recoveryafterstroke.com<\/a> where you can download a guide that will help you. It’s called seven questions to ask your doctor about your stroke. These seven questions are the ones Bill wished he’d asked when he was recovering from a stroke, they’ll not only help you better understand your condition, they’ll help you take a more active role in your recovery, head to the website. Now, recoveryafterstroke.com and download the guide, it’s free.<\/p>\nBill Gasiamis 31:49
\nThere’s a time to heal the rest to recuperate and give yourself space. Now’s the time like give yourself the opportunity, the permission to do that. Now I know that it still gets in the way of your work, your time, your deadline, the kind of person that you were all those things change. But you’ve got to change your identity with this stroke thing that’s happened to you.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 32:10
\nAnd if people have a very small description of themselves, when you meet somebody at a party, and say, what do you do? And they say, I’m an accountant, and you don’t get anything else from them. All they say is I’m an accountant. And then say they have a stroke and they can’t do numbers. And they don’t identify as anybody other than the accountant, then their identity is gone immediately.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 32:34
\nIf they’re not, I’m an accountant. And I’m somebody who enjoys walks, bike rides, I’m a father I’m this I’m that I’m whatever, if they are just an accountant. They’re going to struggle with who they are, they’re going to have those questions of like, I can’t do numbers now. So what am I what use am I how am I going to operate in this world, and then they have to reinvent themselves and find themselves. \\<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 33:01
\nBut they have to do that while they’re recovering from a brain injury. That’s hard. And adding reinventing yourself into brain injury recovery. And all the other stuff that goes with it, like it’s a big task, and it takes a while and the effort is huge. And the fatigue kicks in and the interruptions kick in because of the appointments and the scans and all the stuff that we’ve got to do to make sure that we’re okay and that everything has been sorted. And it’s like, far out. This could take awhile.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 33:32
\nThat’s interesting that you say that too. Because, you know, whenever you meet someone, and usually the first thing people bring up is well, what do you do? You know, I do this as if like, that’s the most prominent, like definitive aspect of someone is their career. And you’re right, like when you have like a sense of identity crisis, when you tie yourself so heavily to your career or like your wealth, different kind of superficial factors that most humans attach to.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 34:12
\nSo when you lose the ability to do those things, for example, with me, the first thing that which is crazy people think that I’m crazy for this line of thought that first and foremost I have a five-year-old son who has cerebral palsy. And excuse me, that was the biggest concern that I had in my mind is my ability to take care of him.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 34:37
\nAnd that’s a real concern. The second thing was, I was so terrified to lose my career. And it was not it was like this is my sense of identity. There was actually an article posted about me and Daily Star The one other quotes that I gave someone was, I was joking that I would have to do certain activities are right handed. Because I couldn’t use my right hand, I couldn’t use my mouth in my line of work, that’s a huge deal.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 35:16
\nBut to lose that I was so afraid to do it. And that’s why I went back to work two and a half weeks out of the hospital, when I should not have, but I did it because I was so fearful of not being able to do it. I did it so that I could show myself that I can still do it. Or I was curious to see if I could. And I can, but still, in my mind, I’m not the same person when I show up to do things. It’s like, numb and in a sense.<\/p>\n
What’s Happening Underneath – Misha Montana Stroke<\/h3>\n
\nMisha Montana 35:55
\nAnd I have to it’s like, you know, when you’re pumping the train full of coal, and it’s just running 100 miles an hour, no one sees that part. They just think it’s running smoothly. When you know, it’s about to fall off the tracks. Like, nobody sees what’s happening underneath the hood of everything. So that’s kind of where I was out. It was like, I’m trying to maintain this facade of, you know, some semblance of normalcy, and it just wasn’t, it’s not working at some point.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 36:32
\nBecause you can’t, you can only hold up that illusion for so long. And then, when it does, the curtain finally falls, it’s messy. And then people think, you know, what is wrong with this girl or is she have a full blown mental breakdown, it’s like, because of what had happened nine months prior. But nobody links those two things together at that point, because it was so far in the past.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 37:02
\nYeah. They don’t join the dots. But also, you’re not forthright in coming to them with information about how your last nine months have been, you know, you’re withholding as much information as you can, so that you can appear normal, so you can go back to work. And they’re trying to connect the dots. And they’re going, she was back to work a couple of weeks later. And now nine months later, she’s saying that this is going, how could that possibly be? She wouldn’t have been back to work by then.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 37:37
\nAnd then it’s like, they’re all confused. They don’t know about stroke. And they don’t know about all of the psychological challenges that you’re going through to convince people you’re okay. And that you can still perform and that you can still be professional, and you can still do all these things. You’re playing this, you’re putting on this facade. And then people get caught out nine months later going, Wow, she never made it appear as though there was any issues. And I’m not intelligent enough or I don’t know enough about stroke to be able to pick up that it was a facade, they’ve got no idea.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 38:18
\nYeah, I really don’t think that people. I mean, most people don’t have the ability to look that far into it with other people too where they take things at surface value. Like if I tell you that I’m okay. Most people are gonna be like, okay, cool.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 38:36
\nEspecially when you first see them in the morning. How are you? Good. And that’s it, we move on.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 38:43
\nYeah, everything’s great. But it’s not like everything’s perfect all the time. Right?<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 38:49
\nAnd nobody ever says, I’m having a really shit day or the stroke is really messing with me today. You know, and I’m stuffed because the other person on the other end of the conversation, when they ask you, how are you they actually just want to hear good so they can move on.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 39:04
\nThey don’t wanna hear anything other than that. You know what, actually, let me tell you, how my day is. They’d be appalled. Because yeah, it’s like that. It’s just kind of disingenuous, like I have to ask you how you’re doing.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 39:25
\nAnd they will never ask anyone ever again. If somebody says to him, you know, my stroke did this and I’ve had that and this. They’ll never ask anybody ever again.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 39:35
\nNo. Never, never, never again.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 39:41
