The Beginning of Everything; The Year I Lost My Mind and Found Myself

Andrea Buchanan’s world changed in an instant while crossing the street one March day. A severe cough, triggered by the cold air, seemed harmless at first—but it wasn’t. She was already struggling with a sick child, an impending divorce, and the weight of guilt as a mother and partner. But what she didn’t realize was that this single cough had torn a tiny hole in her dura mater—the membrane protecting her brain and spinal cord—causing cerebrospinal fluid to slowly drain away.

Over the next nine months, Andrea experienced relentless pain, cognitive fog, and a profound disconnect from reality as her brain, deprived of its natural cushion, sank within her skull. Once a sharp thinker, she now found herself unable to grasp even the simplest ideas. At a time when clarity was most crucial, she was trapped inside a failing mind.

In The Beginning of Everything, Andrea explores the intricate relationship between the mind and brain, questioning where "self" resides when cognition fails. Drawing from science, personal experience, and the mysteries of human consciousness, she seeks to answer a haunting question: Where was “I” when I wasn’t there?