Logan Reid
Drew Magary, an American journalist, humor columnist, podcast host, and novelist, suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2018. He fell and hit his head at a work party, fracturing his skull and causing a severe brain bleed. Magary was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery, which included drilling holes into his skull to stop the bleeding and drain the fluid buildup. He spent time in a medically-induced coma and faced challenges during his recovery, including changes in his personality and behaviour. Magary has since written about his experience in his memoir, The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life with Brain Damage.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for hospitalisation | Traumatic brain injury |
| Date of hospitalisation | December 2018 |
| Cause of injury | Fall |
| Location of fall | Karaoke club |
| Nature of fall | Collapsed, vomited, bled, and slurred |
| Misdiagnosis | Doctors initially dismissed Magary as drunk |
| Surgery | Emergency surgery involving holes drilled into the skull to stop bleeding and drain fluid buildup |
| Coma | Medically-induced |
| Recovery | Lost 30 pounds in 2 weeks |
| Side effects | Loss of hearing, taste, smell, and memory |
| Book | "The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life with Brain Damage" |
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What You'll Learn
Drew Magary's brain injury and subsequent recovery
On a December night in 2018, Drew Magary, an American journalist, suffered a severe brain injury. Magary had been at a work party in a karaoke bar in New York City when he fell and hit his head. He was alone in a dim hallway when he fell, but his colleague, Jorge Corona, heard a "thud" and saw him on the floor. Magary's colleagues, including his boss Megan Greenwell, and her husband, internist David Heller, rushed him to the hospital. Initially, paramedics and doctors believed he was drunk and wanted to send him home. However, Greenwell and Heller advocated for a closer examination, and eventually, a CT scan revealed that Magary had suffered a subdural hematoma, or a severe brain bleed. He was then rushed to another hospital for emergency surgery, where doctors drilled holes into his skull to stop the bleeding and drain the fluid buildup. Magary was in a medically induced coma for almost two weeks following the surgery.
During his recovery, Magary experienced various side effects and challenges. He lost his sense of taste and smell, some of his memory, and thousands of dollars due to medical expenses. He also became unpredictable and cranky, which affected his relationships with his family. Magary's wife tried to shield their children from what was happening, but they eventually noticed a change in his behaviour. In addition, Magary struggled with his mental health, experiencing mood swings and lashing out at those close to him.
To cope with the aftermath of his injury, Magary sought therapy and began examining his thoughts and behaviours. He also wrote a memoir, "The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life with Brain Damage," in which he chronicled his injury and recovery process. Magary has been open about the impact of his injury on his life and has shared his experiences living with a disability. Despite the challenges, he has maintained his sense of humour and self-deprecating style, even poking fun at himself during his recovery.
Throughout his recovery, Magary received support from his readers and followers, who reached out to him when news of his accident spread. He also credits therapy and what he calls "best practices" for helping him manage the mental and emotional fallout from his injury. While Magary has made significant progress, he acknowledges that his life has been forever changed by the injury and that he has had to accept a "new normal".
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The fall that led to his hospitalisation
In December 2018, Drew Magary suffered a severe brain injury after a fall at a work party. Magary, who was alone in a dim hallway at the time, fell and hit his head, fracturing his skull in three places. The injury caused a subdural haematoma, or severe brain bleed, and required emergency surgery. Magary was intubated and sent to another hospital for surgery, where doctors drilled holes into his skull to stop the bleeding and drain the fluid buildup. He was then placed in a medically induced coma for almost two weeks.
Magary's fall was witnessed by his Deadspin co-worker, Jorge Corona, who sensed a "thud" and turned to see Magary on the floor. Magary's colleagues, including editor-in-chief Megan Greenwell and her husband, internist Dr David Heller, rushed him to the hospital. However, the paramedics and hospital staff initially dismissed Magary as drunk, and it was only due to Greenwell's insistence that he received a CT scan, which revealed the severity of his injury.
The surgery involved removing a piece of Magary's skull, draining the blood, and relieving the pressure on his brain. He also lost his sense of hearing in one ear, as well as much of his sense of taste and smell, some of his memory, and thousands of dollars. Magary's recovery was challenging, and he experienced mood swings, sensitivity, and irritability. He underwent therapy and examined his thoughts and behaviours, working to become more self-aware and improve his relationships with his family.
Magary has since written about his experience in his memoir, "The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life with Brain Damage," detailing his injury, recovery, and life after brain damage. He has also discussed the impact of the fall on his writing and how it affected his frame of mind, although he maintains that his ability to write remained intact.
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The undiscovered cause of his injury
In December 2018, Drew Magary suffered a severe brain injury after collapsing and fracturing his skull at a work party. He was initially dismissed as drunk by paramedics and doctors, but it was later discovered that he had a subdural hematoma, or a severe brain bleed, and required emergency surgery. Magary himself has accepted that he may never know the exact cause of his injury.
