“Miracle” Recoveries
I have a Google alert set up for news on brain injuries. One thing I have noticed over the years is that there have been a number of stories about miraculous recoveries from brain injuries. Lately there have been a number of news stories about Congresswoman Gifford’s “miracle” recovery.
Now, don’t get me wrong nothing would be better than for every brain injury survivor to have a miracle recovery but unfortunately that is not reality. I believe miracles do occur, but, for most people with brain injuries, recovery is a difficult process that requires a strong will, determination, and time.
My problem with the media is that by reporting these situations as miracles they make it more difficult on the survivors and families who have not had such miracles. I believe that often the issue is that the media just does not take the time to really learn and understand about brain injuries.
I believe the determining factor in how a person recovers from a brain injury is what part of the brain is injured and how much of the brain has been damaged. The impact of a brain injury can vary widely all based on what centers in the brain are affected. I think further that if you grouped people according to the type and severity of injury you would see a fairly consistant pattern.
One problem is that extent of the injury is not always known at the time of the injury. For example, the current scans (e.g. MRI, CAT scans) that are used do not show the extent of diffuse injury that is often involved when the head moves violently such as with car accidents. New types of scans such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may provide better insight.
My point to all this is that to report a good recovery from a less severe injury as a miracle is a disservice to the survivor and families of someone with a more severe injury. Lets take Congresswoman Giffords case as an example. Again, I reiterate that I have no medical knowlege of her specific situation and only know what I have read in the paper. It was reported that the bullet passed cleanly through the top part of the brain. Yes, it is a terrible injury but I would expect, from what I have read, for her to have a better recovery than say someone who suffered a severe anoxic injury affecting the entire brain. So for me, her recovery has been on track with what I would expect from that type of an injury and I hope she continues to improve.
So my suggestion to the media, who surprisingly haven’t asked for my opinion, is let’s try to teach more about brain injuries and not take the easy way route of just calling everything a miracle.
Let me know what you think.
Hi my names Kalyn,
Your daughters story was very touching,and as i sit here looking at her picture,i am crying. Because my dad on June 3rd of 2008,was in a terrible car accident ( a drunk driver hit him head on). Due to the accident he is now paralyzed completely,cant talk,has a feeding tube,4 bedsores,trach in his neck to help him breathe,always has a catheder in. Due to the accident he also has a brain injury,that has left him paralyzed. The drunk driver had no injuries,and barely got any time in jail. He had alcohol,marijuana,and drugs in his vehicle,but yet to get charged with barely anything. It is very hard,because im only 18,and at the time I was 15. I chose to do homeschooling to be with my dad,because he was in a coma like state for a long period of time.He was on a ventilator,and oxygen to help him breathe better. Doctors told us to give up and let him die,and that he was vegetable,but i refused to let my dad give up. My sister had just got married on May 31st of 2008,a few days before his car accident,she was in Hawaii on her honeymoon when it happened.He had 42 broken bones,and they gave him Haldol,which they werent supposed to due to the head injury. So after the medicine reaction he had,he ran a temperature of 110.Thats why he has permanent damage to his brain. We are trying to be very strong for him,but its just hard. He just turned 45 in March,and we are about to be on our 3rd year of taking care of him.He was in the hospital for over a year,and has been home for almost 2 years. But I still have high hopes for my daddy,I always will. You guys are very brave,and God is very proud of you for stepping up. 🙂 Youre doing a great job!
I have felt exactly the same way about the Giffords coverage. My husband died 11 months after his traumatic brain injury in a go-kart racing accident. For those of us who don’t receive the miracle, the coverage is so painful! Maybe the miracle for me was that I had the privilege of caring for my husband for the year before he died. He never came home and probably never even knew what happened, but the love we shared at his bedside in the various facilities was the most profound of our marriage. Miracles do come in all shapes and sizes. My sons and I learned lessons we never wanted to learn, but they are part of our miracle as well.
Last year in June i was walking down there street and i was hit by a truck going 35 miles an hour. I got struck head on, went about 7 feet in air according to video survailance, slamed into pavement and was out. I guess an onlooker gave me CPR until the ambulance came to get me. I was then in a coma for a week. I have multiple skull fractures. I had to get an intercranial pressure monitor place in my brain due to bleeding and swelling. I finally woke up and got sent to a brain injury rehab center. I am now home and back to work, although it is not going very well. i was in such a hurry to get back to work due to money, i did not allow myself time to heal. now i am stuck working and in so much pain. I cannot taste or smell anything. and i have no body to talk to that understands what i am going through or how i feel.
I am always hopeful to hear about TBI recovery, but I agree that it depends on the type and extent of the injury. My son has a diffuse axonal injury he suffered in April 2009. The issue we have faced is that in-patient care and therapies are so limited by insurance. Congresswoman Giffords has many advantages, among those being top-rate facilities, therapists, and in-home care. We live in a rural community and access to these services is almost non-existent. However, we fight and scrape and come up with very creative ways to help my son in his recovery. Early on a doctor told us that if we didn’t see improvement in six months, we would not see improvement. He still has a very long way to go and the process is extremely heartbreaking and painful, but we have seen lots of improvement.