\nSo what happened with your son when you were in hospital and how long did you spend in hospital?<\/p>\n
Misha Montana Parenting And Having A Stroke<\/h3>\n
Misha Montana 39:45
\nI was in the hospital for five days. I’m a single mom. I take care of my son exclusively. When I travel, thank God, my parents watch him. So when I was traveling and this particular incident, he was not with me. But that was like the hardest part about it, too, was being away from him for a week, and he has no idea what is going on.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 39:45
\nAnd I didn’t want him to come to the hospital as much as that thought crosses your mind, where it’s like, should I have him come to the hospital? Like, what if I die? But then, I answered that question, in my own mind with, I wouldn’t want him to see me in the hospital. As far as he was concerned, I went to work, which I typically do travel.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 40:51
\nAnd then I just might not have come back. So and it was COVID, like, the restrictions at that point, were really, really severe. So I can only have one person come in a day anyway. But I just didn’t that environment is like, especially for children. I remember having to go to my parents are making me go to the hospitals see my grandmother in the hospital, and it’s just traumatic, and awful.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 41:18
\nIt’s not even like I mean one, it’s seeing them in that situation. And you know, the gown and like, it’s really just like, not the best way to remember someone. So I decided not need to have him come. But thankfully, you know, my parents took care of him. But that was the biggest thing on my mind the whole time was, I mean, if I have a serious brain injury, and at that point, like, my whole face was completely gone.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 41:44
\nThey put me on a swallowing restriction. Because of the neurological damage. They didn’t know if I could swallow solid food. So how am I supposed to take care of a special needs child when his father doesn’t support him or myself? In any way? I’ve never asked for child support. I’ve never, you know, nothing custody-handled stuff.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 42:12
\nSo I have 100% custody of him. There’s no one else that can care for him. But me. So that’s again, where mortality comes into play. Because it makes me like it turns the microscope on to your situation. And be like, well, if I hit my best tomorrow, that’s the same thing. Like what would happen then? So you start looking at it more intensely than I think like you would if you didn’t have such an event happened.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 42:43
\nYou didn’t before right? You didn’t before that you didn’t consider it before the stroke. So your son, to what extent is he is he challenged by the cerebral palsy? What are his challenges?<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 43:00
\nThankfully, it’s not severe. He had he actually had a stroke in utero. When he was just about to be born, that wasn’t caught until about three months old, which is actually relatively early of which I’m thankful for. We caught it really early. So he’s been in physical occupational speech therapy since he was three months old. And a lot of people same kind of thing. And they say, Oh, he looks normal. I can’t even tell. Which, yeah, they’re trying to be polite. But they’re trying.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 43:45
\nTrying to make you feel better, because they don’t know how to be around persons who are unwell or struggling with a condition. Does your stroke make it easier for you to understand your son?<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 44:03
\nYou know, I actually think having him go through that diagnosis. And with all the challenges that I was facing daily before the stroke that actually gave me I think more of like a cushion on like different tools that I wouldn’t have had to be more sympathetic with myself and with others. I think he has given me a lot more comfort and insight into my own situation, if that makes sense. Yeah. It’s kind of an interesting, it’s ironic, I guess, to like, you know, he had a stroke.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 44:50
\nTotally unrelated. You know, it’s not a genetic thing. It’s just, you know, bizarre coincidence, but no, going through cerebral palsy with him, he’s now he’s almost six. Going through this for the last, you know, almost six years with him, that event actually changed me into a person that almost made me more capable of being able to withstand the stroke.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 45:21
\nAnd having that kind of a mindset that was receptive and open to having a disability before were eight years ago, I don’t know what my state of mind would be like, dealing with it. So I think having him actually really has helped me a lot. It doesn’t change the internal workings that I have. But I really think that it’s helped a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 45:56
\nBut it also enhanced my anxiety and paranoia and the fear of, you know, that realization, like you said, mortality, so I could have died from this and what would have happened to him? So then I’m constantly now fixated on that subject. Like what if something happens to me? And it’s not a healthy pattern at all.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 46:21
\nNo. It sounds like you need to put in a few steps in place to protect him in the event that something else happens that we can’t control. Right. And I think that’s going to put your mind at ease. If you put some steps in place, for I don’t know, some kind of funding or something, anything that is going to make it possible for you to sleep better at night, knowing that he is looked after to an extent. You know, that might make it better for you.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 46:51
\nI did that, too like, just not my recently, I’ve always had some things set up for him. But I mean, I really went into trying to figure out what I could establish so that he would be taken care of. And it does give you some relief. It’s kind of interesting to hear, because my father is a probate attorney, which is ironic.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 47:26
\nAnd I never had a will, which we were like, that makes no sense. But I didn’t because one of the things like he deals with clients is that people are hesitant to make a will, because they think that they’re setting themselves up to die.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 47:47
\nSo I don’t know if it was like that superstition, but I avoided for a long time myself. I don’t think it was superstition. I think it was just like, I thought I was young and had no need to be concerned with such things, which is such an ignorant way of thinking about the world.<\/p>\n
The Three Bleeds<\/h3>\n
Bill Gasiamis 48:06
\nI did my will after the three bleeds and brain surgery is when I did my will I finally got it done. Yeah.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 48:16
\nYou had? Do you mind? I haven’t heard your story.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 48:23
\nI had to bleed in the brain because of an AVM an arteriovenous malformation is something that you’re born with that’s there that is benign. Most of the time. It does nothing for a lot of people, but sometimes they pop and they bleed. And it bled once in February 2012 and it bled a second time in March of 2012.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 48:46
\nAnd then it bled a third time in November 2014. And then I had to have brain surgery, my surgeon just said to me, look, this thing is not going to stop bleeding. And the next one could be the one that ends everything. So you need to get it out of your head. So I had surgery and removed it. And then I had to learn how to walk again and use my left side again.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 49:09
