The Real Truth

A Brain Injury Survivor is so incredibly strong.  What a survivor has to deal with on a daily basis causes them to lose their identity in the world. This would scare the hell out of anyone. 

Living with a Brain Injury has been a terrifying experience for me. In the early stages of my recovery I had no idea of who I was or who my friends were. All my friends became strangers and I became a stranger to them. 

The Brain Injury was an invisible thief. It stole the knowledge and freedoms that I took for granted.  I felt as if I had been given a prison sentence of “Life ! In Solitary Confinement.”

Cognitive impairments limited my ability to think effectively.  As a result, I knew that I would have to learn different strategies to help me cope with my deficits.  With the help and support of my family and different therapists, I began to learn to use strategies that helped me to relearn old skills and to learn new skills.  After much frustration and disappointment, I also learned the importance of developing a mindset that would help me to see the positive in any given situation. 

I have come to realize that the injuries I sustained in my motorcycle accident forced me to grow and develop in ways that I may never had been able to if these problems did not occur. 

I also realize that Easter is now a great holiday for me. Simply because I can hide my own Easter eggs and still have fun trying to find them. 🙂

The following quotations inspire and motivate me:

“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.” By: Epictetus  (AD c.50 – c120)

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” By: Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa

“The real enemies are not on the outside, they are within.”  By: Denzel Washington in the movie, Roman J.Isreal, ESQ. 

“Trauma creates change you don’t choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose.” By: ~ Michelle Rosenthal