My life changed abruptly on the last day of 2013 (New Year’s Eve). I was on a bike ride with a friend when a car crashed into me head-on. The force of the impact threw me over the car, and my lungs were severely damaged when I hit the road with my back first. That was the start of a whole new chapter in my life.

With a blood oxygen saturationBlood Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) The oxygen saturation (SpO2) of a person's blood is defined as a percentage of the maximum amount (100%) of oxygen it can transport. A healthy person's SpO2 percentage should be between 96% and 99%. - Source: What is oxygen saturation (SpO2)? What is the normal range for SpO2??. Retrieved 11 November 2022, from ihealthlabs.com of 60%, they believed I wouldn’t make it through the night. Miracle has it that Sp02 was up at 84% the following day, and I was still very much alive.

A patient in a coma in the intensive care unit of a hospital.
A silent hello from the ICU. The boy is fighting for his life.

I spent the first 17 days of my hospital stay under close observation and in an artificial coma in the intensive care unit (ICU). During that time, my body weight dropped from 75 kg before the accident to a mere 59 kg. I’ve never heard of faster weight loss: 15 kg in 17 days!

After 17 days in a coma, I was so weak I couldn’t even lift a spoon to feed myself. Let alone walk or sit unsupported.

While my lungs were gradually healing, I followed a training program to gain back strength and basic functionalities for daily life (like walking).

The first time I could walk to the toilet and do my business without help was a moment of immense joy. Let me tell you, after such an experience, you become incredibly humble and begin to appreciate the trivial.

  • A man lying on the road next to a car. People staring at him in shock.
    Moments after the accident. I survived the crash through sheer luck.
  • Obviously, it was quite a bang. Look at the damage on the car. My bike and I caused that dent.
  • A damaged mountain bike lying on the road.
    The impact of the crash destroyed my mountain bike.
  • A patient in a coma in the intensive care unit of a hospital.
    A silent hello from the ICU. The boy is fighting for his life.
  • A man in an intensive care bed showing a V sign with his left hand.
    Victory! Death is defeated (for now).
  • I used every opportunity to practice walking.
  • A man dressed in hospital clothes walking down a long corridor.
    He can walk again! Every morning, I did a walk up and down the hospital corridor.
  • A man in hospital clothes standing on a treadmill.
    After weeks of rehab, finally better days. The boy is able to walk on the treadmill.

The doctors restored my health, but my lungs and ribcage are permanently damaged and restrict my breathing.

I regained my shape and some fitness during the following months through consistent endurance and strength training. However, running should always be an issue. I could only run for a few short minutes before I had to stop and gasp for air. Luckily, cycling went fine.

This experience was a close brush with death, and I have valued my life and the people close to me much more ever since.

I am convinced that this accident started the health troubles that led to all subsequent malicious situations, culminating in CTEPHChronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension CTEPH is short for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, a rare form of high blood pressure in the lungs caused by blood clots or narrowed blood vessels. High blood pressure in the lungs is often also called pulmonary hypertension.. – For a comprehensive timeline of events, please refer to this page.

There is more to the story, but that’s it in short.