God bless you for sharing your story. Your journey has helped me many times. Just today I printed the blog on AFOs for the orthotist. I love seeing pictures of Ashleigh. Not many people have an album full of pictures taken with the rich and famous! I am also thrilled to read about her progress. You all are an inspiration to our family. Thank you.
I would like to say I am glad I found this blog. On Oct. 21, 2010 my husband at age 39 suffered a brain bleed, a stroke and had a blood clot on the “communication” part of the brain that required surgery to remove the clot. He has expressive aphasia as a result of the seizures that he suffered after the brain injury occured.. He was on a ventilator, trach, g tube, catheter, etc. Several weeks. He was paralyzed fully on the right side for 5 wks. It was horrifying. His was brought on by uncontrolled high blood pressure that caused the bleed. Then he fell and a bedside table flipped onto his head that caused the brain injury and blood clot.
I can say on the family’s end, like you, having him with us is a blessing. I can say on his end, that he doesn’t feel the same. Prior to the injury, he played Lead Guitar in a band, he worked as a security officer at a factory for 13 yrs and he LOVED his job and was very well liked by all of our co-workers.
I give him pep talks daily about the progress he’s made but he looks back and sees what his life was vs. what it is now and he’s angry, resentful and depressed. I tell myself he’s earned the right to feel all of those things but tell him we have to move forward, but I don’t know how. I have left work to stay home and care for him. He walks now, and uses his right hand, and has regained some speech, but it’s a huge struggle for him and one that we have to deal with on a daily basis.
Thank you for your blog. It reminds me that we are not alone in this and gives me one more day of hope. Thank you.
I’d like to address Kalyn, but firstly, want to tell you what a great job you’ve done on your site.
Kalyn, on March 15, 2008, my son, 26 at the time, sustained a TBI as a passenger in a vechicle which hit a tree. Driving alone all the way from Florida to Georgia, I prayed aloud, begging God to let me keep my son. So when I arrived in ICU and after only about 10 minutes, a lady arrived asking me to sign over my son’s organs, I refused, telling her that there was a Miracle in place. When she came back again, I once again told her no, that my son wasn’t going to die. I “knew” that God would answer my prayers. Along the way, since then, doctors have said that he would get no better, but Kalyn, he has. “I” see it, as I’m with him 24/7 as his sole caregiver. I see a LOT in his expressions. And now he moves his mouth, trying to form words, which he couldn’t do before. Kalyn, this is a very,very slow process, this healing of the brain. “Believing” is very important and also, tell your father to “believe”, too. He may be understanding a lot of what you’re saying. And Kalyn, God is in all “hope”. Also, I did some research and found something to heal an enormous pressure wound he got at a nursing home, so your mother is welcome to contact me at [email protected] and I’d be glad to give her info where she can get it. I know that I’m constantly turning and moving and sliding my sun back up in his bed. I use LOTS of pillows, too. Whew, it’s a rough road. But because I believe in Miracles, because I pray every night with my son and thank God for this Miracle that He is performing, where my son is getting better and better, little by little, every day, well Kalyn, I know that he will. When? Who knows. Next year? In ten years? I tell you this, Kalyn, God knows that you are dedicated to your daddy and along this long journey, you will learn many things and I believe that God places it all before us, the good with the bad. I’m like you and I’ll never give up. We love forever no matter what. I’m glad your daddy has you. So is he. Blessings, Dawn
Hi my name is Mary,My family has been through two TBI. The first was my daughter, at the age of ten she was accidently shot through the left side of her brain. The bullet went in below her eyebrow and came out at the base of her brain in the back. She lost at least 1/4th of her brain on that side. She lost half of her vision and had to learn how to talk all over again. She finds it hard to follow directions and to express herself at times-she gets tired real easy. Although my daughters recovery has been quite different than your daughters-her brain was so badly injured she should have dies on the way to the hospital and not recovered after surgery. This was 31 years ago and her situation is almost like Congresswomen Gifford. when I watched the video about your daughter I sat here and cryed because I know your pain. In april 2009-spring break we were again call to the hospital trauma unit. My daughter’s son, our only grandchild had like your daughter been in a horrible car wreck. He was 16 and pulled out in front of a truck. The truck was going about 50 mph and hit him on his drivers side.He was airlifted to the hospital. He wasn’t expected to live and certainly not recover like he has. The doctors said he had shearing of the brain with midline shift and the force of the impact slammed his brain against his skull causeing frontal lobe injury. He was in a coma for two weeks and in and out for the next week. Finally he started to come out of it. Those were horrible days and nights. His memory is still bad but improveing. He was an honor 3 sport athlete before the wreck. He had a fracture to the left occipital condyle bone-which supports the head at the spinal column and swelling around the brain stem. He is now a freshman at college and doing pretty well except for tests because of his memory-he is determined to make it. My heart breaks for the ones who hve TBI and don’t have a miracle recovery-but that doesn’t mean that miracles don’t happen-I know they do-my faith has been tested twice. I ask my self daily why things turn out like they do and why some live,some die,some recover while others don’t. I questioned why my familty had to go through TBI twice but I guess I’ll never know. I hope I haven’t offended your family but miracles do happen and I am so thankful I can tell my daughters and grandsons story.
