Kim Dotcom has shared a personal look at his recovery after suffering a stroke last year, describing the experience as a “long road to rehab”.
The 51-year-old entrepreneur was hospitalised on November 7 last year.
In a video posted to X today, Dotcom documents the months that followed, beginning with footage of him being taken away in an ambulance on the day of the stroke.
The video then shifts to scenes from his recovery, showing the father-of-six surrounded by his children and family as he works through the early stages of rehabilitation in the hospital.
Several clips capture the challenges of relearning skills such as walking and speaking.
One clip shows Dotcom completing the Purdue Pegboard Test, a task used to assess fine motor skills, hand-eye co-ordination and manual dexterity.
The video signs off with a “season’s greetings” message with photos of him and his family.
One year on from the life-changing stroke, at the start of November Dotcom shared that he had turned a corner with his health, claiming he had shed 50kg and was slowly regaining strength.
“I had a Fergburger (no top bun), fried chichen [sic] with fries and a salad at night, every day. Lost 50kg,” he wrote.
“My balance needs to get better. Feel like a drunk. I have never been drunk in my life.
“I need the wheelchair less and less. My speech is slightly impaired but should be OK in the new year. Making tweets takes a long time because I always have to correct my errors.”
Addressing his ongoing legal fight against extradition, the embattled internet businessman also claimed the Government had been warned of his stroke risk by his doctor but ignored the advice.
“They still want to extradite me. Let’s see if the PM [Christopher Luxon] takes my peace offer. If not I will ask you for your help.”
Dotcom thanked his family, healthcare workers and rehabilitation experts for supporting his recovery.
“My gratitude to you,” he signed off.
Dotcom first revealed he had become wheelchair-bound some two months after the stroke.
“Sorry, I have some memory loss and speech impairment issues,” he wrote on X.
“I’m working on my recovery from my stroke. Please pray for my family and I.”
In July, Dotcom gave a separate update on his recovery, revealing he could walk occasionally and “use the toilet and shower again”, although he again expressed concern over cognitive issues.
After his stroke, his long-term lawyer Ron Mansfield, KC, said the health scare had “been very serious”.
“We honestly did not know whether he would survive or what that looks like.”
Dotcom’s stroke came long after warnings about his fragile health.
In 2018, he revealed his health “isn’t the best after six years of stress” and he had been asked to stay close to Auckland for monitoring.
Dotcom has lived in New Zealand since 2010 and is a permanent resident.
He was thrust under the public spotlight since 2012, when he was arrested as part of a global sting against his online file-sharing website Megaupload.
The United States Justice Department pressed charges against Dotcom, including criminal copyright infringement, money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud.
In August last year, Paul Goldsmith announced he had signed Dotcom’s extradition order after receiving “extensive advice from the Ministry of Justice on this matter”.
“I considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the US to face trial,” the Justice Minister said at the time.