Ben trained in International Development and was about to go on placement to work in Rwanda for a 2-year placement on the East African Community. However, 2 weeks before he was meant to start he went to visit his girlfriend in Haiti, where they were involved in traffic accident. Ben’s girlfriend was killed and he was left with a brain injury. After coming out of a coma and making his way back to the UK, Ben has been on a long, complex and emotional journey of recovery.
This year at TEDxBrighton, Ben will tell his story and share with the audience and important lesson around the way we provide and ask for support.
Posted on BrainLine June 17, 2019.
Comments (2)
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Brenda Bloom replied on Permalink
Imagine being in the same position without any support at 70 years old. Much of what you did, I have tried to do. The damage was too great in too many areas but I still do all the PT, OT, CT I Can. But age, lack of resources & severe (undiagnosed & untreated) axonal coup conta coup damage have left me with less & less of everything but the criticism & stupid judgements by the ignorant experts. I have become ME. But to find a functional future for the level of disfunction I fight every day is exhausting & at 70, I am still fighting. I'm tired. This has been most of my life & sometimes I just want to know what fun & friendship feel like. Say TBI, people avoid you. You loose anyone you ever thought cared. Congratulations you've gotten back respect from others & for others maybe. I think considering all that has happened, my ME is pretty amazing. But I still miss respect & friendship & love. All because I can't be their kind of normal. How about a new normal that allows all people to be themselves as best they can.
Jane Beman replied on Permalink
I hear you! I learned about my TBI in the summer of 2019, through a SPECT scan done in 2016. I kept having the same pattern of problems. I learned about my ADD at age 52, a few years ago. I'm still learning how to cope with TBI, but at least the mystery is solved.
My TBI happened in 1968, when my family was in a car crash. We lost two members of the immediate family, mother and one of my younger brothers. It was a defining event, and my efforts and attention have been focused on that.
I've already accepted that I'm eccentric. My sense of humor is still intact, and that helps...a lot. I've been on medication for anxiety, depression and ADD for years.