After a severe concussion playing in her high school soccer game, Madeline Uretsky found herself still suffering from symptoms two years later. It affected every aspect of her life – her studies, friendships, family, and hopes for her future. She has learned to live with this “new normal” but often cannot do things that normal teenagers do, like going to the mall, movies, concerts, sporting events, stores, restaurants, or crowded places. Her experience has led her to educating students and athletes about concussion and advocacy for greater awareness.

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William Jarvis contrasts the wish of so many TBI survivors for immediate healing with the challenges of living with a brain injury over years and even a lifetime. Struggles for the TBI Survivor can seem endless. It is acquiring the internal strength of patience that can make living with this injury possible. Your mental attitude towards difficulties can make the difference. By learning from failures, becoming persistent, and having patience, life can be meaningful and rewarding.

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Brain injury hope – what’s that mean? I’m Jessy. I would like to start off by saying that if anyone has any doubt about if your loved one or even yourself could possibility recover from a brain injury, I’m ecstatic to tell you there’s always a possibility of recovering if you have hope. Without hope, there’s really no recovery. You have to remember that the doctors that you or your loved ones see are smart, but they definitely don’t know everything. You know your limits better than a doctor does and it always helps having support.

I know from experience that a brain injury changes some aspects of your life, but by no means does it define you. I know because I have a TBI (traumatic brain injury).

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William Jarvis is a TBI survivor who found that moving his home became an analogy for moving forward with his life and not allowing his TBI to limit his future. It’s been 14 years since his brain injury and he still deals with fatigue – both cognitive and physical fatigue. But he has found strategies that recharge him and help him accomplish what he needs to do during the day. While many survivors focus on the challenges and limitations, Jarvis suggests that engagement with life – not the past – is the key to moving forward. Moving his home became an analogy for moving forward with his life.

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A new manual TBI Hope by Denise Boggs and Debbie A. Leonhardt, M.A. addresses the often neglected aspect of emotional recovery for families, caregivers and survivors. This step-by-step manual gives families essential tools to help them transition into their new life when caring for a family member who had a traumatic brain injury. The process of emotional healing is often overlooked in the medical treatment of TBI but it is essential for families and survivors to rebuild their lives and relationships in the journey of brain injury.

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Sports and concussion carry special risks for children and adolescents because their brains are still developing. Athletic trainer Phil Hossler shares data on sports concussions in school age children and discusses why it is critical for athletes, coaches, parents, educators and school nurses to become informed. The impact of a concussion can extend far beyond the playing field to the classroom and home. Only by early diagnosis and careful management can athletes and students receive the rest, supports and accommodations that may be needed.

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Couples after brain injury often find that their relationship changes in many ways, particularly their ability to communicate with each other. One partner often feels frustrated, angry, guilty and even avoids the other. Good communication is the foundation for a good relationship. Without it, relationships are as vulnerable as a house of cards. Miscommunication after a brain injury tends to revolve around the couple’s inability to share and understand each other’s emotions and needs. Dr. Dawn Neumann gives couples strategies on how to communicate more effectively.

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Students with TBI often have injuries to their frontal lobes causing changes in their executive skills after brain injury. This can make it harder for them to initiate activities, plan and prioritize, organize their work, problem solve, and control impulses. Getting through the day at school and completing homework at home can be a struggle. Dr. Janet Tyler explains how specific classroom strategies can help these students learn more effectively and improve their executive skills after brain injury.

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Michael Ciafone has written two books on living with a traumatic brain injury. Silent Cries and Traveling Forward will take you on his journey of faith, hope, and perseverance as he finds meaning in his life once more and travels forward.

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Mental Health challenges every state in the US. Find data and spending for your state and compare with others. Just click on any state and see the figures.

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