{With my mentor after my sports concussion talk in San Diego last year}
I find that the more passionate I am about a certain subject, the harder it is for me to write about the topic in my blog (mostly because there’s so much I’d like to convey in a brief post). Today is the last day of Brain Injury Awareness Month and the theme for this year’s campaign is Not Alone. I’ve worked with several patients whose lives and their family’s lives are dramatically changed as a result of the injury. From mild concussion to post-concussion syndrome to traumatic encephalopathy — to be honest, I don’t believe there’s anything about brain injury that can be characterized as “mild” mostly because the injury can potentially lead to longterm, permanent damage and impact their lives forever.
My goal in treatment has been to improve their quality of life and restore daily functioning to as close to normal as possible. Unfortunately, restoration of baseline functioning is not possible for some. At that point, the focus shifts to recovery, acceptance, and how to move forward and cope with the sometimes debilitating symptoms. And acceptance doesn’t only need to be acknowledged by those injured, but also their families. One of the hardest, yet most rewarding parts of my job has been to help my patients find motivation within themselves to keep pushing forward and find a sense of purpose in their lives. And it’s crushing to see family members feel helpless as they watch their loved one struggle to overcome the physical and emotional barriers. However, recovery is possible and I work with several patients who find hope and are motivated to look for work, seek support from loved ones, and find ways to make their lives as enjoyable as possible.
The theme Not Alone refers to the estimated 12 million Americans who live with the impact of traumatic brain injury and the 5.3 million who live with resultant disabilities. These numbers don’t even account for the number of people who do not seek treatment. There are many misconceptions about when to seek help (which I plan to discuss in a future post), in addition to social pressures to underreport (especially in sports). Many often feel ashamed of their injury, but hopefully with increased awareness, the general public will recognize its prevalence and take part in providing support and understanding to those effected.
For more information on brain injury, please visit the Brain Injury Association of America website.