\nAnd one of the things that it’s left me with is numbness on my left side, my whole left side is numb every day and my balance is a bit off, especially when I get tired. And I get some stiffness and spasticity on my left side when I get tired. But again, no one can see it, any of it. It’s just all under my skin and it’s not visible.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 49:40
\nSo yeah, in those nearly three years between the first bleed and then brain surgery. I had all of the problems that a lot of stroke survivors talk about but most of them went away. I had a little bit of aphasia, I had a problem with memory, I couldn’t begin and end sentences sometimes, I couldn’t type, I couldn’t read, I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t work.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 50:12
\nI was angry, angry, angry, I was crazy angry. So, and then, at some point, I also experienced not being able to walk, and in a wheelchair and not being able to push myself with both arms. So I’ve had this really broad range of experiences and symptoms because of these bleeds. And it’s been a lot to bloody handle and a lot to bear and a lot to overcome.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 50:45
\nAnd this year, this is my 10th year since it all started, and I kind of felt like, I needed to celebrate it, but then I didn’t. And then one of the reasons is because I talk about it so much, I talk about my stroke and other people’s stroke so much that I feel like anniversaries don’t mean anything to me, it’s like it’s just another day, it doesn’t matter, I am grateful that I’m here.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 51:19
\nAnd I’ve done, I’ve changed a lot of things, my personality, the way that I apologize to people, the amount of times I say I love you, to my kids, and to my wife and to my parents and to everybody. And it’s been a blessing and a curse, like the biggest blessing because I’ve had the most growth personally, from 37 onwards, and then I’ve had the most shit to bear in the last 10 years more than most people cop in a lifetime. And then I meet people like you. And last night I was at a fundraising event, called A Night For Aphasia.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 52:10
\nWhere in Melbourne, Australia. There’s an amazing lady who I interviewed for the podcast a few episodes ago, quite a few now is raising awareness for aphasia. And we went there and we met stroke survivors, and we listen to them speak and struggle through speech to deliver their speech and to be interviewed and all that kind of stuff.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 52:33
\nAnd, you know, I never hung out with people like us before that I never, ever, ever hung out with people like us, I never met people from the other side of the planet. I never hung out with people from different cultural backgrounds and different ideas and different experiences it was this really, you know, I have a small narrow view of the world. And because of the stroke, my view has expanded, and it’s made it amazing, you know, I’ve interviewed people that were just regular people like me.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 53:17
\nAnd then I’ve interviewed people that we’re a little bit more kind of full-on in their lives already. And I’ve met people that are really quiet, they became full-on and people that were full-on that became quiet. And it’s just so broad. So it’s been an amazing learning experience. I wouldn’t change it. But I wish it happened without the stroke.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 53:42
\nI agree. But I think that, I mean, it does in a way I am which I think that you touched on this too. In a weird way, you’re thankful for that, because it gives us like, as much as I wouldn’t want it if I had the choice. But it gives you a unique perspective, on life, on relationships on love on the world. That honestly, a lot of people will never have in their life.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 54:29
\nAnd I don’t know if that’s something that is a blessing because sometimes it’s like ignorance is blissful I think I envy the ignorance because at least like if you were ignorant, then you’d have some sense of peace once in a while. I think you know, being awake to, everything has its ups and downs, it’s a double edged sword.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 54:56
\nBut I really do think that it’s a gift in a sense, because it’s how you choose to look at it. And that’s why when I started feeling, you know, negative thoughts, it’s, if I open up my email when I meet somebody, you know, or talk with people, and just talking to me, which I think is crazy still to this day, but people reach out to me, and it changes their whole day hearing about my story, or the fact that because I’m, you know, a public figure, in a sense, like, people reach out to me, or they look to me, and it does actually impact people.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 55:37
\nThey look to you as a guide. Now, you’re an adult entertainer, you make adult movies, right. And I’ve seen your Instagram, and your Instagram promotes the work that you do, right? And then there’s a post from you talking to the camera, about your stroke, and all the stuff that you’ve been going through, and all the challenges that you’re facing.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 56:02
\nAnd it’s like, out of place. But it’s like, it’s that thing that makes you then a real person, because the other person, the other version of you is an adult entertainer an actor, playing a role. And then your fans, or the people who’ve seen your work, will look at it, and they’ll go, they’ll have an opinion and an idea of that person that you portray on film.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 56:38
\nAnd then they’ll get blown away when they see you just, you know, to your phone, talking about your challenges and what you’re trying to overcome. And then that will just make them an even greater fan to you. Like, they’ll see another level of you that’s more authentic, and they’ll go, oh, my gosh, this person’s a real person. She has feelings, she’s been through a really tough time.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 57:05
\nAnd they’ll relate to you in another way that they’ve never related before. So I get that it’s weird for you that people reach out to you for this type of connection and this type of information, because they do it to me, and I’m like, I’m gonna say, weird as well. Right? I have fans, this is weird, that I even say this, and people get kind of Starstruck when I invite them onto the podcast with me, I’m like do you know who I am? Like, you’ve got no idea. I’m just a weirdo in my garage in Melbourne, Australia, that’s put some stuff on a wall. And in front of me, there’s just two monitors, and a ring light. And that’s it.<\/p>\n
A Documentary About Misha Montana<\/h3>\n
Misha Montana 57:51
\nBut you are, that’s the thing. And I’m the same way I’m like, even to this day, I’ve always like overwhelmed about now people view me in the way that they do. And I don’t know if that’s something that I’ll ever get over. But it’s like, it’s just kind of interesting, because when they reach out and they’re like, you know, so what I did with my stroke, is I created an adult showcase DVD.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 58:31
\nAnd it’s never been done in the history of adult film, which believe it or not, because everything has been done, right? We did a documentary-style showcase that actually has the stroke in it. And my whole life in it.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 58:50
\nMy son is not inhibit mentioned, you know, things like that. And that movie changed the industry this year in a way that I never thought it would. My whole point was doing it as I never I was very private before. No one knew I had a son. I kept that part of my life. Like, I felt like, I put myself out into the public eye so I can be destroyed.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 59:21
