In the summer of 2014, Kawan noticed a lack of coordination and muscle control, specifically on his right side. One morning, while working at his internship, it became clear he had difficulty speaking and writing. He was instructed to go to the Doctor's off where they ran neurological tests. After seeing the results, the Doctor strongly advised Kawan to go to the Hospital. Kawan was not alarmed and felt the issue was being overblown.
Despite what he felt, Kawan heeded the Doctor's instructions and went to the Hospital of Southern Maryland. There he waited six hours to get a CT scan. After some time, the Doctor came out to shed light on what, if anything, was wrong. The Doctor told him he had a lesion (area of tissue that has been damaged through injury or disease) on his brain, but he would need an MRI to get more in-depth details. To get the MRI done, Kawan went to George Washington Hospital. The imaging came back and the doctors told Kawan he had a Cavernous Malformation. Kawan didn't know what that meant, so he thought nothing of it when he was told to go home and monitor.
Within a few days, Kawan was back in the Hospital when his coordination worsened, and his vision became blurry. He returned to GW Hospital and had his first brain surgery on August 15th, 2014. That may have been a moment of pause and reflection for most, but at 20 years old, there was no stopping Kawan. Only a week later, he returned to school and everything that came with it. Drinking, partying, and staying up late. As a result, he had a stroke a month later, on September 18th, 2014. After spending a month in rehab, he returned to school with a new mindset, but yet again, life had other plans.
The benign brain tumor would grow back twice, resulting in two more brain surgeries on October 1st, 2015, and October 12th, 2017. In between those surgeries, Kawan struggled with suicidal ideations, depression, and opioid addiction. After everything was over, Kawan had a whopping medical bill of $1.2 million. Despite all his hardships, Kawan still graduated and started a coaching business called Overcome Adversity LLC. He is also a Podcaster with a podcast called Favor: The Podcast. All fitting for someone with his background.
Kawan wrote a book called "Favor: How Stroke Struggle and Surgery Helped Me Find My Life's Purpose" He is an author, a coach, but most notably a survivor. He now uses his story to inspires others, and transform them from a victim to a Victor!