Well. I won't dwell on some introduction, let's start.
This is me five years ago.
Ten minutes after brain surgery.
My family is around, crying and clueless about what is going to happen.
I didn't understand them properly, I could hardly hear.
And I really felt like I only have a few minutes left to live.
But let me tell you what preceded this.
I got married. After thirty years I was finally stable.
I found a woman I deserved or rather, I didn't really deserve her.
We got married and right after, as you can see on the belly, another beautiful moment came into my life.
Our gorgeous daughter, Eluska was born.
I saw the little girl even before my wife did.
She had a big mouth just like I do, she was screaming and she made me really happy.
I felt like nothing better could have happened to me. I had a wonderful life.
I spent time with friends in pubs.
We discussed all sorts of issues. I had no worries at all. I had a very interesting job.
There were a few problems here and there. But nothing serious.
So what happened after?
My mother in law is a doctor - a great woman. I will tell you more about her later.
In a very positive way.
She asked me once during a family lunch: "Ivan what is the matter? What is wrong?"
I said: "Oh nothing, I just have a headache."
And she asked: "Is it serious?" "No no I have headaches all the time." I replied.
And there wasn't ever a reason to think the cause could be other than too much work and alcohol.
I was constantly doing something and there was always some sort of possible cause of a headache.
And she said: "Well, it is not that obvious."
There are different reasons for a headache. Let´s have a look."
So she arranged for a CT scan for me. I hope I am not doing anything wrong if I say it was thanks to her contacts.
I hope it won't put her in bad light.
I think, a CT and other diagnostic procedures should be
easily obtainable, so we can avoid complications.
I came to the examination. They put me in the machine.
I don't know if you know how it looks. It is some sort of a tunnel. You lie inside for a while.
When the lab assistant saw the scan result he started to pull me out.
I said: "I got inside ok, you don't need to..."
"You know, have you had an accident, are you ok?" And so on.
I said: "No no, I feel fine."
The story got intense here.
I don't know if you know. When you get a CT scan, it might tell you
that you have something in your head, but it won't tell you what it is exactly.
So you know you have something. It could be anything...
It could be cancer, serous, less serious, or a
venous malformation etc. Until we managed to get an MRI appointment
which is a more detailed diagnostic method, my family and I, ...
this was after my beautiful child was born, after I got married, we lived in fear, not knowing
what is it in my head.
Of course, as an internet entrepreneur, I started to browse.
I started to look for comparisons, whether it's cancer, or something else.
Self-diagnostics is very important in the internet era.
And this is my first recommendation: don't do it.
I read a story once about a man who killed himself before he even knew what was it.
Just because he though it was cancer.
In the end we found out it wasn't cancer, it was a venous malformation.
In most cases it is very tiny and still can cause problems.
Mine was a size of a ping pong ball 3 x 3 x 2,9 centimeters.
That is why I was treated as a special case. And it also helped me.
Everybody wanted to deal with it. Each doctor wanted to include it in
their presentation at conferences.
And so I received special treatment. For the second time in my life actually.
The one I'm telling you about.
We had no idea how to proceed.
Some doctors suggested surgery. Others told us not to do it
because it is a serious intervention. They were trying to locate it.
They found out that it is between the speech and movement control center.
This meant that surgery could potentially turn me into a seriously handicapped person.
Especially if you consider that I make a living out of giving speeches.
I went to the U.S., my good friend convinced me to go
because the good doctors there. I arrived with a CD. The doctor looked at it.
and said he would like to perform surgery. And I said: "And what is it? Will I survive?"
"Well, you never can tell..."
Then I found out, this person wasn't even an expert in the field of my diagnosis.
He just wanted to perform surgery.
I'm not saying all doctors are like that.
On the other hand, in the U.S. surgery would be very expensive, so it's also a business case
as well as good reference.
In the end I went for a surgery, they persuaded me, I had a
very serious epileptic seizure. First, I stopped talking,
I felt dizzy, then I started to talk.
Since my mother in law is a doctor, she was called to see me.
She said to my wife: "We have to do something" She put me in a cab
where I got the seizure. I hit my mother in law so hard,
because of that seizure, that she had a bruise.
Everybody says I did it for prevention.
So that we have a good relationship.
And we really do, but not because of this.
The epileptic seizure made me decide faster.
I went to get a surgery.
Right after the surgery I was able to speak for a bit.
Later I stopped talking. Then I was talking nonsense.
The doctors told me to name the months in the year backwards, like December, November, October etc...
I said: t-shirt, bed, and even that was just stuttering.
They said something went wrong.
Besides that I started to have epileptic seizures.
Also something that's called the "jacksons", you know, when your arm moves uncontrollably.
So in a couple days they decided to perform another surgery.
Because the previous one was unsuccessful and the veins didn't connect properly.
They actually removed a part of my scull.
Here is the hole. They removed the bone.
And put it in the freezer. I asked if they used the one for storing hospital food.
They assured me it was a different one.
Then they gave me several types of corticoids to decrease the size of my brain.
