Donny Winn | Traumatic brain injury forum
was created to reach out and support you and your family. Many people with Traumatic Brain Injury find comfort in knowing that others are having similar encounters. Our goal is to provide you and your family with good information.
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Traumatic brain injury Forum
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hey man i checked out ur website really sad bro i’ve been there, i have been in 2 major car wrecks in first one a week after my 18th birthday (june 30,2006) one i was a passenger and broke all the bones in my face and tbi in the second on august the 2nd i broke my neck and severe brain trauma. thank god i am able to walk and do normal things, big problem is i lost all my friends, used to skateboard, was really good, unable to do that now, cant go to school, cant work, i have about another year of healing thanks man, god loves us all peace
I have had a TBI at the age of 6 months which resulted in cerebral palsy. Because of it I sometimes yelll at people and they don’t think to relize thats 1 problem that I have. I also have trouble walking and have to use either crutches or an electric wheelchair.
Is there any way that I can get help with the frustration about not feeling normal. I tret myself like a normal person but some don’t like for instance they have me working in a sheltered workshop and staff there say thats the only thing they have but other people have gotten jobs from there.Is there any ideas of how I can get a job other then there?
Please help!!
He was to say “what a load of crap!” just for the sake of irony, but I’ll refrain
I liked it. So much useful material. I read with great interest.
yo!
Great article . Will definitely apply it to my blog.Thanks.
I’m tempted to say “what a load of crap!” just for the sake of irony, but I’ll refrain
In truth, immediately i didn’t understand the essence. But after re-reading all at once became clear.
Very interesting and amusing subject. I read with great pleasure.
I can relate to you .When I was 12 I was bit by a tick and I got Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever. I was in a coma for 4 months and had to learn to do everything over again from walking to talking . I had to go through extensive therapy for 4 years after this and I had to make all new friends, my old ones thought they were too good for me. I amd 27 now and I just got fired from my job that I’ve had for 8 years, I just dont know what to do witrh myself now I was an aide for a handicapped classroom and now I have nothing. I can’t drive now because of the headinjury;well I never did I got my license and all I just lost my cordination from the headinjury .
I just want to say im very scarred right now, my fiance got jumped and beaten almost to death less than a week ago and he suffering two brain blows to the head. I could bearly even breath when i seen him in the hospital the first time. It is verry hard to deal with, you have the person with you hours earlier happy loving and the next thing you know hes missing and you find him in the siciu and you cant believe its happening to your loved one. Im so scarred i hope he makes it hes a fighter, they have him parralysized right now but since the pressures in his head have been down tomarrow moring their going to stop the medicine that has him parralzied and hes hopefully going to wake within a couple of days. they say hes very strong and has movement in his body and we just pray everything goes ok.
Great article . Will definitely copy it to my site.Thanks.
My name is Craig Sears. I’m a survivor of a traumatic brain injury. It was July 9, 1987. It was a beautiful Connecticut summer afternoon and I was out riding my motorcycle. I had just turned 20, and had a lot going for me. I was making a very good life for myself. I had a great family and a good job in construction and as a part-time mechanic. I was making good money for a kid my age. I had a great girlfriend and lots of friends. I had two cars and lived in a nice condo right on the water. I was living the American Dream. I’ll leave that up to you to fill it in because I had everything a man could have possibly wanted — and in a heartbeat it was all gone.
As I was coming up over a hill, there was a car going the wrong way and I was unable to stop. We collided. I was thrown an estimated 40 feet into on-coming traffic. I landed headfirst into a curb.
I have no memory of the next six months. That period of time is a black hole in my life. I was in and out of a coma, undergoing multiple surgeries. From there I was transferred to a rehabilitation center. While I was in this treatment center, I had to relearn everything about life down to using the bathroom on my own. There, I was fighting against the physical pain and the pain of not knowing who I was. Then one day they decided to transfer me out to a locked, mental health ward in Bridgeport, Connecticut where I was constantly put in four-point restraints and forcefully drugged. (I was told there were no other services offered for people with traumatic brain injury.) After being in the mental health ward for nine months, I began to regain some memory and I knew this wasn’t for me! Keep in mind traumatic brain injury is not a mental illness.
So I started to call around to town officials and state government offices to ask them how to get out of the ward. The ward was holding me against my will and I knew I didn’t need to be there. I did know that I needed help in other areas because of my brain injury but I also knew I was not mentally ill. After getting through to the Connecticut Governor’s office and sharing my story with one of his representatives, they got a hold of the hospital and set up a jury room filled with my family, doctors, and a representative from the state office. All the while, I was saying that I wanted out of the ward. In order to be taken out of there, I had to have a place to go and my only option was my family and I did not want to burden them with the pain that I was going through.
