I like this question a lot. You asked for one, but I’m feeling like looking at the bright side today, so here’s a few.
Oddly, my near death experience has changed my life for the better. At first it was just really scary, my poor mom came away with PTSD, but it has taught me a lot about the value of time and about appreciating life and that I have been lucky in many, many ways, even though it’s really easy to focus on how unlucky I’ve been in other ways. It has also helped me get my priorities straightened out, because on the day that it happened I went to school to take a test before going to the hospital like I should have done in the first place, and it really scared me straight when I saw that my perfectionism damn near killed me.
Starting an antidepressant has improved my life hugely. I started it during my surgeries because I was having a really hard time coping, but after getting through that rough patch and resuming normal life, I realized I probably should have been on one all along. Because I am so much less type A now, which I’ve been wishing I could change for ages.
Speaking of surgeries, those changed my life for the better too. I’m not out of the woods with my body yet, but I’m way better than I used to be. I don’t get horribly ill anymore like I used to, which is more awesome than I can even describe.