So it fits into my head.
And so on, and so on.
After that I had my third surgery. I will not go into the details.
Finally, I survived somehow. My entire body was covered in wires.
Seriously, wherever you can imagine.
And after three weeks of various surgeries I finally got home.
I couldn't read properly, I couldn't write. People started to call me.
They texted me and I couldn't really recognize who it was.
Sometimes I recognized the name, sometimes I didn't.
I speak three languages, Slovak - a little bit, English and French.
And my friends from these countries were calling.
Some languages I couldn´t speak or I only occasionally.
It was very a strange experience.
So I worried, if this is my job, what's going to happen?
The doctor told me : "Ivan, be glad that you are not drooling
and that you are still a part of this world."
So I was glad.
Then they told me I can't drive, can't drink alcohol.
I am from Eastern Slovakia... Can you imagine that?
I couldn't.
This is when it shows how many people from the East are here.
...in Bratislava. I thought you were gone for the holidays.
Well...the treatment was a struggle.
They made me take tons of corticoids so I had to use crutches to walk.
But it was worth it. Because of the kids and my wife.
And because of friends who supported me.
I'm an entrepreneur.
People say not to do business with friends because it always turns into a hassle.
I think the opposite is true.
You should do business with friends, because sometimes it's not the decimals that matter
but whether you enjoy your job, and whether you work with people who really stand by your side
when you need it. And it is not only family, as I said my family was there for me,
but it was also my friends. When I returned to work after six months
I found out they were sending me my salary the whole time. My partners were sending it
despite the fact I was lying in bed with a hole in my head.
Even though it was a tough period, I continued to do my regular work
and I realized there was a lot of room for improvement in the process I'd been through.
Things that could be done differently.
I went to see many doctors... This is fun with the crutches.
This is the family I didn't lose.
I saw many doctors and I realized, our Slovak doctors
are very good experts, they are well educated.
But they lack something that doctors in other countries have, in Thailand, in Belgium, in the U.S.,
where I experienced seizures.
They lack a reflection.
Patients come to see them, they get the job done and send them away.
In fact, even the gate keeper, the nurse, is often lacking the right attitude.
My friends, Mišo Truban and Martin Šujan, and I decided
to create a tool for comparing doctors. But not to define whether the doctor is good or bad.
But whether their approach to people is right or not.
I founded a start-up. It serves a purpose indeed
but it is also meant to be profitable.
The purpose has been fulfilled, let's see if it will also make money.
It has 130 000 unique users monthly.
They rate doctors and recommend doctors to each other.
At first doctors where upset. They asked whether we have a permission to do this.
But later we received feedback
that doctors started to draw lessons out of it.
Patients told us that since they've rated doctors, either as registered users or anonymously,
the doctors changed their behavior.
You know, offering reflection shouldn't be viewed as putting to shame.
Even a ballerina who performs on this stage trains in front of a mirror.
I believe, doctors should do the same.
Another thing I learned, since I've had brain surgery,
everyone in our tiny country, who knew me and who experienced something similar,
they approached me with their CT or MRI scans
asking me to show it to my doctor.
So I became a CD trader.
Someone told me they've been having headaches and now they have a CD with scans
that I can show the doctors who saved my life.
It started to be a bit annoying and so I needed to find a solution.
I realized, that during the past five years, whenever I've been looking for advice
whether I should get a surgery or not, whether the diagnosis is correct or not,
despite living in the 21st century, I couldn't get what I wanted. I was forced to travel with a CD to the U.S.
Imagine that. I had to mail CDs etc.
And as a matter of fact, it can be easily solved.
My friend Lukas Alner and I created a website called diagnose.me.
When you have a CD with a scan and a diagnosis from a doctor,
you upload the CD, pick the doctor according to their specialty, price,
time of review delivery and in 48 hours the fearful wait is over.
Or you at least know what is going on with you and whether you need to act fast or not.
I ran out of time but let me tell you a few lessons I learned.
A serious life event can defeat you
But it can also make you stronger. This is a common truth.
Or basic thing people use to say. It can make you stronger.
And it can help you figure out how to solve problems.
Many people around me, start up enthusiasts, come to me saying:
"Ivo, I would found a start up but I don't have the right idea" And then they come up with some nonsense
that no one needs. All kinds of apps...let's count how long it takes to get from my front door to the office.
Simply all sorts of useless stuff no one needs.
Instead of solving real problems people have.
This means that if you want to found a start up, be it a social enterprise or a regular company,
consider real issues that you or your loved ones have experienced.
You have a chance to resolve all sorts of things.
No problem is ever as serious as it looks.
When my wife and I visited the doctor after the surgery, I asked:
All these things we are not allowed to do...Can we have sex?
He gave us a serious look: "Well, if you're not going to bang your head in the nightstand while you do it..."'
...then it's ok."
The situation is never too tough so that it cannot be tougher.
If you are looking for ideas to work on, start with yourself and those near you.
It doesn't have to be as serious as my situation.
Thank you for your attention.