I ended up in a one-room efficiency apartment. At the time, the building was a major drug trafficking building with rats, roaches, and prostitutes. There was no other place for me to go, no help at all; my family had tried everything to get me help. There were no group homes, no programs, no services offered, nothing. I still did not know how to do the basic functions of life so I would wander the streets trying to regain some kind of memory. I would watch other people to see what they were doing, how they were acting in order to regain memory of anything that I knew how to do before the accident. I knew at that time this was not who I was.
Things began to improve. My mother got me a weight set, my father bought me a bicycle, and I started volunteering at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport. At the hospital, I could go into the physical therapy rooms and I could watch what they were doing for rehabilitation. Then I would go back home at night to do the exercises on my own in order to regain my strength and abilities. But I overworked myself physically so as time went on, I found that I was spitting out blood and my body was in terrible pain. A touch hurt. I didn’t know better, I didn’t realize I was harming myself rather than helping and improving. My mother had to take me many times to the hospital because I couldn’t walk or move.
Socially, things were awkward. One day after volunteering I was leaving the hospital and I saw a lady fall to the floor. My instincts were to grab a wheelchair and put her in it and run to the emergency department. Because I had ran to the emergency department, they called me the next day and told me not to return. I was crushed. There was a lot of other pain from being turned away … people always assumed that I was drinking or using drugs because I would slur my words and my equilibrium was off because of my TBI. It became harder and harder to find where I fit in. After remembering little things from watching other people and always trying to look at the good things in life, I started wondering what it would be like to get out of where I was living in Bridgeport. I asked my family for help. They got me a different apartment. Everytime I moved into a different place, I’d think it would help me by being in a better environment. I would temporarily feel like things were changing.
But I had learned a wrong way of thinking to solve my problems. I started drinking and getting into drugs. I thought it would help me cope with the pain by letting me forget all that I went through. Everything I had fought for, I started to lose. I found myself alone even more and getting into trouble, ending up in numerous mental health facilities all over the state because there is no help for TBI survivors. I continued to spiral down, and soon I wound up on the streets and homeless, and not long after that, in prison
I had several brushes with the law. While I struggled daily to live with my brain injury, I ended up with several minor arrests for public urination and things of that sort. The state of Connecticut did find a way to use my injury against me. It was a probation violation, for which I would ultimately receive a five-year prison term. I spent five years locked up in a level-four high-security prison where I received absolutely no help for my disabilities. I was locked in an 8′x 10′ cell twenty-four hours a day surrounded by gang members, rapists, killers, and child molesters. All for peeing in a garage. Does that sound like justice to you? The police, the court, and the judge didn’t know, care, or consider my TBI. And once behind bars, neither did the warden. I served five-years for what other people would sleep off overnight in the local lock-up, and then clear up with a brief court appearance. Again, there were no programs, no early release, or time off for good behavior. TBI or not, I served every measure of that sentence to the fullest. Common courtesy prevents me from sharing here. I will leave it up to your imagination to fill in the blanks. It was hell.
Somehow, I survived and was released in 2003. Once again I needed a place to call home. After nearly 20 years of waiting and being turned down, I turned to a local Congressman’s office for help. Within two months, they cut through the red tape and I finally received recognition of my TBI. I was accepted into a HUD subsidized housing unit.
Life though continues to be a struggle. I have few options, and fewer choices. I am very uncertain of my future. I still want the American Dream, but it feels further away than ever. I want to be hopeful, but I know all too well how quickly good can go bad in life. So I try my best to help those with TBI get the help we need.
I had a Head Injury in ’84, left me in a coma for 10 days. I know the troubles ahead of you & you are in my prayers. Plz Email me if you have questions. I’m more than happy to help in any way I can. MrKen@austin.rr.com
Donny, MY husband survived an auto accident January 18, 2008 ( one week after your ordeal began). He was in a coma for almost 3 months, he has been home for slightly over a year. He continues with therapy , a Personal Trainer, lots of love , and our three great daughters. I just found this site. I am anxious to communicate with other caregivers about thier journey. Thanks, Jeanine
I suffered from a severe TBI in September 2007. I fell three stories and landed on my head on concrete. I also had to learn to walk and talk again. I guess I am a fast healer because after being in a coma for two weeks, I bounced back. I am now a correctional officer that took me a year after my accident to feel up for working in that field. I still suffer daily headaches and have had two Grand Mal seizures. I take anti seizure medication daily and will probably do so the rest of my life. However, I feel lucky not from just surviving, but to get the chance to help others who are going through the same thing. One of my co-workers just had a minor TBI and I am trying to help him through the long road that awaits.