\nPeople can go after you.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 59:23
\nYeah, they go after me. It’s one thing like, Yeah, but you know, I was always afraid of the people in my life that I wanted to protect from this because I chose this. They didn’t, you know. And when that happened, and we started I had a documentary crew with me for the adult film because we were showcasing I have unique tattoos.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 59:49
\nAnd that was kind of the preface of that whole thing and it switched directions when I had a stroke. And the direction they went was, you know, this is a human piece and I am you know I’m an EP on that project. And obviously I have a huge role in it because it’s about me. But I remember Ivan, who was directing it called me.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:00:10
\nAnd it was the day before it went to cut, because he has all this footage of my son and my dad had a heart attack and all this different stuff that was very, very personal stuff. And he asked me if I wanted to use it, and I was so adamantly like, no, no, no. And then I said, you know why? Yeah, actually, I was like, because if I’m going to stand up here, and share my experiences, and try to advocate for, you know, authenticity, and trying to humanize an industry that’s so scrutinized and like, demonized, you know, all the time.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:00:49
\nThat I have to be a full martyr for their cause, and I’m going to do it, and it’s uncomfortable for me. But the stroke gave me an opportunity for a second chance. And it gave me the opportunity to use the platform that I have to advocate, and to reach people that might not ever have anyone to look to.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:01:12
\nAs weird as it is that I’m in the industry that I’m in, I still have connections with people on levels that you wouldn’t even believe because of that movie. And they’re reworking it now into a mainstream documentary. So fingers crossed, it’ll actually go somewhere, but it’s been nominated. This is the sixth award show, it was nominated for best movie of the year.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:01:39
\nSensational.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:01:41
\nIt’s crazy.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:01:42
\nAnd it’s what you said, like we touched on earlier, it’s like, you and I, we come from completely different backgrounds, we’re from the other side of the planet, we’ve only met once today is the first time we met other than that a couple of emails were sent to each other. And yet, we had that connection. Because we completely, totally understand this part about each other, we totally understand what each other is going through.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:02:10
\nAnd we don’t need to know about the rest of our lives. Because this part of our life is so significant that, when somebody gets us, it means a lot. Like it really means a lot. And that’s why people reach out to you. Even though you’re from an industry that they are not familiar with, and they go oh my God I get this person, she gets me and I get her. And then they do that.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:02:39
\nThey bridge gaps, that are vast and wide, you know, from all these other reasons that everything just gets breached. And then the view narrows, and then it’s just like these two things, stroke, we had a stroke, I had a stroke, we had trauma. She had trauma, I had trauma. And it’s like, everything just comes together. And that’s why I love that thing that you’re doing. And I don’t know about the adult industry.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:03:11
\nI’ve certainly never seen any adult films that show people that are unwell, or people that have had disability, or people that are amputees or any of that stuff. So I’ve never seen anything like that. I’ve never searched for it, but I’ve never seen it. And I’m wondering, maybe, you know, we’re hearing about diversity and about inclusivity and all that kind of stuff yet.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:03:38
\nThere’s still so much more to represent about humans other than what happens, you know, on these kind of normal sort of every day, the same over and over kind of formula for an adult movie or even a Hollywood blockbuster or whatever. I think there’s much more room for people that are different to be included in these spaces, you know.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:09
\nI agree. I totally agree. I think that’s why it was kind of one of those things with like this industry where, you’ve probably seen it all, but it’s always in this movie, I think appealed to because if you think about it, you know how many I mean, just last year alone, I would imagine there were 10,000 movies made potentially, in a year and for someone to recognize what I did.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:45
\nIt’s crazy to me to because it means it’s literally a top five top 10 piece of you know, history potentially. For me, it already isn’t solidified. I mean, these award shows it’s like the Oscars. was nominated for the adult version of the Oscars. Yeah, so it’s like. And I think that that’s impactful, and a lot of ways because everything that you hear to about the adult industry is often negative. It’s always tragic, it’s always dark.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:59
\nAnd when I got into the industry, which is again, why it’s like, it’s, it’s almost like you follow a certain path for a purpose, right? I have always been on that mission to prove that. It’s not like that. And the stroke, as unfortunate as it is, and, you know, suffering consequences from that daily, but it gave me a purpose.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:59
\nAnd it gave me the tools that I needed to accelerate and promote that ideology with people that I don’t think I would have had without it, it makes me not that I’m not relatable, but it gives me something to relate to people on a level that they feel comfortable relating to me, I’ve always felt comfortable relating to other people.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:59
\nBut now, I think it levels the playing fields, and opens it up so that people and people messaged me that, like, they would never have a conversation with me, if I didn’t have that in common with them. Like you said, like, when you meet stroke survivors, I get so like, excited, in a sense, like not I mean, it’s horrible.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:59
\nYou know, but it’s like, but I’m so excited, because I’m like, you actually know what it’s like. And I said, that’s why they reach out and I, I sit there and have full conversations with them every day. And it’s beautiful. And that alone, like, that is the most important thing in my life other than my son, it is like making those connections.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:59
\nIt’s given me that that progress, and I am motivated by that. And it also reminds me of my own circumstances, too. So I need that, you know, constant reminder. But it’s also a reminder that I can’t one operate the way that I was before. There’s no way to I need to take care of myself. And there’s no way that I can help other people if I can’t take care of myself in the first place. So that’s kind of what it ultimately boils down to.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:59
\nBut it’s wonderful like, and I am so thankful for, for the story to be out there. And I hope that’s what it does. I hope that’s the only hope that I have with it is that it can reach someone on a level that they need in their life. And to know that they’re not alone. And it means so much to me to be that person. And it is like some people find it strange because of the position that I’m in that I am this candidate about my experiences and my wife, and it’s so unweighted to my career. And a lot of people just kind of put their puppet out there.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:59
