going with this. And I've taken that lesson and
cascaded that into my life with everything. You know. I
lost my job two years ago from Hootsweet, part of
a corporate restructuring. Lost my job, part of the wrong
(30:32):
side of the threadsheet, lost my job. I was talking
to my brother, he goes Dan, knowing you just be
a minor hiccup, And it was because I've been able
to shorten the time to acceptance. Acceptance is the most
important step to navigating change and adversity. Now that slaps
for real, because acceptance is like, you know my story
and this is I'm not going to accept this. Hey,
(30:55):
that's fine, you keep doing you. I'm telling you from
a point of fact, you cannot imp something less you
accept it. I've got a new feel that I'm working
on now called triple A framework Acknowledge, accept and adapt.
Let me walking through the process here. So acknowledge. That's
the head. Hey, Dan, you had a brain memorrhage being
told this, you know, on the bed. I was a
(31:15):
bit of a stun gun and didn't really really understand this,
but I acknowledge it. Accept is the heart. This is
where the real acceptance occurs. You got to kind of
feel it on it and just realize this is your
new parameters. And then there was adapt and this is
the empowerment piece. How are you going to adapt to
fit your new parameters after you accept it? If you
walk to acknowledge, acceptant, adapt, you can navigate change and
(31:37):
navigate adversity and any sort of capacity. But the acceptance piece,
the heart piece, is so key because you got to
really feel it. You got to really believe it, and
you got to navigate and adapt to it to make
through these difficult things. And that can be anything. That
can be the job, loss of breakup, but a car accident,
a school issue like there's something like that's going to happen.
(31:58):
But if you can follow that framework, you can navigate
a change and effectively kill me.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
The said, Wow, I love that you said acceptance is
the most important step to navigating adversity. That is so true,
and I think it's absolutely fantastic that you do have
this framework that you are developing.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
It's truly fantastic. Thank you, Dan.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Your story is a testament to the power of the
human spirit and the incredible potential we have to rebuild
and rise stronger than before.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Thank you so much for sharing your journey.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
On this episode today and for inspiring countless others to
be hashtag better than yesterday to our listeners tuning in.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
I hope Daniel's.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Words have sparked a new perspective on resilience and how
to harness it in the face of adversity. Remember the
tools and strategies are within your reach, and every step
forward is a step towards achieving your goals. So, Daniel,
how can listeners find and connect with you?
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Yeah? Thank you so much, doctor, So Queen Dan m
ac qu e n dan dot com and I'm a
Queen Dan across the socials and you can inquire there
as the speaking stuff or listen to me on podcasts
or follow me Instagram, go for there and go for broke.
Thanks for your time, doctor.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Yes, do you have any last words of encouragement for
the listeners?
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Better than yesterday is what you want to accomplish and achieve.
I'm having a tough time. Okay, be better than yesterday.
Do you know? I used to walk for blocks in London,
walk for you know, one block, two blocks, two blocks,
four blocks. I ramp it up, practice things up. Better
than yesterday is what I adhere to and I preach
so better than Yesterday's what I give you group.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Wow, Dan, thank you again. I just want to wish
you and your family nothing but blessings and abundance. Thank
you for being a guest.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Please take care, appreciate you Daniel McQueen.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Everyone be sure to join me next time for more
uplifting stories and insights on resilience.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
Until then, keep pushing forward.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Embrace the journey and remember that every setback can lead
to a greater comeback.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
Doctor Rogue signing off.
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