A brain injury can affect short term memory. This is just one of many challenges that survivors struggle to cope with and adjust to as they rebuild their lives. The response, “I already told you” to a brain injury survivor’s question is not helpful. Donna Sue Hurst reveals her frustration at the impatience and insensitivity of others who simply do not recognize nor understand the cognitive impact of an acquired brain injury on short term memory, social interactions and communication.

The loss of speech can feel devastating to the survivor of a brain injury. Katherine Kimes writes about the frustration, persistence and sheer effort required as she learned how to speak and communicate again by forming syllables and words one by one after the car crash that resulted in her brain injury.

She is now an eloquent writer and uses language to express the emotional turmoil that accompanied her communication impairment.

Brain injury or stroke can result in changes in communication for the survivor. Aphasia can affect the survivor’s ability to communicate. Loss of speech, difficulty speaking and understanding others, and changes in the ability to read and write can feel overwhelming.

Vaughn Stone is a former psychologist, marathoner, bicyclist, gardener, and a master of language. After a life-threatening car and bicycle accident, he faced new challenges with his physical abilities and communication. About six months after his accident, he began writing a poem every day. Although his writing has too often been interrupted by set backs, therapy and other distractions, he continues to write. His new life work has become regaining a piece of what he had. Although it has been difficult for him to speak verbally, his written poetry speaks with eloquence. His writing shows the complexity of the brain and the challenges and frustration of aphasia.