Hi my name is Sabiha from Nairobi, Kenya. My daughter Amal was involved in a hit and run accident when she was 6yrs old. She is now 8yrs and she is still recovering. Its has been really challenging for us as rehab and peadriatic rehab equipment are so costly here, we are forced o modify our own equipments and aides. its also good to know that the insurance companies there are willing to assist. We have had to pay for all medical and rehab bills on our own while trying to fight a civil case against the insurance company and the driver of the vehicle. Since home nursing care is so expensive here, I had to give up my job to take care of my little girl. When we brough her home from the hospital she was in a semicoma no movement at all and was feeding through an NG tube, she was not able to recognise any of us. She now feeds herself, able to sit up and uses her hands and legs. Best of all she is now able to speak with a slur and slowly, she is able to complain and demands for the things she wants like every other little girl.
I know the feeling you have when you get the phone call that your baby is hurt, the hospital, the blood, the feeling of wanting to take her in your hands hug her, tell her everything will be ok, the helplessness, the hopelessness, not believing that what is happening is real, – but as parents we somehow get the strenght to face it and beleive, hope and pray that – Everything will be alright,
I will always remember Ashleigh in my prayers. Our babies will always be our Miracle Babies.
I believe it is a miracle because a gunshot wound to the brain is a horrific injury and surviving is a miracle. My son suffered a diffuse axonal injury in Feb 08, he’s learning to walk and talk again, my hopes from the Gifford story would be that more rehabiliation for brain injured patients is needed.. don’t cut them off.. it takes time to recover… we’ve had to fight and research ourselves for more help, insurance and medicare want to give up too quick and place brain injured patients in facilities…. THAT’s the story that needs to be told.
Miracles do Happen to those who Believe.. I know this for sure, my son is a miracle, all though he doesn’t walk by himself or talk he is a Survivor!
My son Hunter, who is now 19, suffered a severe TBI October 3, 2010. His head was run over by another rider on a dirtbike. The Doctor who read us the MRI results said he would be “vegetative” the rest of his life. Taking him off of full life support and organ donation was discussed with us. After refusing both options, the doctor never spoke to us again and we never saw his face again for the two weeks he was in a coma at that facility.
Hunter now eats a regular diet. Like your daughter, each meal takes about an hour. He still has a feeding tube because he doesn’t drink enough to keep his body hydrated. He sends and receives text messages. He rides a three-wheeled bicycle. He drives a tractor and grades our gravel road. He mows the grass with a riding lawn mower. He writes, does simple algebra with a tutor, gives terrific hugs and kisses ,and plays with the dog. He is just now beginning to say words with cues. And he will occassionally initiate speech. He walks with a walker. It’s very laborious for him, but he can get around the first floor of our house with it. He goes to the bathroom on his own, as long as we tell him to. And he can dress himself, though it takes a very long time.
Our problem has been locating therapists who can see past his denial of his disabilities. He becomes so angry when he is in therapy, and the therapists use this an excuse to discharge him, rather than pushing through it and avoiding words and comments that trigger the anger reponse. He has private insurance as well as medicaid. They will pay for the rehab if the therapists continue to see improvement. But all they want to do is say they can’t help him because of the denial. And the minute Hunter senses their reluctance, all progress is lost.
Do you have any suggestions?
I have a 10 year old daughter who suffered cardiac arrest during an accident she had no pulse and no heart beat for 15 minutes but I was giving her CPR, we are so blessed to have her but the road is long and paved by insurance companies and opions, our daughter is very aware, she knows all of us and can read and remembers most of everything, her motor skills have been effected greatly and we are having to have a baclofen pump put in, we have had many ups and many downs and we are staying strong her accident date was 2-12-12 and all I can say to anyone who is going through this is advocate for your child, they are miracles and they can’t speak for thereselves, there are very few avenues for parents to take we need to speak out and get more resources for our children
I am so thankful to have found this website. My 19year old daughter was involved in a motor vehicle accident on August 13, 2012.. She sustained a TBI.. As some of you were told, I was also told to give up…she would not make it and that she would be in vegetative state. I’ve also had a Palative Care Doctor to stop speaking to me because I won’t give up. She has beat the odds even though she is still in a coma state. I’m constintantly reiterating to the Dr.s and hospital staff that I believe in a higher power and miracles…. I LET THEM KNOW THAT MY FAITH OVERPOWERS ANY MEDICAL ADVICE THAT SUGGESTS GIVING UP…. For all of you that are going thru this… Know that with GOD MIRACLES happen everyday. God bless you all…