I read a few topics. I respect your work and added blog to favorites.
My daughter is engaged to a young man that has a severe tbi due to car accident. She is 5 months pregant and they just bought a house. Problem is he cheated on her a month ago after flirting and posting ads on the internet-he told her what he did and she forgave him, then he turned right around and posted another ad for casual sex on the internet-he always says he doesnt meant to do this but he just keeps doing it-i know that these kids really love each other-can anyone offer any insight into what if anything can be done to help? I really dont think she can handle much more of crying herself to sleep and wondering what he will do next. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
u can email me at rebslat@att.net
At age 15 I was hit on the left ear flap of a baseball hellmet and was completly Knock out for a matter of menutes while playing High School Baseball and then that next season I was hit again in the left eye socket by a fly ball in our first practice that next season. I am now 35 an was resantly Dianoised with a tramatice head injury and a BIpolar mood disorder back in october of 2008 at ST. Vencints Behavioral health unit at Little Rock AR. I had two seziurs while i was still in the hospitial. The first one I was unawere of. As told by other patience and staff I was walking around in the hall one minute then just fell down in frout of another patience room and started seizuring. I then had another one the next day. I was luckly in a way. It could have been been worse. Even as a Christian I also have woundered why God had let me get hurt in that way. It seemed like I had been hit by a train and not a Baseball. It is still hard to see someone get hit like David Wright ( New York Mets third Baseman). But what else can I say
But thank you for telling me your stoies IT has ment alot to here that others have
gone through similar things. THANK YOU Lots
Dennis Brown, Mountain View AR.
Jeanine
August 13, 2009 • 3:34 pm
Donny, MY husband survived an auto accident January 18, 2008 ( one week after your ordeal began). He was in a coma for almost 3 months, he has been home for slightly over a year. He continues with therapy , a Personal Trainer, lots of love , and our three great daughters. I just found this site. I am anxious to communicate with other caregivers about thier journey. Thanks, Jeanine
Dear Jeanine
My daughter 23, car accident, hit by drunk driver on March, 2008. She is living at home with us. No therapy, just me and her nurses, lots of love, laugh and happiness.
I have a blog for her http://www.dearada.blogspot.com to document her progress.
I am also wanted to hear from other caregiver too.
Hugs
Ponsawan
Donny, You hang in there. Forty-six years ago I had brain surgury for a congenital Berry aneurism in the Circle of Willis mid cortex. I had to leazrn how to walk and talk all over agin. When I went back to school kids were cruel, but I still had a better GPA thn most. I have a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in psychology. If I could do it. You can do it. The harder you push yourself the more gain you get. Good luck kiddo.
I am so touched by reading each ones testimonials here that I want to say that there is help for everyone go to my website and read what I can do to help you through your situations. if you need some kind of immediate help though my website is not YET set up for anything except long term challenges… so if you need more immediate help please calll me up @ 585-482-8833 and I will do my best to steer you in the correct first steps.
remember that I love you ..is where it all starts.
LOVE
Fantastic Frank
hi to all abi/tbi i appreciate your compassion,as you walk thru the valley of the shadow i admire your courage—and the battle belongs to HIM!!! PRESS ON—to all who have a friend or loved one and is going thru the pain and hurt that comes with this hardship thank you for your encouraging words–for me it has been a long dusty dry hard road my daughter has been on-and her 3 beautiful children have been faced with deep challenges since their moms injury—anyway your comments mean a lot,simply thank you—c.
Hello, my name is Shan. I am 32 years old, I am a Christian, married to a wonderful husband and a mother of 2 beautiful daughters age 11 and 3.
On a chilly day in Nov. 1996- (I was 20 years old.) I sustained TBI. A so-called “friend” and I were going to the mall and we hit a patch of black ice, spun around into the oncoming traffic and a car hit us on my side (passenger side). 2 weeks in a coma, 2 months in hospitalized rehab stay and 6 months of out patient therapy for speech, physical and occupational/cognitive therapy for 3 days a week.
Its ironic, one day you have your goals and your dreams in place and life going great and just as planned -In college and living the carefree life. Then the next day you wake up in the hospital with loved ones around your bedside and doctors telling you your name and that you were in a bad car wreck….. over and over and over again. Then you have to endure months of intense, frustrating rehab and your confined to a wheelchair. It is hard for anyone to imagine the frustration that that you feel when your legs won’t move like you want them to and as quick as you want them to. (I did start to walk on my own right before I was discharged, however my left leg is a little slower than my right and it feels tingly and tight all the time.) Months later they discharge you and tell you that they are certain you are going to be okay and that you will continue to get better each day.
