PORT ANGELES — Megan Timothy believes the most important thing in life is never to lose hope.
The 68-year-old author and former actor knows this first hand.
Timothy’s brain “exploded” in a massive stroke in September 2003. The only word she could say was “chicken.”
Although her prospects for recovery were dire, Timothy kept her hope up and made a stirring comeback:
She wrote two books since the stroke and, in 2006, rode a bicycle 12,000 miles around the country.
“Once you lose hope, I don’t what else you can put in its place,” she said.
Timothy is scheduled to give a talk about brain injuries Tuesday at the Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. Seventh St., at 10 a.m.
She plans to show a 20-minute DVD about her recovery, then open it up for questions.
Timothy said she will answer all questions in a frank and “no holds barred” discussion.
“It’s such a common thing these days, recovering from stroke,” Timothy said.
“People don’t want to talk about it. It scares them.”
Friends called Timothy insane for even considering the 12,000-mile bicycle ride.
“The main thing was to prove to myself that I was whole again, internally,” Timothy said.
“I wanted to know I had the capacity to accomplish such a trip even though I couldn’t read street signs.”
Timothy finished the trip in about eight months and is planning more adventures.
Timothy wrote the book, 12,000 Miles for Hope’s Sake, after her bicycle trip. It was her second effort since the stroke that she suffered at age 63.
She wrote Let Me Die Laughing! Waking from the Nightmare of a Brain Explosion in 2005. She credits the long and arduous writing process for helping her heal.
“I wrote that book in my head every day,” Timothy said.
“By the end of the year, I could write really primitive words, one by one.”
Timothy had major surgery after she suffered from an affliction called arterialvenous malformation, which is basically a short-circuit of the blood vessels.
The first year of Timothy’s recovery was fast. She relearned the English alphabet and regained much of her speech.
Like many who have suffered from brain injuries, Timothy tends to make big strides before reaching a long plateau.
“I’m still improving, but admittedly its slower,” said Timothy, who has regained nearly all of her thinking and writing skills but still struggles to read.
Timothy appeared in several films in the late 1960s, including the 1969 Elvis Presley movie “Charro!” in an uncredited part.
She went on a USO tour in Southeast Asia, was a Playboy Bunny, owned and operated a bed and breakfast inn, wrote screenplays and has always been physically active.
Timothy, who grew up in Africa, has been staying with a friend at Lake Sutherland.
She has a website with information on her recovery at www.megantimothy.com.
After a speaking appearance in London this June, Timothy plans to learn French and walk 1,100 miles along a pilgrims’ trail through France and Northern Spain.
“I think it will be a grand journey,” she said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
