I'm doing what people do when they turn 65. I'm retiring. So, for all of you who know me as well as those of you who don't, I am officially announcing my retirement from being disabled. "How can you do this?" some may ask. In fact, I can hear a few of you asking that question right now. Well, I'll tell you, I gave it some thought, and what I focused on was the idea that those who live normal lives retire from their jobs, why can't I retire from being disabled? I mean, what's the ... Read On
Coronavirus Anxiety and Brain Injury
Many of us brain injury survivors live with some degree of anxiety following our brain injuries. This anxiety primarily centers around how we feel about ourselves and our place in the world, and of course, that anxiety can change or become worse based on events happening around us. The Coronavirus, by itself, may not have much to do with Brain ... Read On
Calming Those “Chattering Monkeys” In Our Head
. You know what I'm talking about: the crazy, never-ending noise in our heads; questioning, debating, not believing, not trusting. The bedlam in our brains. That infernal, mind blowing racket that stops us in our tracks. Now, this noise may not begin immediately, but after the initial shock and trauma of our brain injury begins to wear off ... Read On
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Brain Injury Now: Interpreting My Past, Living My Present, Finding My Future
Here I am, at age sixty-four, about to enter a new phase of my life: forty-five years after my month-long coma, I've reached that age when I can retire. That idea sounds great, so I tell people I am going to retire in a year. Their usual response is, "Well, what are you retiring from?" "I am going to retire from being disabled." Do I really believe that? No. No I don't. I've got to admit, though, sometimes my mind wanders and I reflect on the past and dream about what the future ... Read On
This TBI Survivor Doesn’t Care How You Talk to Me
At some point during this 43 year "trip" I've spent living with a brain injury, I got fed up: too much of my mental energy was being spent getting frustrated and angry because of things other people said to me. That was the moment I decided that I should not allow my mental health or my well being be dependent on the words of others. I saw that no matter how much I tried to teach and inform others about brain injury and me, I would never be able to control what they actually thought about me ... Read On
Let’s Honor the Courage of the TBI Survivor
Some acts are obviously courageous: a person runs into a burning building and saves a life, or a bystander dives into a lake to save a drowning person. These are dramatic examples of courage and bravery, when people make spur of the moment decisions and put their own lives at risk in order to save others. There is, however, another, harder to see type of courage, and to appreciate it you've got to pay attention because this isn't dramatic and doesn't get lot of press. I am talking about ... Read On
Finding the Will to Keep Fighting after Brain Injury
We love those uplifting, feel good stories about survivors who have battled adversity to create a life following brain injury; who have proven doctors and doubters wrong by raising themselves from the ashes. These stories are good for the human spirit and good for the soul; handing us doses of confidence and inspiration by focusing on the best of our human qualities; demonstrating, for all of us, the possibilities in life. However, there are TBI Survivors who find it difficult to relate to ... Read On