\nAnd they do it. And nobody knows about their life. But that’s their brand. That’s their business. And I was like that myself, I didn’t want anyone to know anything about me. But now it gives me so much joy. And it actually does, like increase the value of the relationships that I have with fans.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:04:59
\nAnd with just people in general like they have never seen somebody be that relatable before. And it’s off. I mean, I I never in my right like I no one’s ever seen me cry until this last year. And now everybody just sees me cry all the time. They cry all the time.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:05:17
\nFor me, it already is it’s solidified. I mean, these award shows it’s like the Oscars. It was nominated for the adult version of the Oscars. So it’s like. And I think that that’s impactful, in a lot of ways because everything that you hear too about the adult industry is often negative. It’s always tragic, it’s always dark. And when I got into the industry, which is again, why it’s like, it’s almost like you follow a certain path for a purpose, right?<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:05:30
\nI have always been on that mission to prove that. It’s not like that. And the stroke, as unfortunate as it is, and, you know, suffering consequences from that daily, but it gave me a purpose. And it gave me the tools that I needed to accelerate and promote that ideology with people that I don’t think I would have had without it, it makes me not that I’m not relatable, but it gives me something to relate to people on a level that they feel comfortable relating to me, I’ve always felt comfortable relating to other people.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:06:18
\nBut now, I think it levels the playing fields, and opens it up so that people and people messaged me that, like, they would never have a conversation with me, if I didn’t have that in common with them. Like you said, like, when you meet stroke survivors, I get so like, excited, in a sense, like not I mean, it’s horrible. You know, but it’s like, but I’m so excited, because I’m like, you actually know what it’s like. And like you said, that’s why they reach out and I sit there and have full conversations with them every day. And it’s beautiful.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:06:58
\nAnd that alone, like, that is the most important thing in my life other than my son, it is like making those connections. It’s given me that purpose, and I am motivated by that. And it also reminds me of my own circumstances too. So I need that, you know, constant reminder. But it’s also a reminder that I can’t one, operate the way that I was before there’s no way two, I need to take care of myself. And there’s no way that I can help other people if I can’t take care of myself in the first place.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:07:43
\nSo that’s kind of what it ultimately boils down to. But it’s wonderful like, and I am so thankful for the story to be out there. And I hope that’s what it does. I hope that’s the only hope that I have with it is that it can reach someone on a level that they need in their life. And to know that they’re not alone. And it means so much to me to be that person.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:08:13
\nAnd it is like some people find it strange because of the position that I’m in that I am this candidate about my experiences and my wife, and it’s so unweighted to my career. And a lot of people just kind of put their puppet out there. And they do it. And nobody knows about their life. But that’s their brand. That’s their business.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:08:35
\nAnd I was like that myself, I didn’t want anyone to know anything about me. But now it gives me so much joy. And it actually does, like increase the value of the relationships that I have with fans. And with just people in general like they have never seen somebody be that relatable before. And I mean, I I never like no one’s ever seen me cry until this last year. And now everybody just sees me cry all the time.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:09:12
\nAnd you know, what you’ve done is you’ve changed your identity from being the person on screen in adult movies to the person on screen in adult movies, that’s a stroke survivor, that is also a mom of a child has cerebral palsy. So do you see how now you’ve kind of bridged the gap between being just this one version of yourself to this other multiple different versions of yourself that are all part of the one you right?<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:09:41
\nAnd now you’ve got 50k followers on Instagram, but imagine all the people that have watched your videos. If we say one in four of them, we know either has or will have a stroke in their lifetime. So there’s so many of them already relate to you. And now, how many people know somebody that has cerebral palsy, or how many parents have seen your shows that have children with cerebral palsy, and they relate to you in another level.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:10:21
\nAnd that’s what I was talking about earlier, when I’m talking about how the accountant is just the accountant. If he’s just an accountant, and not an accountant that does this, this and that, then you’re so limited, and then you struggle so much with your identity shifting after a stroke. And for me, I was just a guy who had a business and painted houses, you know, for a living.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:10:48
\nAnd I couldn’t do that anymore. And then I had a lot of time at home to try and work out who I was going to become. And whether that was going to stay part of my life or not. And it did, it stayed part of my life. But when, somebody asks me, What do you do now? I’ve got a list that goes about for 10 minutes, by the time I actually get it all off my tongue and tell them again, they wish they never asked.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:11:13
\nSo it’s really cool, that you’ve been able to do that, I’ve seen sometimes, you know, Sharon Stone had a stroke many years ago. The actress Sharon Stone had a stroke many years ago. And I related to her in a different way, when I realized that she’s had a stroke and spoken about it publicly a couple of times, because she was in the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. And then she went missing.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:11:38
\nAnd because I’m not obsessed, I didn’t try and find out where she went missing to. But then 10 years later, you find out, Oh, my gosh, she had a stroke. And it’s like, wow, okay, that makes sense. And now I can relate to her struggles and her challenges. And I see her as somebody who is not so distant from me, like I can’t reach out and relate to her because I’ll never know what it’s like to be a Hollywood star. So I can’t relate to her. But now I can. And I wish I didn’t, but I do now. And that makes her more of a person. Because now I’m seeing beyond the characters that she’s played.<\/p>\n
Identity Crisis – Misha Montana<\/h3>\n
Misha Montana 1:12:21
\nRight? Which is interesting when that happens too because, you know, in Hollywood, and like in my industry, I am a character I’m not myself, right? I mean, it’s a part of you. And sometimes there’s a blurred line between how much of the authentic you is in that role, versus the persona that you’ve created.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:12:49