Many, many times over the 12+ years since my car wreck I still ask God, “Why me??” “Why me??”
Well, lets see, its 12 in a half years later and I still struggle with short term memory problems, cognitive problems, vision problems, low self esteem and frustration. Many times I think back to the old me, before “the wreck” and how many times I think if I could just be that person again….my old self. What would it be like to have my old legs back? I would probably take off running and never stop! lol AND what would it be like to have my old brain back?? I would enroll back in college and complete my degree!
By the way, the “friend” of mine that was driving the car that day, came to the hospital one time to see me and came over to my house once after I was discharged from the hospital and that was the last time I saw her. But whatever, I’m over that now. That just goes to show that she wasn’t that great of a friend.
I just want to talk to other TBI survivors and hear their stories and maybe see if they are struggling with the same deficits that I am. Hopefully I can help someone understand or they can help me to understand the challenges life has thrown my/our way.
Thanks for listening,
-Shan
The journey of a TBI survivor is long and difficult – but the keyword here is survivor. My beautiful daughter was a passenger in a horrific car accident January 1, 2008. The driver walked away from the accident -unharmed – my daughter was impaled by a fence post. She suffered severe brain trauma, her face was shattered, she lost her left eye, she suffered a stroke and several seizures. She is unable to walk or swallow. She is just beginning to talk again – a year + later – and her words are music to my ears. I can’t understand everything she says but she is trying. She is such an inspiration to me and to everyone who comes in contact with her. She smiles and laughs quite a bit and the joy of having her finally home is
is precious to me. She has taught me so much about life and what really matters. She has never given up hope even though the doctors wrote her off from the beginning. I don’t know why this happened to her – she did not deserve this – no one does. I have learned not to dwell on things I cannot answer but to live joyfully each day – for it is a gift. Just to be able to hug her and kiss her everyday is so special to me. She is one of the lucky ones for she is loved – she is loved everyday and I appreciate every second that I have her in my life.
It is difficult, yes, – you give up a lot of your own life – yes – but to know that I am making the best life I can for her is enough for me – she is my daughter and she is a child of God. She is a miracle to be alive and each day I wait in anticipation on another miracle – that she will swallow – that she will move her left hand – that she will walk. I continue to praise God for the gift of life and pray thanking him each day for all the things He is still going to do for her. Never give up hope – never — Believe in His miracles and surround yourself with postive things, meet new happy people and show the world what love is all about. My daughter has never complained – she has a smile on her face and she shows the world that God is Good.
May all of you be blessed this day and put all your faith and trust in our Heavenly Father – no matter what – in all things praise Him.
For those who need information and services on traumatic brain injuries, try these website(s):
http://www.biausa.org
https://secure.biausa.org/OnlineDirectory/Directory/Default.aspx (This is the home page of http://www.biausa.org/ and has 2 pdf’s to look into for services and your rights) and this page has support groups, etc.
http://www.health-helper.com (EXCELLENT BOOK, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
You can purchase a book from this doctor, one I have and it explains the many symptoms that the brain injured go through, It is an excellent reference, and learning book about yourself, what the symptoms are, what is going on with what area of the brain,what to do, where to go, what kind of tests to do, going to college, info for family members, etc., and other additional resources, etc. I highly recommend you to purchase it from this above website.
The book is called “Coping with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury” by Dian Roberts Stoler, EdD and Barbara Albers Hill. The cost is $16.95 plus shipping and handling.
http://www.headinjury.com/library.htm#support
A online resource listing of links and information
Oct,11 2009..
I was involved in a auto accident July 10,2004. The vehicle i was driving was hit head on by a large truck and my life has been changed forever. The anger I feel over the loss of everything in my life is unimaginable. Like so many others,I have lost my friends and the majority of my time is spent alone.I can’t get myself to do anything,go anywhere or see anyone. I had a great social life before the accident and was very active in sports. All of that is gone. I ca’t cope and i’m lonely most of the the time. Still in therapy, psychological , physical and pool therapy. I need friends with Brain Injury to correspond with…..
Hi,
received some brain injury caused by domestic violence from my ex-husband. It is a horrible feeling, you want to be normal like everybody else, you try really hard, but your brain can not make it. vision, hearing, speech, the way I can hold my balance, just everything is messed up for life.