My son had a car accident in july 2009 aged 23. The injury was DAI and the prognoss was vegetive state. We researched and did our own therapy with the senses..sound. sight. touch smell. we used ipods via ear plugs with music he would hate.. music he would love.. his sister sang and read books constantly out loud. we were in a room with four three other patients..so not all appeciated it.. we found things that had smells he would hate and love. allowed people in who he would hate and love. massaged with smooth. lumpy.. gritty oils and creams.. four weeks into his coma he spoke the words i believed to be what happened..nurses said not possible.. that night he made further communications with garbled words. over the next two weeks he made sounds and his eyes followed. He bit and kicked and yet still we were given no hope. we used more pictures and people as stimulants. and continued on the sensory therapy we had started. I got the idea from a geman article on the net where they had a good success rate with vegetive state patients. My son was dagnosed as severe diffuse axonal injury.. There were others with the same diagnosis who had been there longer than him..We didnt give up and it seems he didnt either as today he is living in a housing unit in qld. alone. Yes he has problems and there are at times hospital stays due to drug use. but he learned to walk talk eat and drive live all over again. He recognises when he is having issues and presents at hospital. It is a long hard road. Three and a half years since his accident and there are major changes when compared to the pre accident son..but more importantly.. There are monumental changes when you compare him to the permanent vegetive state that was best case diagnosis three and a half weeks into the coma. Four months of intensive rehab and then outpatient rehab.. Can a doctor really make an accurate diagnosis in the degree of brain injury? As a mum only now am I realising the extent of the journey and his recovery and how lucky we are to have him in our lives. He doesnt always share that view. The difficult times we face with him now pale in comparison to that initial traumatic journey. my heart goes out to all of you and I wish you all the strength to carry on with your recoveries or your caring for loved ones.. Research yourself. Try new things. And know that the very miracle may be you.. The person who does no give up. The person who is there battling for them. i can say that the first year was a blur. i dont know if i made a conscious decision to do anything. Researching seems vague. It seems it was auto pilot or we are subconsciously driven to keep going and keep trying throughout that time. Brain injury doesnt fit into any categories we found here in qld. Yes there was associations but we got no support. Family and friends were no where to be seen for the most part. We are directly affected by trauma..we were not in fit states. There is little support and help. Im glad I found this page even if it is three and a half years later. Im glad I found it to tell you all that you are all miracles in my eyes. The survivors no matter what state, You, the family member or carer and your support people.. Your dedication and support is inspiring.. Never give up. We are still learning. and researching coping skills and ways to make improvements. Recovery requires dedication support and determination for both trauma survivors and their support people.. Keep your eyes, heart and options open people.. Keep up the great work..
Even a miracle recovery isn’t always as miraculous as the news or people/Drs can make it up to be. My husband had they called a miraculous recovery from a brain injury. He was struck in the head with a large branch which punctured his skull and pushed bone particles into his brain. The force of the hit also blasted the brain on the other side of his head through the bone and into his eye socket. It really was miraculous as he only spent 16 days in the hospital and didn’t have any eye nerve damage. And he wouldn’t have lived if it hadn’t been for the quick response of his co-workers and the fact that there was a medic helicopter almost directly en route above them that was able to just drop out of the sky and pick him up plus many other details too numerous to write here. But as miraculous as the beginning was, Three years later we still deal with many, many issues every day, like seizures, depression, headaches, and major chronic fatigue. These issues make daily family life very hard. We are so happy for his miracle of life but that doesn’t mean recovery is any easier than those who recover slower than that. That’s my opinion, I could be wrong, especially as I know all brain injuries are different, (I also was a caretaker for for my husband’s brother’s TBI 2 years before my husband’s injury.) So glad I found this site. I’ve been looking for others that deal with brain injuries on a daily basis. It’s a hard thing, physically for the one suffering and emotionally for the family. God bless you and you family!
I disagree with your miracle, or lack of, assertion. I think getting shot in the head and recovering is a miracle; both for Gabby Giffords and for Mary’s daughter in a comment above. Maybe the miracle was the trajectory of the bullet. I also think the survival of more severely impacted people, when doctors told you there was no hope, is also a miracle. Sometimes the greatest miracle is what happens in the hearts of those our loved ones with TBIs are in contact with.
My brother Raj Kishor Tripathy met with a motor bike accident on 16th March 2013 around 9:30 PM. People found him unconscious and heavily breathing. There were injuries to chest (left side) and minor scratches and abration in his skin (hands. legs, back side of the neck). When he was admitted to the hospital he was diagnosed with Diffuse Axonal Injury, GCS 3 (after a week it’s (E1, VT, M3). Post that he was kept on ventilator for 4/5 days. Tracheostomy was done afterwards.Currently, (after 22 days) he has still some chest infection, mild fever at 99c (has fever since last 9 days on-and-off), can open his right eye on painful stimuli sometimes on his own, moves his both legs, crunches both hands, his right hand is very stiff (physiotherapy is going on for the chest, hand and rest of the body), he can feel the touch and reacts to it (like he moves his body, head, lips etc), yawns, coughs etc.
Please suggest what best can be done for him. Please mail me at [email protected]
im a survior of a diffuse axonal injury i was hit by a bus last 2010 and i survived miraculously and the dilemma for is how to push myself to recover and make myself back to normal again as if i had not a victim of an accident.but still there is still some traces of the condition i had undergone. but still im thankful that i still live normally after the tragic accident ive been thru.all these was up to my faith to God who guide me all the way to my recovery and depression.
