Harold Holder

Please Leave the Lights On: an Incredible Story of Recovering from Traumatic Brain Surgery Harold Holder

Business tycoon, Marine, husband, father, pilot; Harold Holder nearly had his life extinguished by a silent monster building within his skull. Originally misdiagnosed as bacterial pneumonia, Holder?s actual injury and ensuing surgery carry a mortality rate of more than 50%. His neurosurgeon would later tell him it was the worst he had ever seen. Compiled from a detailed journal that physical therapists encouraged Holder to write throughout his recovery, Please Leave the Lights On is a story of dramatic recovery fueled by personal drive and desire. Waking up immobile on a hospital bed deep within the Intensive Care Unit, Holder struggled to determine how much of his mental function remained post-surgery. Unable to test his physical abilities, he exercised his mental capacity by running cherished memories through his mind, attempting to remember specific names, places and dates. On the brink of death, Holder fought to regain his health during turbulent economic times when crooked bankers and lawyers threatened to take advantage of his injury and dismantle his empire. One incremental step at a time, Holder began to make progress in restoring his health, his business and his life?proving that recovery is possible even under the most trying circumstances.