For many years I remained in denial. Denial of the impact of a traumatic brain injury that I sustained when I was 10 years old in 1967. A denial that was reinforced by family and friends once my external wound healed. A denial that kept me distracted. A denial that reinforced my inability to accomplish because of what I was unable to accept. But thank God that He … [Read more...]
Brain Injury Recovery -- An Ongoing Process
Recovery from a brain injury is an ongoing process. Once external wounds have healed brain injuries many times become invisible. Because of the invisible nature of brain injuries, denial often interferes in the recovery process. One's own denial and the denial of family and friends. Many times the brain injury survivor finds themselves isolated and alone because of changes. Changes that are out of their control. Changes that are often hard to identify. In this category, I will share what helped me to begin to understand. I share what helped me to begin to accept myself when other people couldn't or wouldn't accept me. Accept me in new reality. As I began to recover I began to realize that I did not have to limit myself because of my limitations.
In this category I go on to share what has helped me to continue to recovery. Recover from the impact of living with a brain injury and an invisible disability for nearly 49 years. In my experience, as I grew in my recovery process, I grew in hope. May what I share in this category and through out Second Chance to Live help you in your process to also grow in hope. With hope, we can live our dreams. With hope we can accomplish what we never dreamed possible. Our brain injuries do not have to define who we are as individuals. Our limitations do not have to limit us. In this category I share articles that have helped to empower me in my ongoing brain injury recovery process.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with the 1st step. Once we start walking, before long we will be able to see how far we have come in our process, because we did not give up." Craig J. Phillips MRC, BA
Riddle: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time.
"If you advance confidently in the direction of your dream and endeavor to live the life that you have imagined...you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau
Childhood Stroke (Brain Injury) and Healing Our Brain and Body
In the event that you have a child or know of other children who have experienced a stroke (brain injury) I have a message of hope. Healing our brain and body no longer has to be out of reach to us. My experience with Brain Injury I sustained an open and depressed skull fracture in an automobile accident in 1967 when I was 10 years old. I remained in a coma for 3 … [Read more...]
Stay in Your Own Lane and You Will Succeed by Not Giving Up
During my morning meditation, I thought about an article that I wrote in June of 2010. As I thought about the article I was reminded to stay in my lane. I was reminded that by staying in my own lane I would succeed by not giving up. As I thought about the article, I was reminded to stay committed to running my own race. I was reminded to stay focused on running my own … [Read more...]
Global Brain Injury Peer Support Network — Empowering the Individual, Not the Brain Injury
Through my 50 years of living with the impact of a brain injury and as an invisible disability I have come to realize that brain injury recovery needs to involve/include the whole person, not just the brain injury. That is why I believe that brain injury recovery and peer support needs to include healing in the mind, body, spirit, and emotions following a brain injury. The … [Read more...]