Journalist, Miles O’Brien considers losing his arm following an accident was ‘mind-boggling’!
- PBS Correspondent says ‘its mind-blogging’ to lose his arm in an accident he got.
- However, he said positively that he will not let the amputated limb harm his daring lifestyle.
According to him, he says that being a science and space guru, he did not think an equipment case that fell on his arm was anything to worry about because of the dangers he regularly faces.
Miles O’Brien, a positive thinker
There is no doubt that PBS science correspondent, Miles O’Brien is a courageous and determined person.
Despite losing his arm in an accident, he did not give up but stayed positive to work even harder. It seems as if he has no fear of any risk he suffers in his day-to-day work.
“When I think about the risky things I’ve done in my life — jumping out of airplanes, flying airplanes, scuba diving — the fact that a heavy equipment case could take my arm was mind-boggling. But it’s acute compartment syndrome, which is a build up of the sheathing inside your tissue, inside your limb, and it causes the blood know to stop and that’s why I got in trouble.”
Though the accident caused a nasty bruise, it didn’t cause enough to stop Miles O’Brien from working. He wanted to finish his stories and escape for a few days on a beach because of which his pain increased the following night and he sought medical attention.
He said:
‘I had never lost an arm before. I wasn’t sure how that would go.’
Two weeks later, after amputation, he wrote in a blog post by typing it with one hand taking the help of a voice recognition software:
‘Life is all about playing the hand that is dealt you. Actually, I would love somebody to deal me another hand right about now — in more ways than one.’
Miles O’Brien was not the type of person who reached out for help. He wanted to prove to himself that he could move forward and still do his job. He was trying to prove that he can maintain his active life beyond work even with some missteps.
He had started running but losing an arm affected his balance and he had taken some nasty spills. He even broke his nose at a time when he reached to break his fall with an arm that we already amputated.
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Miles O’Brien’s accident
Though the accident Miles O’Brien went through, was a minor accident but it caused a huge problem in his life. The accident fell on him during his trip to the Philippines in February 2014.
This trip was after reporting on the Fukushima plant in Japan. The accident left a nasty bruise that eventually left him feeling numb in his hand.
Doctors diagnose Miles O’Brien with ‘acute compartment syndrome’. Acute compartment syndrome is a condition that causes blocked blood flow. This syndrome forced doctors to amputate part of O’Brien’s left arm.
However, Miles O’Brien kept the ordeal a secret from his friends and family until he healed. He admitted that it was an experience to learn how to deal with a painful phantom limb sensation weeks later.
The therapy had helped to suffer some of the pain. But his work including making sure his report on the nuclear power plant meltdown aired in time for the third anniversary of the disaster, has gotten him through the worst of it.
He said:
“I think I’m still on adrenaline.”
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Short Bio on Miles O’Brien
Miles O’Brien is an American journalist for CNN. He is also a producer and director. He is specialized in science, technology, and aerospace. He was the first reporter in space as he was trained with NASA.