\nAnd a lot of people have identity crisis because of that. But when you’re in that role, people bizarrely, we like put you up onto a pedestal that where you’re like unattainable, and you’re just this figure like an idol. And it’s like it dehumanizes you so much to where you know, you’re not approachable, people just treat you in such a strange way, until you get brought down to a human level.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:13:26
\nAnd that’s why I say it was a blessing for me too, because I don’t know, honestly, like, no matter what I would have said, to try to relate to people on that level and to try to humanize an industry that, that people are so critical of. I don’t know if I would have been able to, without having the stroke. Because it does bring me down to that level of like accessibility and just in people’s minds, it’s like, not saying that that’s how I view my, like, the superhero effect.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:13:59
\nBut for some people, it is like just some people I am like their Idaho self is hard to me. But to them, it’s real, you know, and to be brought down to that level. It gives them, even more, hope and excitement to to how to know that they are Wow, that girl actually is going to talk to me and we’re human. I can’t believe that because she’s this and this and as odd as it is to me and to other people and our you know, different professions that have that issue.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:14:36
\nIt’s like, I think I’ve been successful, or at least I hope that I am and will be and being able to bridge that gap. And to be honest and to share my experiences to try to better not only my industry, but just you know survivors in general For people, when you said that have CP for anyone that has any kind of, you know, a health issue or a mental health issue, those are so important to me.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:15:11
\nLike, if I can make a difference in one person’s life, then that’s my purpose in life. So like you said, it’s redefining your purpose, and your identity into, you know, this new version of yourself. And it’s uncomfortable at first. But I think what I’m really embracing it, the only issue that I have is that I have to acknowledge my own, you know, demons with my disease.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:15:48
\nThe only issue you have with it is you have to actually acknowledge the demons for the first time in your life?<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:15:53
\nI can do as I say, not as I do.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:15:57
\nYeah. You have to practice what you preach.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:16:00
\nYou look at yourself in the mirror and be like, if I’m sitting there advocating, for, you know, people to get help. And so like, be honest, and to be, you know, outspoken about things. It’s like well then, you know, you have to do that yourself.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:16:18
\nYou can’t be inauthentic. That’s part of the reason why I do this is because I talk to people once a week on a podcast that comes out once a week, and I give them advice and tips and all sorts of stuff. And I share my experience and all that stuff. And it’s like, I cannot be anything less than the person that I am telling you that you need to become because it doesn’t work otherwise, it’s not authentic people can see right through you. And it’s so fake. Yeah, yeah. So I know, I know that.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:16:55
\nThat’s why I tell people. I’m like I tell them, we’ve embraced this authenticity, identity. Almost too far, I think at this point. I tell everybody everything. We’re having a tough day today. But I know, I think it’s good. Because again, I’ve gone through things other than the stroke that I’m just going to be honest about and open about and be like, there are a lot of things that are not pretty, in my recovery that I thought about not sharing. But I wouldn’t mind.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:17:38
\nYou know, what’s interesting is stroke is just as taboo as adult film.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:17:43
\nIt is, it is, well, as soon as people find out that you’ve had a stroke, too, then you’re potentially eliminating, like your work. Especially I can’t even imagine somebody goes in for a job interview. And they find out you have a stroke, do you think that you’re employable? Like, I mean, honestly, for somebody to be like, oh well, it’s just an excuse, they have mental problems, they’ve got physical problems, you know, they’re gonna go to doctor’s appointments, and they can’t remember anything.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:18:15
\nLike, there’s such a huge stigma around it too that I think, is horrible. And, again, it’s just a lack of education, it’s a lack of understanding that, you know, you and I were in that same situation, before we have a stroke. Most people don’t know anything about it. And so I think that, you know, especially what you’re doing, what I’m attempting to do, is, first and foremost, I could try to spread awareness and promote education.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:18:48
\nAnd, you know, for people that, you know, fortunately for them have not had a stroke, but may themselves or someone that they, no will potentially have one. And so, it’s important to do these things and to advocate for it, and to talk to other people and to build the community that we have. I think it’s just a wonderful community that we’re in.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:19:16
\nI’ve met so many wonderful people, as I know that you have to so those pawns just mean more than anything, so but I think it’s good. You know, what you’re doing is great. What I’m trying to do is wonderful, and if we can provide awareness and even just somebody to listen, just to be there.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:19:34
\nSo now, it’s been a year. What did it leave you with early on? You know, he said, you went back to work so quickly. What were the things that you had to overcome when you went back to work? What deficits were you working with that people didn’t know?<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:19:55
\nYou know, I honestly feel like the deficits that I NOTICE are more prominent now than they were a year ago. In my own mind. I think that physically, they were more noticeable, because I’ve watched, you know, luckily for me, I have a constant well-documented life over the last year. So I have actually been able to, like see a lot of, you know, different events where I was kind of curious to watch myself to be like, well, I know, I remember how well sometimes, I remember how I felt in that moment.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana Had An Alcohol Problem<\/h3>\n
\nMisha Montana 1:20:37
\nSo I wanted to see what it looked like, you know, on film, or to somebody that may not know me, and I pulled it off really well, for a while. My speech was limited more, and my face definitely took a little bit longer to come back to where it’s at right now. But I really did play it off well, but I started drinking really heavily.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:21:06
\nAnd no one knew that. For the scenes I was doing every single scene that I did before the stroke, I was completely sober. I never needed to drink. And I was embarrassed about admitting that because I thought that it would provide, like just another negative stigma of the industry where it’s like, well, of course, you did, because they all do that, you know, they’re all drunks and drug addicts.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:21:34
\nAnd it just contributed to that idea that people that preconceived notion that people have about people in my industry, so I didn’t ever want to admit that. And that was a form of coping that kind of started just on set, and then it blew up into an every week thing, and then turn into an every other day thing, and then turn into an everyday thing.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:22:07
