March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, so this is a shout out to the incredibly supportive BrainLine community. Thank you! Thank you for reading, sharing, and spreading the word about brain injury. Thank you bloggers for putting your personal stories out in the public so that people will see and understand the impact TBI has had on your lives.
Thank you to the rescue squads and EMTs who save people after trauma, and to the surgeons and nurses who perform brain operations, saving tens of thousands of lives.
Thank you for letting others know that brain injuries are family injuries that impact the whole community, and that when we provide information, resources, and rehabilitation, outcomes improve, and people with TBIs are able to rejoin and contribute to the community in many positive ways.
Thank you for helping each other feel connected and understood as you navigate a system that is just beginning to coalesce into an integrated system for people with brain injuries and for their caregivers and family members.
As we strive to spread hope for people impacted by TBI, we also strive to fully understand the enormous emotional impact these injuries produce. I, for one, would like to see many more psychological services provided for both brain injury survivors and their families. Programs like the Brain Injury Family Intervention (BIFI) and the Therapeutic Couple’s Intervention program go a long way toward helping in these regards, making our doctors, therapists, and neuropsychologists our partners in these endeavors.
We send our heartfelt gratitude to all the clinicians who share groundbreaking therapies and advances in the field of traumatic brain injury treatment, especially the TBI Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center that continues to research and share best practices and new treatments to improve the health of all people with traumatic brain injuries.
All of us combined have created this online community that has impacted thousands of people. Caregivers are no longer isolated when these tragic events occur. Many have reached out to each other through Facebook and Twitter, and through comments on our blog posts. BrainLine listens to every voice, and tries to offer scientifically verified information that will help families make the best treatment decisions possible.
Please continue to share and grow this important community for the good of all.
Your voice matters because one thing we know for sure is that brain injury can happen to anyone at any time.
Comments (5)
Please remember, we are not able to give medical or legal advice. If you have medical concerns, please consult your doctor. All posted comments are the views and opinions of the poster only.
Beverly replied on Permalink
My daughter had a severe TBI in 1986, when she was 6 years old. A drunk driver hit our car and we were all injured but Donna had a very severe closed head injury. She was sent home non-verbal, in a wheelchair being fed through a tube. She is now 38, still non-verbal, but a joy. She can walk but has severe arthritis that causes her to often need a wheelchair because of the pain. She can eat anything. She has always lived with me, goes to a training center during the day and is with me the rest of the time.I suffer with severe depression-not because of Donna-even before Donna. People tell me I should be over Donna being hurt. I'm not. It still hurts, terribly. I adore Donna but I would do anything for her to have a normal life like her brother, cousins and friends. Every accomplishment that my son, and grandchildren make is bittersweet-so proud and happy for them and hurting inside for Donna and the unjustness of it all. God has got me through all this but I still have days I hurt so badly that I can barely function. I do function, but I want to just lay down and drift off to sleep.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Thank you Brainline.org for being a touchstone when we first hear the words brain injury...and for being a cornerstone as we continue moving through our various journey's. This truly is one of the finest places to educate, relate and understand the fullness of what TBI encompasses.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Thank you both for the kind comments! I love this community, those I know the those I know who are out there seeking connection and answersas kindred spirits. Thx for sharing, Arthur! And is that you, Jenni? Wish you both well.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Rosemary,
A strong network keeps getting stronger. Keep up the good work of expanding the level of attention brought forth on subject of TBI. When I sustained the injury of TBI 35 plus years ago, it was known then as a "closed head injury." That sounded about right, back then, but distinctly played down the grim nature of the injury. People like Yourself, Abbey, and her Colleague, have done yeomen work in highlighting the devastating results of the carnage of TBI. Beyond comprehension for most people, still, the awareness keeps on growing. You provide an inside view, from an out of body experience of the debilitating effects of TBI. Almost like you've experienced it. Very well done is your writing and coverage of this potential silent immobilizer of the human spirit if left unchecked and dealt with immediately. Injury must be dealt with as soon as possible. Longer you wait to approach issue's of TBI, more remote the chances of returning to a semblance of a normal life. Thanks MoM/DaD!!!
Arthur Cortis
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I love the quality of your articles and sharing them with families in New Zealand.