A dear friend of ours is a patient in a rehabilitation facility as he recovers from a stroke. The stroke occurred in an area of his brain that has to do with mobility. He has lost much of his ability to control the right side of his body from the shoulder down. Fortunately, the bleeding in his brain was minimal, allowing him to make a relatively quick recovery in terms of thinking, memory, speech, and facial expression. His therapy includes exercises that have the two sides of his body mirror each other. For example, he places his hands together and presses them from left to right, then from right to left. At first, he could only go one direction, but now he can go in both directions. He is slowly regaining his ability to move his thumb and fingers on his right hand. His therapy is hard work, and he is diligent in his exercises.

As he recovers, a race is underway at his home. His husband is working with contractors to complete the remodeling of their home, making it more accessible. Their home is an older building, and some of the remodeling is extensive, involving extensive work on plumbing, electrical systems, and construction. The work is being rushed with the hope that construction will be completed before our friend is discharged from the rehabilitation facility.

Meanwhile, we can visit and share our friendship. That friendship includes acknowledgment of his recovery and adjustment to the challenges of disability. Furthermore, we have gained a great deal of insight into his medical history. I am not a doctor, and I do not know all the technical details, but as has been the case when I have visited others, I have learned a great deal about the complexity, beauty, and resilience of the human body. We human beings are a fantastic combination of strength and vulnerability.

Our friend had a brain condition known as AVM. That is short for Arteriovenous Malformation. I can’t seem to remember the extended version and have to look it up to get the spelling correct. It is a rare condition that occurs in only about 1 in every 100,000 people. An AVM is a tangle of blood vessels in which arteries and veins make direct connections without the typical capillaries connecting the vessels. This results in high blood pressure from arteries flowing directly into veins, which do not usually receive high-pressure blood. Our friend’s condition had been diagnosed before his stroke, so doctors had MRIs and other clinical evidence about what was going on. He was receiving specialized treatment, but before the stroke, it was felt that a surgical remedy was not an option because of the location of the AVM.

Before his stroke, our friend’s symptoms included headache, numbness, dizziness, and occasional seizures. These were being treated with medication. Careful monitoring of his blood pressure and medicines for blood pressure were also part of his treatment.

I don’t know all of the details, but the AVM and the stroke are related. When the stroke occurred, the AVM floated slightly away from the surface of the brain, allowing surgeons to remove it. The procedure was very delicate, lasting 9 hours. He then had to remain sedated in the operating room for an additional period of time for special monitoring and control of his blood pressure as his brain adjusted to all of the changes. The surgery was successful, and the slow process of recovery began. After five weeks of hospitalization, he was released to rehabilitation, so he can now receive care close enough to home for us to visit.

Among the amazing things we have learned from this friendship is more about how the human brain works. Not only are human brains capable of surviving a condition such as an AVM, but they are also capable of learning enough about how brains work for surgeons to train and remove the AVM in a manner that allows the patient’s brain to continue functioning.

We humans take pride in our brains. While it may be hubris, we have been led to believe that our brains distinguish us from all other life on earth. We acknowledge that there are other intelligent animals, and some researchers question whether certain animals, such as dolphins, are as intelligent or even more intelligent than humans.

Our complex and capable brains, however, may not be the best thing for our planet. Human activity has caused an incredible amount of damage to our planet. For example, human activity is responsible for species extinction at a rate that rivals the impact of an asteroid hitting the Earth. We are on track to become more destructive than an asteroid when it comes to the loss of biodiversity. Human intelligence has been detrimental to the planet and the animals that inhabit it, including humans. It is now clear that human activity is capable of rendering this planet incapable of sustaining human life.

Our friend’s remarkable recovery, however, is a source of profound hope for me. If human brains are capable of devising techniques and treatments for significant problems within the brain of another human, it seems we might have the capacity to reverse and rectify some of the damage that we’ve caused to others and to this world. If our friend’s brain is capable of recovery from an AVM and a stroke, perhaps this planet is capable of recovery from human environmental destruction.

On the one hand, I am sorry that our friend had to suffer a stroke. Bleeding in the brain is a serious matter, and recovery is a difficult process. On the other hand, being with our friend is a powerful source of hope for me. I feel deeply grateful that I can visit him and learn from his experience. I am awed by observing his recovery. I am so thankful for his friendship.

I know that there are many difficult days for him. I know that it is hard for him to be patient with himself and the pace of recovery. I hope that the community of his friends will continue to support and encourage him. We are all growing through his journey. I need to be sure to tell him how grateful I am.