On April 22, 2023 I was a panelist at the Synapse National Conference Future Leaders in Brain Injury “Navigating the Healthcare System as a Person with a Brain Injury”.
Information Shared with Panel
In response to my participation on the panel, Amy Jolepalem; Director of Operations, Synapse National, wrote
Testimonial
“Craig Phillips served as a panelist on our community member panel titled, “Navigating the Healthcare System as a Person with a Brain Injury” in April 2023 during the Synapse National Conference Future Leaders in Brain Injury. The conference panel had an audience of about 100 participants, a large majority of these being students interested in pursuing healthcare careers and learning about the impact they could make in the field of Brain Injury Care.
We had reached out to Craig Phillips because he was spoken highly of as a valued community member of our University of California Berkeley Synapse chapter’s peer support group. As not only a community member, but a distinguished speaker, author, and counselor, Craig seemed like an ideal panelist. Craig was indeed enthusiastic in our conference preparations, made excellent suggestions that enabled us to structure a more effective panel, was well-prepared, and expertly shared his perspective during the panel discussion on advocating for the brain injury community through the lens of his own recovery.
He not only conveyed a passion for empowering individuals who face similar struggles, but offered an impactful perspective as he did not have doctors to help him after his traumatic brain injury, and yet was able to forge ahead and fulfill his personal mission to share hope after his injury and help others. His devotion and insight to this cause shone through during the panel discussion and inspired many of our audience members.
After the conference, we received feedback that many felt he was able to galvanize students to contribute their efforts to the care and advocacy for people with brain injuries, especially within the healthcare field so others receive the care and resources Craig did not have and obstacles he continues to face as he lives with an invisible disability. Craig is a valued member of the Synapse community, and we hope to work with him in the future!”
Written by Amy Jolepalem, Director of Operations, Synapse National
Below are several quotes that encourage me. May they encourage you, too.
“Don’t give up at half-time. Concentrate on winning in the second half.” Bear Bryant
“We must be willing to give up the life that we imagined, to have the life that is waiting for us.” E.M. Forster
“Persistence and resilience only come through having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” Gever Tulley
“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heart breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to be discouraged by their defeats.” B.C. Forbes
“Ideas do not always come in a flash, but by diligent trial-and-error experiments that take time and thought.” Charles K. Kao
This is excellent Craig! This is very powerful and hopefully will open more doors to you and your worthwhile efforts to empower people with brain injuries to have a fulfilling life and reach their full potential.
Thank you, Ken for your comment on the testimonial. Thankful for the opportunity to impact future professionals and providers in the person centered care of individuals living with brain injuries.
Craig