Man's incredible journey after he was coward punched on dancefloor
Noel Stowers’ life completely changed in an instant when he was coward punched from behind while on a dancefloor at a pub.
It was December 2017 when Mr Stowers had wrapped up hosting a trivia night in Melbourne and was having a drink to wind down with his staff.
As the night wore on the DJ started playing and the group decided to have a dance – a near fatal decision for Mr Stowers.
“That’s basically the last thing I remember of the night,” he told Yahoo News Australia.
‘I was left bleeding on the ground’
Mr Stowers, who was recently inducted into Royal Rehab Wall of Fame, said he was not prepared for the unprovoked attack that broke his eye socket, knocked him out, broke a bone in his left ear and filled his brain with blood.
“I was left bleeding on the ground,” he said.
His staff members called the ambulance who advised them not to touch him and leave him on the floor until they showed up.
An unconscious Mr Stowers was taken to The Alfred Hospital where he was put in an induced coma for 17 days.
During that time, Mr Stowers said his death was announced to his family a number of times and doctors said he wouldn’t wake up.
But on the 18th day he was brought back to life out of his coma, but that was only the start with testing and challenging months in rehab ahead.
After the December 3 attack, Mr Stowers remained at The Alfred in Melbourne until January 15, 2018, before spending a month in Caulfield Hospital.
He could finally return home to Sydney where he then spent six weeks in Royal Rehab in Ryde.
‘I didn’t know what was going on most of the time’
Mr Stowers said it was hard to describe how tough his recovery was and doesn’t know how his teenaged son and daughter coped.
“I didn’t know what was going on most of the time,” he said.
“When I was woken up from the coma I had to be tied to my bed to keep my hands away from pulling out tubes that were in me.
“I wasn’t able to walk at the start and my kids told me when I woke up they didn’t know what to expect – sometimes I was really angry and other times really happy.
“I thought I was in New Zealand, then in Australia and all different parts of the world.”
Mr Stowers explained one situation where he believed he was Basil from sitcom Fawlty Towers.
“I was acting like him in the show, as weird as that is. It was just one of those crazy things that happened,” he said.
In the aftermath of the attack, Mr Stowers’ short-term memory was severely affected. He’s lucky to have regained it after six months of rehabilitation.
He also struggled with his communication and vocabulary skills.
‘My sense of taste and smell could be gone for life’
Mr Stowers said he discovered his sense of smell and taste had disappeared after he was discharged from hospital.
When he visited one of his favourite cafes to order the usual coffee and BLT sandwich, it didn’t taste like he once remembered.
“I called the chef over and asked what he was doing different and he looked at me and said he wasn’t sure,” Mr Stowers said.
“He opened it up and there was every part of the sandwich like the aioli and relish and that’s when it dawned on me.
“I can’t smell either so coffee is just like hot water.
“CT scans say it looks like it’s gone for life and nobody can promise me maybe it’ll be back tomorrow, but I have my fingers crossed and I’m not going to give up on this.”
Mr Stowers also suffered tinnitus, buzzing in his ears, for almost a year and a half.
“My confidence was down at the start as I returned to a new life and initially I wasn’t allowed to go to work or have alcohol for a year,” he said.
‘I’m so grateful I’m alive’
The man who attacked Mr Stowers was jailed for seven months after pleading guilty in court.
“There’s moments I have when I get angry but I have a different perspective on life. I’m so grateful I’m alive,” he said.
Mr Stowers now wants to inspire others and help people understand how much we don’t know about our brains.
“We think we do until something like this happens. Medical experts are learning so much about the brain and what can be done to help in traumatic incidents like I had,” he said.
“I’ve become a Wall of Fame member at the Royal Rehab centre in Sydney and my story is on the walls around the traumatic brain injury unit. When I was in hospital I went and read those everyday and always hoped to be one of those stories.
“I want to inspire patients and their families.”
Mr Stowers praised the medical experts he encountered during his ordeal who “got him through moments when he was really down”.
“I’m now back to full fitness and working again, not to the same capacity but I’m coming towards the two-year mark and rehab is still continuing on,” he said.
“I’m going well and have high hopes for the rest of my life.”
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