AUTOGRAPHED - Been Dead, Never Been To Europe: My Recovery From The Widowmaker Heart Attack And The Brain Injury That Came With It

"Did you see a light?" is a common question asked of those who have been dead. No one ever asks, "How did it feel?"

Let me tell you how it feels.

Jon Johnston was an active, healthy adult when he dropped dead suddenly of a widowmaker heart attack. He was not expected to live, after being dead for more than 20 minutes, but if he did survive, his brain would forever be damaged due to oxygen deprivation.

Alternating between humor, sadness, and anger at his body’s betrayal, Jon takes us with him as he puts his life back together. At the beginning, he sees the trauma as a minor inconvenience and expects a speedy recovery. As he realizes the damage to his heart is permanent, he is hit with another setback when he is diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, leaving him with memory loss, debilitating headaches, and a loss of identity. Tasks that had been trivial had become onerous endeavors, and his life became an unexpected challenge.

Been Dead, Never Been to Europe offers a real-life view of what it takes to rebuild after a devastating event, to accept an unexpected present and future, and to discover a new identity.

Been Dead, Never Been to Europeis a powerful memoir that lays everything bare. If you like extraordinary experiences, laughing through tragedy, and remarkable tenacity, then you’ll love Jon Johnston’s story of a life blown up.