Timothy Omundson Looks Back on Recovery After 2017 Stroke: 'My Brain Tried to Kill Me'

Timothy Omundson shared a photo taken at a rehab center following his massive stroke four years ago

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Published on August 23, 2021 11:38 AM

Timothy Omundson is reflecting on his recovery journey four years after he suffered a massive stroke.

The Psych actor, 52, opened up about his rehabilitation process on Instagram Monday, sharing a photo of himself taken at a rehab facility where he is sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a protective helmet. In the photo, a dog jumps into Omundson's lap to lick his cheek.

"After my brain tried to kill me with a stroke my first stop after the ICU in FL was a rehab hospital in LA. Where I lived. for months, next, I lived in an in sort of halfway house for people with brain injuries, learning to try to take care of myself," he wrote.

"I got this wear this sexy rubber helmet because 1/4 of my skull was removed to allow for swelling," Omundson continued."it was stacked like cake plates and stored, conveniently in my belly, so I wouldn't lose it."

Omundson explained that the picture was taken when he visited home for his birthday, where he was greeted by his loving dog.

"I got to go home for my birthday and this was the reception I got from my beautiful # LuckyLucy … she hadn't seen me in months," he wrote. "In your week ahead, I hope someone kisses you, with as much love as she kissed me ❤️."

Omundson suffered a stroke in 2017 when he was 47 years old. The actor told TV Line in 2019 that he almost died, and doctors didn't know if he would ever walk again.

"It was a massive stroke; I came really close to [dying]. After a stroke, your brain tends to swell. And if unchecked, it will kill you," Omundson said. "So they had to crack my skull open like a walnut to relieve [the swelling]."

He explained that he subsequently underwent an "incredibly dangerous" surgery to return portions of his skull that had been previously removed.

"But I'm really lucky that I had the stroke in Florida because the surgeon [that treated me] was one of the top stroke guys in the state," he added. "So I was lucky every step of the way."

Omundson said that while doctors didn't "quite know" what caused his stroke, he had previously injured a carotid artery in his neck, which likely led to a blood clot.

While Omundson told his Twitter followers Saturday that he still has a "long road of #Recovery" ahead, he's been getting back to work since his stroke. The actor returned to TV in 2019 with a role in the hit NBC drama This Is Us, in which he played Gregory, a character who was also recovering from a stroke.

"I can't tell you how thrilled I was to be on that show," Omundson said in a July 2020 interview with AV Club. The actor added that he and his wife shared a special moment ahead of his first day of filming.

"As my wife and I were driving to set that first day, we were running about 10 minutes early, and we pulled the car over and she said, 'A year ago, you almost died. And now we're driving to the set of the No. 1 show on TV.' It was incredible to be going back to work," he said.