I got a severe Traumatic brain injury April 29,2012 when a drunk woman hit me while I was a pedestrian. it has now been 17 months since my accident. the doctors say I am a medical miracle and I should not have lived. I had a Glasgow coma scale of 3. the docs told my brothers and friends to find a mortuary and cemetery to bury me at. I was in a coma for 2 and a half months. I lost my sense of smell for a year and a half. I have had two cranioectomies, where they take your skull off, and two cranioplastys where they put a new fake skull on. cedar Sinai hospital in los Angeles gave me a staph infection in my brain when they gave me a new skull-that really hurt bad-super cranial pressure there! ouch! it was really horrible geez. I need some prayers so I can go HOME to Los Angeles and live my life again, iam very depressed that I am NOT HOME. so much misery over here :(… I cry often, sometimes I wish I DID DIE, SO I could be free. I feel like a prisoner, a captive, because this person I am living with -very unfortunate says I will not live independently again in my life and the only time I will see LA is when I die as a spirit! rude and evil! So please person out there pray for me to go HOME to Los Angeles, soon 🙂 then I would NOT want to die anymore. Please + thank you X one trillion! god bless you and hope your person you know fully recovers like me very soon 🙂 have a good day/night-and remember pray for my freedom to go HOME to Los Angeles! please + thank you xo <3
My Dad had a road accident 8 years ago and suffered serious Brain damage and the Doctors operated for 4 hours and said we have to wait and watch but the next day, doctors said he had a diffused brain injury and his body was turning yellow they operated again and asked to wait and watch. But By Grace of God only he survived, he made a fantastic recovery and within 8 months was able to walk with a Walker but a 2 subsequent Brain strokes took all the recovery away. its my Angelic Sister who takes care of Dad day in and out and there is not even a single bedsore or any mark on his body. One more point to Prove that No can love a Father like his daughter .
We Pray for his recovery and request you to remember us in your prayers. Gods ways are mysterious and beyond our comprehension, but when going through these trails He is Our Strength and Hope as always.
Never Lose Hope for God so Loved each one of us that he Gave his only begotten Son for us. Praise God Praise Jesus.
On September 9, 2013, my life changed forever. My daughters were involved in a serious car accident. My youngest suffered Diffuse Axonal Injury and was one of the worst they had seen at Cooks hospital in Fort Worth. She was in a coma for 40 days. They told me she had less than 1% chance to survive, and even then, survival is arbitrary. I was told that she would require long-term nursing care and that she was not a good candidate for neuro rehab. I fought tooth and nail for that kid, and our story is one of a miracle. She has continued to defy all the odds, and she is really OK. She is like a completely different person than she was four months ago, but she walks again, talks, poops in the potty, and is doing very well. Please follow us on our blog, and you should read our book that tells our story. It is sad but inspirational! The Never Say Never Kid!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HDTNMQU
On 07/26/2013, my daughter Samantha was in a car accident and suffered a DAI brain injury. She was flown to a Trama 1 center about 50 miles from our house. When she was admitted, she was rated as a 3 on the Glasgow scale (FYI – a chair would have rating of 3 – it is the lowest Glasgow rating). After about a week, we were told to go interview nursing homes – that she would never come home – that she would never know who we are – that her life, as we knew it was over. I left her room in tears and was walking down the hallway saying to my self “I don’t believe it…it can’t be true” when (I swear this is true) a voice went off in my head saying “well, then…don’t believe it” We decided not to believe it. It was not correct. She is recovering. She had to learn to eat, swallow, walk, talk – well everything all over again. She walked out of the hospital under her own power. She is being home schooled and received straight A’s on her report card (Just came in the mail today). She started driver’s education 3 weeks ago and has her driving permit. She is signed up to become a certified yoga instructor (200 hour cert). Do not lose faith (in whatever or whomever you have faith in). Always believe that recovery is not just possible, but is inevitable.
My son at 11, was hit by a drunk driver after school . He was thrown into the air 10 feet . He was in china fir over thirty days . The doctors proclaim no hope . I held on to Mark 11:24-25 .God had the last word . He miraculously woke up from his coma . Thanks be to God .He is now 45 . He graduated fromUSC in three years and has two MBAs from Jiaotong University and Tsinghua . But the severity of the injuries impacted his right frontal lobe but his cognitive , therefore he has trouble relating with others and lack executive functioning .