\nAnd it just blew up out of control. So and not to the point where, and I say that, you know, where I never like woke up in the morning and drink all day and didn’t take care of my son. But I would drink two bottles of wine at night when he’s asleep every night. So that’s a problem.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:22:29
\nAnd that’s not helping you recover your brain.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:22:33
\nNo, and that was the biggest thing too. It’s like, I have a brain injury. And here I am, like, heavily drinking, that’s not helping my recovery.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:22:47
\nWhat was behind the need to all of a sudden start drinking?<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:22:52
\nI think it was just feeling the the isolation, and that I put myself into that situation. Like it wasn’t there was nothing else that contributed to that except my own, like selfish need to, like prove a point to everybody that I could go back to work, and not take time off and not get home, and just take on the world like I was used to doing all the time. And so it was kind of like that secret escape that I needed. But I wasn’t doing it in a healthy way. It was that I needed to I acknowledged that I was suffering. And so I turned to liquor to solve that problem.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:23:48
\nSuffering in your head? Yeah.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:23:53
\nSo it was like I could fake it throughout the day, and do everything the right way. And, you know, take care of my son and run my career and the 12 other careers that I have going and paint this really pretty picture for everyone.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:24:12
\nAnd you know, even you know, be an advocate and do all these things. And then at the end of the day, I was so miserable and drained and angry and just totally depressed. That it was the only thing that would give me a sense of relief. And even though it’s like fleeting it’s temporary and then you wake up and you feel like shit.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:24:40
\nA lot of people will take it.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:24:43
\nBut it was one of those things like and it was so surprising to people too I think, I admitted that recently that I was having that issue. Reluctantly that was honestly like more reluctant for me than talking about my son because because of the negative image and impact that it had, but it’s like, the end of the day, like, I’m a human being, that’s how some people cope. I’ve never cooked that way in my life.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:25:13
\nSo I was like, I felt that kind of like weird stigmatic shame, where it’s like, wow, okay. You know, I have a problem with alcohol. And to admit that, I felt shameful, for whatever reason, which is obviously, like, socially constructed. But I thought it was detracting from the message, which struggle, you know, if you’re going to do something, you have to be honest about it, and start use it as an opportunity to be honest about that, and to relate to other people that may have the same issue that might be afraid to say something.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:25:52
\nMany people have had a stroke and went to alcohol. When they’re not meant to. But it’s common, it makes sense. And it’s, again, it’s not something that you should judge that person about, but it happens.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:26:07
\nAnd, you know, what we’re trying to do is bring awareness to the situation so that we don’t have to judge everybody all the bloody time and we can always just go okay, well, that was a bad solution to a problem. Okay, what’s a better solution to that problem? And, it sounds like you’re you were became aware of that at one point, and then you started to look for a better solution. Where are you at with it now?<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:26:37
\nI’ve actually been pretty good with it in the last month. I went through February, March, April, are really bad, heavy drinking. months for me, I guess you could say. And there were like other contributing factors to that right time period. But mostly, it was just heavy, heavy drinking. So I’ve been working on limiting my alcohol intake to the point where it was over six weeks, without alcohol.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:27:20
\nI’ve been smoking weed a little bit here and there, which is a weird thing for me. I’ve never been like a big weed person. And just something to try to, like redirect the, the need to the need to drink. I worked out like crazy. I’m a huge work er, maniac bodybuilding, cycling, all of that. So I turned back into that as a positive out book, you know? What’s the word? No, I just missed it.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:27:55
\nAlright, there we go. There’s the stroke, brain kicking in, outlet, outlet, positive outlets. So you know, working out doing those things, trying to just mentally align them with physical, good choices. But it’s difficult because when you get into that pattern to it’s, it’s destructive, but it’s also like comforting. So when you uproot it, you have all kinds of new anxieties and sweep issues that you already have. And then it just enhances it trying to change that whole routine.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:28:40
\nSo luckily, though, I’ve gotten to a point where it’s definitely under control, where it was not before I had major, and like the biggest mental breakdown of my entire life, like, I actually had, like some suicidal thoughts, which I’ve never had. And I’ve been open about that experience. So it’s all a learning experience, and everything that I’m experiencing, I’m being honest about.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:29:12
\nSo the other people that might feel some sense of shame in admitting what they’re going through. They could have someone to relate to, or at least to sympathize a little bit with what’s going on. Because a lot of people hear these things and they’re like, wow, like, you’re batshit crazy. Or, you know, it’s just simplified to that level. Like, nobody really looks at the whole picture.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:29:38
\nAs if they’re not batshit crazy that they are so perfect that they see you as being batshit crazy and they compare themselves and they come out perfect, so it’s like, no chance that right, everybody else is, “perfect” “normal” or doesn’t have any issues and everything is alright. I think what’s good about putting it all out there and talking about everything, every situation, every issue, every problem is that it makes you more and more relatable.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:30:13
\nAnd it makes more and more people feel okay about themselves. Because there’s so many taboos. And, when people are pretending that things aren’t happening, they’re making themselves really, really unwell. Even more and more, you know, when you’re denying the reality of what’s actually happening, because you’re afraid. I think it just makes matters worse.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:30:39
\nThat’s kind of why I do the podcast. It’s just so that I can share how good bad, indifferent stuffed up normal, or abnormal I am. And it’s like whatever. Yeah, whatever. It’s okay. I’m not sure why I shouldn’t tell you that I’ve had bad issues or thoughts or problems, I’m not sure why I shouldn’t tell you like, why shouldn’t I tell you that? And, and my parents, maybe they were a little bit cautious of what they revealed about themselves, that come from that generation, you know, they’re in their 70s and late 70s.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:31:25
