Reading Time: 6 minutesTeeter totter When I was a kid, I loved the teeter totter. I couldn’t get enough teeter totter time. Even in middle school when it wasn’t the “cool” thing to do because we were “too cool to play at recess”, I really wanted to get on the teeter totter. Sometimes I could get a friend to join me but as …
Reading Time: 11 minutesMy sixth brainniversary This year the event that changed the direction of my life–my traumatic brain injury on January 5, 2017–and is the litmus test for decisions I make and activities I choose arrived silently. My brainniversary falls right after the frenzy of the holidays and just five days into January. Last year, my long-time boyfriend died in early December …
Reading Time: 9 minutesPET scan overview I had my first-ever PET scan recently and am sharing my experience so that others may know what to expect. My PET scan had a different protocol since they were specifically looking at the functioning of a certain area of the brain. This protocol is different than if they were looking for something else, a tumor for …
Reading Time: 19 minutesA detailed report of an in-hospital EEG study I chronicled my in-hospital EEG study to share with other TBI survivors and anyone with seizures. My experience will hopefully provide an idea of what it’s like, what to expect, and some tips to survive the experience. Day 1 – August 23, 2021 I was scheduled to arrive at 7:30 AM to …
Reading Time: 3 minutesToday I was able to give back to the community which has been so instrumental in my recovery. I’m not quite four years out and I still cope and manage my life post-TBI. When Joanne Cohen first asked me to speak about COVID-19 and how I was coping with the pandemic, I wasn’t sure that I would have anything to …
Reading Time: 2 minutesPoem written September 13, 2006 I laugh. I laugh a lot. I laugh often. I laugh with gusto. I laugh. Sometimes I laugh softly. Most of the time I laugh deeply. My laugh is distinctly mine. I laugh. I like to laugh—no, I love to laugh. I laugh well. I laugh. Sometimes people think I laugh too loudly. Their scorn …
Reading Time: 6 minutesTalons Challenge Two years ago, I had my sights set for participating in the Talons Challenge at Beaver Creek. I had skied 13/15 days and was in the best shape of my life. But then the Universe got my attention on January 5, 2017 and put my life on a different path—the path of recovery from a traumatic brain injury …
Reading Time: 2 minutesAnother goal achieved Yesterday marked another “first” since my TBI over two years ago. Non-brain injured people may think I should be “recovered” by now or questioning why I still think a milestone is important. A brain injury doesn’t go away; this is an injury I will keep with me the rest of my life and I have to learn …
Reading Time: 7 minutesThe day after Christmas I awoke with a tooth ache. It wasn’t minor or major but annoying enough to warrant some over-the-counter pain management medicine. I had a deadline to meet and I channeled my energy into the deadline. The next day I awoke, and the ache had subsided. I completed yet another deadline for a client and afterwards, took …
Reading Time: 7 minutesReflections and recap two years later Today is anniversary two of my brain injury. January 5, 2017 is a day emblazoned in my mind as it completely changed my life. I’m so grateful for my dedication to healing, my medical team that guided me, my friends who stepped up to feed me, cook for me, clean for me, drive me …