You had your first traumatic brain injury when you were 8. How did that happen?
I was playing tag with a classmate in Central Park when she accidentally crashed into me. I fell and hit my head against a metal sprinkler. At first the doctors thought I had a concussion, but a CT scan revealed that I had an epidural hematoma [an accumulation of blood between the skull and the outermost membrane of the brain]. Doctors said that without immediate surgery, I would have had only hours to live.
Your second injury was 24 years later, in 2013. What were the circumstances?
It was New Year's Eve in New York City. I was holding the door of an apartment building open for a friend when a stranger approached me. He tried talking to me and then smashed my head against a wall and pushed me down the stairs. My friend found me at the bottom of the steps, unresponsive. She administered CPR and called an ambulance. I was rushed to Bellevue Hospital and had surgery for two hematomas on the right side of my brain. Doctors had to remove part of my skull to ease the pressure from the swelling of my brain. I ended up having five brain surgeries while I was in a coma for 22 days. When I finally came to, I couldn't walk, talk, or breathe on my own.
As a result of that injury, you experienced aphasia, an inability to speak or understand language. How did you deal with that?
After my time in Bellevue, I was transferred to Mount Sinai for rehabilitation. It was two months before I said my first word, which was “Mom.” I used my smartphone to communicate in the beginning. When I finally moved back to my apartment, I had whiteboards in almost every room. My mother moved in with me, and an aide came every day to help me get around. I had intensive speech therapy at an aphasia rehabilitation center. Before my injury, I had been a writer and editor at Vogue and ELLE magazines. After my injury, I was a writer without words.
What else helped during your recovery?
I visited museums and libraries and wrote down the names of artists and paintings. I became obsessed with Girl Before a Mirror, a painting by Pablo Picasso. I also began taking pictures, laying them out on a table, then rearranging them and making collages. Once I was able to read, I dove into books. I read The Great Gatsby, then watched the movies, then researched F. Scott Fitzgerald on the internet. I still struggle to find the right words, but I'm always working to improve.
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You've had a total of 13 brain surgeries. When was your last operation?
In 2015, I had a PEEK [polyetheretherketone] implant to reconstruct my skull. Two earlier implants—my first PEEK and a titanium mesh—failed when my body rejected them.
Giving back is important to you. In what ways have you done that?
I've returned to Bellevue to visit people with brain injuries. I share my story and let them know recovery is possible. One of the patients I saw was from London. Her daughter was visiting and needed a place to stay, so I invited her to move into my apartment for a few months. One time I asked my friend David Blaine, the magician, to come and perform for some patients.
What are you working on now?
I have several projects underway, including a book and a documentary, and I continue to make collages and work on my aphasia. I recently moved to Long Island, where the salt air, boating, and my new dog help me stay positive.