Keep your faith .our God is a miracle performing God ,
On March 11,2014 my grandson was admitted to University Medical Center of Arizona at the Diamond Childrens Center for a sever head injury due child abuse by an C.P.S. appointed foster care giver. Little Anthony was a vibrant, happy and healthy 2 year old with his whole life ahead of him but now he is lying in the hospital ICU with what the doctors say permanent brain damage. He cannot see, move, or eat. Because my daughter, Anthonys’ mother had a prescription pain med problem, C.P.S. felt it necessary to remove Anthony from his save, loving and healthy home. He was never sick, never had any injuries but since he was “abducted” he suffered bruising, his hair being pulled out, a broken arm and now permanent brain damage. All these comments that I have read has given me hope that maybe Anthony may recover from his injury and return to us with his smiles and his laughter, Its is ironic that he’d be admitted to the same hospital that Gabby Giffords’ was admitted and maybe it’s an omen…….I can only hope. The cruel irony is that because the state of Arizona C.P.S. felt it necessary to take a perfectly healthy and happy child out of a safe and protective home only to subject him to child abuse. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around! Any way……thank you for your letters and inspiration. I only hope that little Anthony has the strength and drive to want to come back to us. Please, your prayers would be so appreciated. Thank You
my mother has been in comma now for about four weeks following a heart attack which left with some damage to her brain? The professional seems not to have a clear effective intervention/treatment…. Can someone help—— I am praying for a miracle ——–
You need to request a sit down with your mother’s neurosurgeon/neurologist to go over the scans and get more details. Often, as a result of a heart attack a person can stop breathing for a prolonged period resulting in an anoxic brain injury (anoxia). You can research coma stimulation techniques. Watch out for age bias as well. Also, some people report improvement for anoxic injuries after hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT). The UK does have some brain injury support groups that may be able to help as well. Thanks.
My son was run down by a man speeding to pass a stopped school bus on October 18, 2011. He was 5 years old at the time. The driver didn’t even attempt to break. My son was thrown about 80 feet further down the road where he landed on his head. He was lifelined to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, where he then went through a 6 hour surgery to try and put his femur which was shattered back together. 3 days later when he still was not waking up the neurosurgeon decided to do a MRI. It was discovered that he had diffuse axonal injury affecting every region of his brain. And they told us that we would just have to wait and see how he would be when he woke up.. He actually did the next morning but he would just look around the room and not be able to focus on people or things in the room. He was awake but not there. He stayed an additional 8 days where he went underwent therapy and slowly became more aware. He spent the next 4 months in a wheelchair and 6 in a c collar because he couldn’t hold up his neck. He returned to school under special care half days. He was always tired and extremely moody and anger.
It’s been a little over 2 1/2 years and we’re still not finding the answers to his problems. We hear a lot of wait and see… We have found that he has difficulties controlling his feet he will continually trip over them and fall. He’s been in PT since he got out of his chair and they said they have done everything they could but it’s not going to get any better. He has memory and comprehension difficulties, that haven’t gotten better with Speech therapy. And he has sensory issues that OT are addressing without luck. But our most distressing problems are his psychiatric issues. He’s been diagnosed with ADHD, Oppositional defiance. He has extreme anger issues and no impulse control. He has hallucinations and hears voices. And he has depression and is suicidal. In the past 3 months he has undergone multiple EEG to try and find why he is continually zoning out. All they tell me is it’s not seizures but it is definitely neurological. Last week at school while he was in one of his zoned out episodes he was displaying violent actions. I’m afraid if we don’t get answers he may go further into wherever he is going and that he will hurt someone. Does anyone have any doctors close to Indiana who are well versed in brain trauma? We need to find help we don’t really have time to wait and see…
I just want to say to every TBI survivor or caregiver of a TBI patient… Believe in miracles! You or your loved ones survived no matter how much has changed.
At the beginning of April my 16 year old little sister attempted suicide by hanging. Her heart had stopped by the time the paramedics got there but restarted it again. She has been in a coma for 9weeks now. Doctors are saying basically the whole of her brain is damaged due to lack of oxygen. Only her stem works. She is breathing by herself through a trachea into her throat. They tried to persuade me and my mum that she has no hope and wanted us to stop feeding her or take her trachea out so she would pass away. They say she cannot feel, hear or see anything but sometimes when I’m there speaking to her, touching her I know she knows. It looks like she wants to scream and sit up but can’t. Like she’s trapped in her own body. She is constantly jerking and twitching and her face and hands tensing up due to the severity of the brain damage. Me and my mum have decided to stop treating infections and let nature take its course and gods will. Sometimes I feel that’s the wrong decision but to us that means we aren’t forcing her to keep on going. If she feels it’s time then so be it but this way it’s out to her. Then other times I feel like I, not doing everything I can for her, like I am robbing her of time. So far she is fighting off infections fine on her own. She looks like she’s is so much pain most of the time. This is my baby sister she’s been with me most of my life, she turned 17 in the 19th of April, spent her birthday in hospital. I turned 21 on the 20th of April. Such a heartbreaking time. Usually have so much fun with our birthdays being so close together. I pray to God but I feel he can’t hear me, all the negativity I’m surrounded by at the hospital it’s so hard to keep up the posititvity and the faith. Please someone help me. She’s my baby sister she’s just a child I need her.
Danielle,
Answer: When tragedy strikes, it is common for people to ask, “What does this mean?” When we witness some disaster or mass murder, there is a natural feeling that what has happened should not have happened. This innate sense of “wrongness” is a clue to meaning in these events. When we look to find meaning in tragedy, we must have the right perspective. We need to approach the question in a way that allows for a coherent answer, and this is only possible through a Christian worldview. Because God instills meaning into every moment and event in history, through Him we can begin to find meaning in suffering. The nature of this world lends itself to tragic events. Fortunately, God speaks to us, so that we can find not only meaning, but salvation and relief from the sufferings of the world.
