How did you acquire your brain injury?
I was the front-seat passenger in my friend’s car. We were T-boned* on my side by an oncoming van when we slid through an intersection in the winter (February 3rd, 1996).
*This means that the front of one car struck the side of the other car.
What are some things that have helped you throughout the recovery journey?
I got lucky and had what is now considered “the Cadillac of insurance coverage” at the time of the car accident. I also had an AMAZING lawyer, who had had a concussion himself, so was familiar with brain injury and was an incredible support. With his help, I was able to access the best support for my recovery. I was also very lucky to be in the London area at the time, which had many supportive services for people like me.
In terms of specific therapies that helped me the most, I would say there were 3 things:
- My tutor in high school (who helped me re-learn how to learn and to implement memory strategies);
- My psychologist through Brainworks, who taught me cognitive behaviour therapies (CBT) strategies for regulating emotions, managing day-to-day priorities, and gaining the confidence I needed for self-advocacy in the world, and;
- My neuropsychologist who agreed to see me even in adulthood so I could understand how my pediatric brain injury had aged. That third detail was also incredibly important for my personal awareness and self-advocacy.
If you could go back to when you first acquired your brain injury and tell yourself one thing, what would that be?
At 44 years of age, and having lived more of my life WITH my brain injury than without, I would have simply congratulated myself on pushing for my independence and acquiring the knowledge to self-advocate in the system. I was often discouraged by the fact that people didn’t understand me, but looking back, I can see that that was less important than my understanding myself, being okay with having specific needs, and learning how to explain my needs to others so that I could work cooperatively with those around me in having my own needs met while complementing theirs.
What would you like people who don’t have a brain injury to know?
Brain injury is a serious and very real threat to a person’s independence. Whether acquired through a physical injury, substance abuse, or anything else, people need to remember that the brain is the source of every function in the body – including emotional wellness, intellectual or cognitive ability, as well as all of the unseen autonomic functions like the heartbeat and digestion. If we know that a friend, acquaintance, client, or coworker has any level of brain injury, we need to consider how that might affect our interactions with them. Practicing empathy goes a long way.
It is my hope that more doctors, nurses, specialists, professionals, and all types of people in both support roles AND the overall community will pursue an understanding of the effects of a “hidden-hurt” like brain injury so that those of us who suffer from these challenges don’t have to fight as hard to be accepted for who we are.