I keep hoping for better days to come along, the bad thing is I could not find anybody who wanted to employ me. So live currently live in a homeless shelter.
Anna
God is my witness
I had my car accident in 1993 I was 19 and recieved a TBI. Was in a coma for 2 months. Doctors told my mom I wasn’t going to make it I had an 8% chance to live and if I did live I’d be a vegetable. (I guess I’m a carrot typing) ha well I received my Associates Degree 5 years to the day of my accident, and I got my Bachelors degree in computer science 3 years later. I am 35 now and I hope to get married someday and start a family. Pray for me. Prayer does work its gotten me to the point I’m at now. Able to do things I wasn’t supposed to.
Dear Ursula
Fist of all, I am so sorry about what happened to your daughter. My daughter, 23, was in a car accident in March 2008, she was hit by the drunk driver who walked oof, unharm.
She suffered severe brain injury, and a broken right ankle.
You can read about her at her blog http://www.dearada.blogspot.com or email me at silastones@aol.com. Just want you to know that you are not alone. There are many of us, mother, who had our heart broken and couldn’t understand why this is happening to our daughter.
My daughter is qutie a fiter, she’ll never give up and so can’t we.
Ada’s mom
Just found this site and read everyone’s accounts of their TBIs. Very inspiring, alhough I detect a little bit of hopelessness in almost everyone’s tones. I had a TBI myself in Nov. 08 along with 7 pretty severe breaks in the hips. Initially, I was in a coma for 7 weeks and then finally to a good rehab facility for about 2 months. I’ve been home now for about 6 months and am possibly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel- albeit, a slightly different colored light than what I had seen pre-accident. I just want to agree with the feeling expressed “that it’s a lonely world out there”. Some days I think it would be convenient to just have “TBI” stamped on my forehead. Of course, then you would get all the “what on earth is TBI? ” questions. Perhaps the cane would help. Enough sarcasm. Keep fighting. Pick one goal at a time to work on. Repeat- one. I plan on visiting this site often- keep writing!
My son was injured in a car accident in 2006. He survived a severe head injury. In my search for stories similar to his, I found your story, and wish you all the best.
I think too, that it’s important for those who have dealt with this to tell of their journies to recovery. TBIhome.org is a good forum for that, as is this one. Even though everyone’s journey is different, you never know who might read and find comfort in knowing that they are not alone, and that recovery, while long and hard, is possible.
Anna,
I’m so sorry to hear about your injury due to Domestic Violence. Before my accident I wa in the legal field and I have intimate knowledge about how you must feel. You must feel betrayed and alone. Keep perservering Anna. There is an eternal justice out there and perpertrators do not get away with these crimes. The Lord will deal with your ex-husband.
You mentioned you are homeless. Apply for emergengy housing through yourlocal housing agency.You should also contact the nearest Brain Injury Association . In my state we have emergency woman’s sheltersfor women who have suffered D. V. ,there is information out there. Do you have a doctor? You must …Can he help you get in contact with a caseworker? Local Universities also have a Mental Health Unit with caseworkers that can possibly hook you up with ,SSI,through your local Social Security Office. No you don’t have to have worked before.SSI is for people in the poverty level. You should qualify. Gather your birth certificate,Social Security Card, drivers licence etc. to proove who you are. You will also need doctors diagnosis of all injuries ;especiallydocumented diagnosis of your brain injury. You also qualify fofoo stamps……. Take heart ,have faith.. I hope this will help you and any other who rad his. I have a TBI too Anna. My struggle has been long and hard.
I learned to walk,read, and live again. I lost everything too. Was homeless or awhile so I know your dilema.
The Lord has helped me in incredible ways. I turned everything over to Him and He brought people into my life who are helping me in my recovery. Please..get ahold of your local or state Brain Injury Association..They will advise you further.
I hope that I have been of somme assistance. Please reply.
In Jesus Name!
c
HI 7-12-1991 MY LIFE
LIVING ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL
AT ONE TIME I WOULD ASK MYSELF WHY ME? I WISH? I HOPE? I WILL? I DID? DO I?
I HAVE A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY BECAUSE OF THE QUESTIONS ABOVE AND SO MANY MORE
I AM ABLE TO RELATE WITH A OTHER EXPERIENCING PERSON
THANKS TO THE BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF NEW MEXICO
MY WIFE WE’RE INVITED TO ADVOCATE FOR CARLSBAD NEW MEXICO
I WAS INCOURAGE NOT QUIT TILL THE MIRICLE HAPPENED
POWERFUL WORDS
GOD BLESS YOU
GEORGE