When studying physical motion, it is crucial to understand perspective. Speed and acceleration are only meaningful in relation to some other object; this object is the reference point. The way in which the reference point moves affects our perception. The same is true in our sense of right and wrong. For concepts of good, bad, right, wrong, or tragedy to be meaningful, they have to be anchored to a reference point that does not change or move. The only valid reference point for these issues is God. The very fact that we consider a mass murder wrong strongly supports the idea of God as the reference point for our sense of good and evil. Without God, even the events we consider the most tragic are no more meaningful than anything else. We have to understand the nature of this world and our relationship to God in order to draw any meaning at all from the things we see.
God infuses every moment and every event with meaning and gives us confidence that He understands what we are going through. When Jesus instituted communion, He tied the past, present, and future together. 1 Corinthians 11:26 says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup (the present), you proclaim the Lord’s death (the past) until He comes (the future).” God’s knowledge of all events means nothing is insignificant to Him. If God knows when a sparrow falls, He certainly knows when we face tragedy (Matthew 10:29-31). In fact, God assured us that we would face trouble in this world (John 16:33) and that He has experienced our struggles personally (Hebrews 2:14-18; Hebrews 4:15).
While we understand that God has sovereign control over all things, it is important to remember that God is not the source of tragedy. The vast majority of human suffering is caused by sin, all too often the sin of other people. For instance, a mass murder is the fault of the murderer disobeying the moral law of God (Exodus 20:13; Romans 1:18-21). When we look to find meaning in such an event, we have to understand why this world is the way it is. The hardship of this world was originally caused by mankind’s sin (Romans 5:12), which is always a matter of choice (1 Corinthians 10:13). While God is perfectly capable of stopping tragedies before they begin, sometimes He chooses not to. While we may not know why, we do know that He is perfect, just, and holy, and so is His will. Also, the suffering we experience in this world does three things. It leads us to seek God, it develops our spiritual strength, and it increases our desire for heaven (Romans 8:18-25; James 1:2-3; Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 1:7).
In the garden of Eden, God spoke to Adam and communicated in clear and direct ways, not in abstract concepts. God speaks to us today in the same way. In some ways, this is the most important meaning to be found in any tragedy. Tragic events demonstrate much of their meaning in the way we react to them. C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” This does not mean that God causes tragedy, but that He uses our reaction to tragedy to speak to us. Tragic events remind us not only that we live in an imperfect and fallen world, but that there is a God who loves us and wants something better for us than the world has to offer.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/meaning-in-tragedy.html#ixzz350dKROlo
Danielle, my daughter Samantha went through a DAI brain injury. She was comatose, as well. She had these things they called brainstorms – where she was feverish, contorted, in pain, etc… I know that this is hard times. I whispered in Sam’s ear “I am Sam. I am healing. I am well” more times that could be counted. Have Faith….not hope. We were told that Sam would spend the rest of her days, if she ever came out of the coma, in an institution. Today, she is wake-boarding, finished her sophomore year of high school, and is in the process of becoming a certified Yoga instructor. The accident happened less than one year ago. Have Faith. Touch and rub her. Stretch out those Achilles tendons. Talk to her and Have FAITH. The week before Sam’s accident, I heard a sermon….it was about prayer and how God answers all prayers in one of three different ways 1) Ok, 2) Ok, but not know 3) I have something better planned. God can hear you…but you must not doubt. Continue to pray and have Faith. You will be in my family’s prayers.
Danielle, how is your sister? I pray improving.
So glad I found this blog and all of the wondeful stories of hope and miracles. My brother was involved in a car accident a few days ago. He has such severe brain injuries that the doctors offer little hope. In fact today we were told he basically has no chance. However, even though he is in a coma and the scans do not look promising, he kind of moves a finger or his eye lid when talked to by family. This has given us all so much hope just to have it crushed by doctors saying its really nothing. I dont know what to do or how to feel. Im hopeful and devastated throughout the day and it feels like Im going crazy. I have no experience with brain injuries so Im online looking for ways to help him. if anyone has advice please dont hesitate. I will never give up hope as he means the world to me and I cant imagine ever letting anyone take that away from me.
Thank you so much for sharing the story of your daughter with all of us. I agree that the media showing a story about congresswoman Gifford is a disservice to all of us T.B.I. survivors. When people used to ask me “so you’re better now right?” I would just smile and respond “sure”. You can’t hope that people would ever understand what happened to you or how hard the progress you’ve made has been. I am living proof though, that miracles are possible. My injury wasn’t as bad as your daughter’s, not by a long shot. It was serious enough though, that I had to learn how to both walk and talk again. When I woke up from my coma in the hospital, I wished that I hadn’t. I feel so ashamed for ever feeling that way. According to the doctors, everything that’s happened to me since in my recovery “isn’t possible”. I can’t explain it myself. I don’t deserve this miracle. Why would I get so much better than they ever thought was possible, when so many other people have a more typical recovery? People that deserve it more than I do? My heart goes out to you and your family. Your daughter is a better person than I am. She deserves a miracle.
