Dr. Tim Williams’ Remarkable Survival Story

It’s truly remarkable that Dr. Tim Williams is alive today. At 69, he has navigated a series of life-threatening events, including a fall at home, a brain bleed, a nine-day coma, and surgery to address fluid in his brain, followed by a challenging recovery.

“There were definitely multiple times I should have died,” Williams remarked.

Previously, Williams was the director of The South Florida Proton Therapy Institute at Delray Medical Center, overseeing radiation therapy for patients. On the first Saturday in March, however, he was home alone in Lake Worth Beach.

His new wife, Sara, was far away in Washington, D.C., and sensed something was off when he didn’t answer her calls. I mean, who wouldn’t worry? She asked a neighbor to check on him, and they found him semi-conscious on the floor with a head injury. An ambulance was called.

When paramedics arrived, there was already a serious issue—his brain was actively bleeding.

It’s uncertain whether he fell and hit his head, causing the bleed, or if an aneurysm led to the fall. Nevertheless, his condition was critical.

“Imagine your body as an hourglass, each second that passes puts you in greater danger as your life force slips away,” he explained. “Without prompt care, it’s like the sand runs out, and you’re left with… well, not much time.”

As the ambulance rushed him to Delray Medical Center, the situation worsened. Typically, patients are taken to the nearest facility, but they suspected a stroke, understanding that Delray was a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

“If it weren’t for the exceptional care and professionalism of the team at Delray Medical Center, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m incredibly lucky. I went from being very close to death to almost fully recovered.” — Dr. Tim Williams

Afterward, he penned a letter of thanks to the hospital staff reflecting on that harrowing day.

“I’ve been part of the staff since 1989 and even served on the governing board for four years. None of this was known to the team on that morning in March when they found me near death,” he recalled. “My neurologist would later indicate that I had only about 20 to 30 minutes left.”

Once at the hospital, scans revealed a severe brain bleed.

“They weren’t sure if it was a stroke or an aneurysm, but they certainly saw the blood,” Sara said. “It became a waiting game to see if the bleeding would resolve naturally, but he just kept getting worse.”

For three days, Williams fluctuated between consciousness and confusion, indicating more fluid had built up in his brain. Another MRI was done.

“Completely unconscious, blood pressure dropping, and I was rushed back for an emergency MRI,” Williams recounted. “The results were grim—blood was everywhere. This led to a spinal tap that confirmed blood around my spinal cord, and on top of that, my brain had swelled.”

“I was dying again,” he confessed.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Ron Young, a friend of his, arrived to find him barely responsive. With no time to waste, he improvised and drilled a hole in Williams’ skull to insert a drainage tube.

“Within minutes, he started responding and even talking,” Young remarked. “We see this kind of bleeding often, but not finding the source is quite rare.”

Young considered it a miracle that Williams survived the ordeal: “If timely treatment isn’t provided, the outcomes can be very poor,” he said.

Shortly after the drainage, Williams slipped into a coma for nine days. During this period, he developed aspiration pneumonia, and he doesn’t recall any of it.

Upon waking, he faced a significant recovery challenge.

“He couldn’t move at all,” Sara recalled. “When physical therapy first started, we discovered he couldn’t walk.”

In rehab, Williams underwent various therapies, including physical and speech therapy.

After 43 days in Delray Medical Center and its rehab facility, he went home, though he still struggled to walk or use his hands, along with facing memory issues.

“Coming home was honestly the most frightening part of the entire experience,” his wife said. “He was really fatigued and couldn’t handle a lot of activity around him.”

“It wasn’t a walk in the park, but I followed the advice I was given and worked hard for my recovery,” Williams stated.

Experiencing healthcare as a patient, instead of as a provider, gave Williams new insights: “I really believe if it weren’t for the quality care at Delray Medical Center, I wouldn’t be here. I was incredibly lucky, honestly.”

Now, nine months later, Williams feels around 80% back to normal but doubts reaching 100%. “I don’t really think I’ll get all the way back,” he mentioned.

He intends to step away from his previous clinical role, citing high stress and decision-making demands, and instead focus on research in radiation oncology.

Williams hopes others glean wisdom from his experience, emphasizing that understanding strokes and brain bleeds during emergencies is vital for survival. Anyone facing stroke symptoms should seek a stroke center, he advises.

“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I was fortunate.”