\nAnd they came from that generation when there wasn’t a lot said, but I don’t live in that part of the world anymore. Or when that error anymore, I live in this modern era, and I’m going to just be what’s appropriate now. And I don’t think it’s appropriate for anybody to not share. And if you are somebody who wants to share, and you’re sharing to the wrong people, and they make you feel bad, choose different people to share to really, yeah, and screw them don’t share to those people who are gonna make you feel bad about stuff.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:31:59
\nSo that’s kind of what I found. And that’s the hard part about doing a podcast is now I’m sharing to everybody. And they haven’t necessarily given me permission to share with them, but they become, either they become listeners, and fans, or they become the opposite of that. And they never pick up the podcast and listen again.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:32:21
\nAnd that’s how I filter them out. And that’s so easy. Right? But even if you think that it’s weird, if you think that people are nasty to people that hang out in your industry and work in your industry, they’re even nasty to me. I have a stroke podcast, and they leave one star reviews.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:32:42
\nReally?<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:32:43
\nYeah.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:32:46
\nBut people are just nasty, miserable, horrible people. And I deal with it more obviously, you can imagine what I deal with on a daily basis. I get like death threats every day. And like all kinds, I mean, just like radical out there, horrible, obscene, nasty, just the most foul thing you could think of to say to someone, I hear it all day.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:33:17
\nAnd it’s like, I read some of this stuff. And I’m just like, who taught you how to speak that way to anyone? By the way? I’m a stranger to you. How do you talk to people like that? But anyway, that’s beside the point. But no, it’s just it’s so interesting to me to see. And I’ve gotten certain messages like I don’t, so what I do is I don’t respond, sometimes I’ll read it, if I start seeing that it’s gone in that direction. I just usually, like, yeet it out of my existence, like it’s delete and ignore.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:33:49
\nBecause I don’t need that kind of energy in my life. Every once in a while I do and then like, some of them will make me so mad that I actually, like write something out to respond. And I’ve responded, responded in the past to some of these things. And I will tell you, like, there’s nothing good that comes from it, because certain people are just looking for company in their misery.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:34:18
\nSo, you know, if you get down to that level with them, the only thing that’s going to do is hurt you at the end of the day. And so I just I try to block out any like that negative attention, or if I do respond to like, you know, I’m really sorry that someone hurt you, or I’m sorry that you’re having a bad day and you feel are taking it out on me.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:34:41
\nAnd I do feel sorry for those people because to be at that level, where you’re so miserable, that you feel the need to attack total strangers. Then imagine what kind of pain that they’re going through in their life. And that’s how I tried to have some sense of forgiveness for those people.<\/p>\n
Take The Risk<\/h3>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:35:00
\nI think what I hope we’ve done today actually is I hope we’ve shared another stroke story. And then given the opportunity to people to feel like they can be themselves, and also to feel like they can put themselves out there and take a risk to do something that they perhaps didn’t ever had the guts to do before stroke.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:35:23
\nAnd it maybe as full on as becoming an adult entertainer, it may be as something as simple as becoming an author and writing a book, to share your story or to help other people. And just put yourself out there and risk your worst fears becoming a reality, because the majority of the time, it’s actually pretty good.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:35:52
\nIt’s not as bad as you might imagine, in your head. And I had a lot of fear doing the podcast, because I was going to put myself out there. And I was at risk of being judged. And believe it or not, they judged they did they proved my fears, correct, you know, so I hope that we’ve done that.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:36:13
\nI really want to thank you for reaching out and connecting to another stroke survivor and wanting to share your story, you’re going to make a massive difference in a lot of people’s lives in the way that they perhaps feel about their own challenges, health issues, stroke recovery. And I wish you all the best. And I hope you’re pulling one of those awards.<\/p>\n
Misha Montana 1:36:40
\nThank you. I’ll let you know It’s next week, we’ll find out. So I’m excited. Thank you so much for having me. It truly like I said before, it means the world to me to have these conversations. So thank you so much. And thank you for sharing your story and for doing what you do because it truly truly makes a difference. So thank you for having me.<\/p>\n
Bill Gasiamis 1:37:03
\nWell, thanks for joining us on today’s episode. If you’re watching on YouTube, leave a comment below. Subscribe hit the notification bell to get updates of new episodes as they become available. The more interactions with the show, and episodes the more the algorithm will push the episodes out to the people that need to see it and the greater the impact the interviews will make to them. Thanks again for being here and listening. I really appreciate you and I look forward to seeing you on the next episode.<\/p>\n
Intro 1:37:34
\nImportantly, we present many podcasts designed to give you an insight and understanding into the experiences of other individuals opinions and treatment protocols discussed during any podcast are the individual’s own experience and we do not necessarily share the same opinion nor do we recommend any treatment protocol discussed.<\/p>\n
Intro 1:37:52
\nAll content on this website and any linked blog, podcast or video material controlled this website or content is created and produced for informational purposes only and is largely based on the personal experience of Bill Gasiamis, the content is intended to complement your medical treatment and support healing. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health advice.<\/p>\n
Intro 1:38:14
\nThe information is general and may not be suitable for your personal injuries, circumstances or health objectives. Do not use our content as a standalone resource to diagnose treat, cure or prevent any disease for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for the advice of a health professional. Never delay seeking advice or disregard the advice of a medical professional your doctor or your rehabilitation program based on our content.<\/p>\n
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\nIf you have any questions or concerns about your health or medical condition, please seek guidance from a doctor or other medical professional if you are experiencing a health emergency or think you might be, call 000 if in Australia or your local emergency number immediately for emergency assistance or go to the nearest hospital emergency department medical information changes constantly.<\/p>\n
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\nWhile we aim to provide current quality information in our content. We did not provide any guarantees and assume no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the content. If you choose to rely on any information within our content, you do so solely at your own risk. We are careful with links we provide however third-party links from our website are followed at your own risk and we are not responsible for any information you find there.<\/p>\n