One theory is that Magary hit his head on the wall while falling and then hit it again on the floor, causing injuries to both the front and back of his head. Another theory is that he had an undiscovered condition, such as a brain tumor, that caused him to fall. However, surgery did not reveal any underlying conditions.
The injury and subsequent recovery had a significant impact on Magary's life. He lost his sense of taste and smell, some of his memory, and thousands of dollars. He also experienced changes in his personality, becoming more cranky and unpredictable, which affected his relationships with his family.
In his book, "The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life with Brain Damage," Magary chronicles his journey and the challenges he faced. He also discusses the impact of the injury on his writing, stating that while his ability to write remained intact, he was not in the right frame of mind for a while.
Despite the uncertainties surrounding the cause of his injury, Magary has shown gratitude for the support he received during his recovery and for the opportunity to connect with others who have experienced similar traumatic brain injuries.
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Magary's delusions while in the hospital
In December 2018, Drew Magary suffered a severe brain injury. He had a fall at a work party, fracturing his skull and causing a brain hemorrhage. Magary was intubated and underwent emergency surgery, which included holes being drilled into his skull to stop the bleeding and drain the fluid buildup. He was then placed in a medically induced coma for almost two weeks.
During his recovery, Magary experienced several delusions. He believed that the hospital was on rails and shuttled regularly between New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. When his father came to visit him, Magary was convinced that his father had flown to Los Angeles, while his father insisted they were in New York. Magary also believed that a celebrity chef had been killed at the same bar where he had bashed his skull and that he was a person of interest in the chef's death.
In addition to his delusions, Magary experienced other challenges during his hospitalization. He mentions how he lost 30 pounds in two weeks and had to learn to feed himself again. He also writes about how his wife tried to shield their children from what was happening, but there were times when the reality of his condition broke through to them. Magary's parents visited him regularly, bringing food and walking him around the ward. However, he also mentions how he avoided showering during his final week in the hospital, much to his wife's displeasure.
Magary also discusses the side effects of brain surgery, including the fear among visitors that his brain could explode again at any moment. He mentions how no one listened to him when he insisted that he was fine, and everyone wanted to keep the windows open despite his preference for them to be closed. He also describes an incident where he got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and was startled by a caring attendant who suddenly appeared in his room.
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The impact of his injury on his family
Drew Magary, a popular American journalist, humor columnist, podcast host, and novelist, suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2018. Magary fell and smashed his skull in three places while at a work party, which led to a severe brain hemorrhage. He was in a medically induced coma for almost two weeks, and his life hung in the balance.
The impact of his injury extended beyond his professional life and significantly affected his family. Magary's wife, Garine, played a crucial role in his recovery process. She shielded their children from the full extent of his condition and tried to protect them from the initial news and developments. She also had to manage his erratic behaviour, such as his delusions and hallucinations, which caused him to believe that the hospital was on rails, travelling between different cities. Garine even had to take his phone away from him at one point to prevent him from tweeting his hallucinations.
Magary's parents were also deeply involved in his recovery, visiting him daily and staying for hours, bringing food, and walking with him around the hospital ward. However, Magary's injury and subsequent changes in his behaviour put a strain on his relationships, especially with his children. He acknowledged that he had a short fuse and became unpredictably cranky, to the point where his children began to fear him. Magary's injury and the subsequent changes in his personality and behaviour caused him to reflect on his role as a father, and he expressed a desire to improve and adjust to his new circumstances.
The injury also had financial implications for Magary and his family, with him mentioning the loss of thousands of dollars. Additionally, his wife had to manage their finances while he was hospitalised, as seen in her Christmas gift of a bottle of nice booze.
In the months following his injury, Magary experienced heightened sensitivity and mood swings, which affected his interactions with his family. He lashed out at those close to him and struggled with his new reality. However, he eventually sought therapy and worked on becoming more self-aware, which helped him manage his relationships and adjust to his new life.
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Frequently asked questions
Magary suffered a severe brain hemorrhage after collapsing at a work party in December 2018. He fractured his skull and tore through the inner ear on the right side of his head, causing a brain bleed.
Magary was intubated and underwent emergency surgery, which involved drilling holes into his skull to stop the bleeding and drain the fluid buildup. He was placed in a medically induced coma for almost two weeks and lost 30 pounds in that time.
Yes, Magary's life was forever changed due to the injury. He lost hearing in one ear, his sense of taste and smell, parts of his memory, and experienced mood swings and irritability. Magary also wrote about his recovery and living with a traumatic brain injury in his book, "The Night the Lights Went Out."