To Danielle:
I had my injury almost 7 months ago now. Four months before that my beautiful sister died. She and her husband had been battling drug addiction and depression for years. When she ODed she lost consciousness and her top half slumped on her knees in such a way that she couldn’t breathe. When the paramedics arrived they managed to get her heat beating again, but it was too late. She spent nearly two weeks in a coma before we all decided it would be best to let her go. I will never be able to change what it meant to have my precious little niece weep in my arms as she had to tell her mom goodbye for the last time. I know all too well what you went through, and what you are still going through now. My niece had a hard time understanding the twitching and movement too. It was a few short months after my sister died that I almost went to meet her again. For whatever reason I not only lived, I beat the odds and have had an amazing recovery. I don’t think my mom could of taken losing two of her adult children before their time. I have found a measure of peace knowing that she is with the Lord now, and I will see her again, just not yet. It has been a few months since you posted your story, and I hope with all my heart that you find a measure of peace yourself. I will keep you and your sister in my prayers.
Hi everyone, I’m a wife of a TBI person. I’m not going say it has been easy. My husband and I had a car accident in October 2011. I received multiple fractures and he the TBI with neck fractures. Well at this time he is currently in a nursing facility due to other complications I have had to occur. He really is a miracle to me and I pray that not my will, but Gods will be done. I understood from the very beginning that it was a brain injury, but what I didn’t know was on a very low scale of 3 Glasgow means you are close to out of here. We were headed to some little store just outside of town and my husband turned in front of someone and all I could see was a truck coming at me. I lost sight for a short time (as though the TV use to do early morning) and I came to myself and he was lying in my lap knocked out. That’s the last I remember as I prayed and they took him by air first and then i. He had a very serious blow, that actually tumbled, tore, and fringed his brain inside. So he is doing more than they said he would do. They only kept him in the hospital for 26 days, because they felt he would not recover. They discharged him to LTC facility and once I could find help for him at home I brought him home. He is now 55 years old in nursing facility with a feeding tube, can’t walk, don’t want to get out of bed, always agitated, because he wants to eat by mouth but can’t at this time. He can’t talk, but can understand some of what you. He has good care where he is now and I DO CHECK daily on him!! We will make it, by the help of the Good Lord!! I pray that I spoke in understanding, my mind was to encourage not tear down! I appreciate your words of encouragement also. Together we stand against the enemy of TBI!! We are Winners!!
P.s. No no two injuries are the same and it is sometimes not fair the way we are treated. We pay for insurance and expect for them to be there when you need them! We were told only if you had Medicare or Medicaid we could keep him longer. Well in the end, we had to know it was a higher calling than either of them!! God Bless you all!!
Hi there. I’m new to the site and my family and I went through a TBI. This happened about 12 years ago.My youngest sister wad involved in a car accident which made the car spin and then tumble until it came to a stop by a tree. It was on the highway late at night and unfortunately it took several hours before they were spotted. I say they because it was several teenagers in the car. My sister was found barely breathing and in and out of consciousness. She was airlifted to the nearest town. She was diagnosed with diffused axonal injury after being there for several days with a very low GCS. Her prognosis was not good and doctors said she would be a vegetable if she lived. She spent a month in ICU and then was sent to a long term hospital where they had a wing with patients with similar injuries. Most were young and had been in car accidents. She stayed in a coma for about 4 months. My mom never left her side. They were attempting everything possible like therapy, cocktails that may help her come back. And one day she awoke. Unable to speak, walk, or talk she barely remembered us. She spent 2 years in rehab hospitals. She has come a long way but never fully recovered. She can’t walk without a walker and when she does it is very exhausting. She needs help dressing and bathing. She has calcium deposits to her left elbow and cannot extend it well from being in the fetal position during her coma, even with the daily therapy during that time. Her memory isn’t well either. I believe she has short term memory loss. She doesn’t sleep well and never wants to be left alone in the room. She also has a baclofen pump that was inserted in her abdomen many years ago. Overall its been a tough road and we never loose hope. With Gods will anything can happen, never loose faith you are not alone.
And with technology advancing every day you never know what can happen.
This is my story of my of a Tramatic Brain Injury (car accident) while involved in a studying abroad program in Peru S.A. in 1972, at the age of twenty-one. What I have learned is ‘the recovery process’ for each one of us is different. NO two brain injuries are alike ! Also, the recovery happens in VARIOUS steps along the way !
My husband is 59 years old and has an anoxic brain injury and a TBI. It happened in Dec 2014. He was in a coma for over 30 days and is still listed as consistent vegetative state. Cant talk, walk or move his arms . His legs move continuously but not meaningful. Originally we were told there was no hope. I refused to believe that. The insurance co agreed to give us a shot at a first rate brain injury rehab that takes disorders of consciousness patients.
4 months later we are still here but mostly because he keeps having medical problems. He can open his eyes now and moans. No it doesnt sound like moans of pain…more like he wants to talk or maybe he thinks he is talking. But he does the moaning constantly. He has wake and sleep periods.He can hear but I dont think he can see. He can swallow some sips of water but gets tired easily and quits swallowing after 6-7 swallows.He can follow you voice but not just a person moving around. He looks more left or right not directly in front and does not hold a gaze.In the last 6-7 weeks he has started to move his fingers first on his left hand and now on his right. Minimally but still some movement and its on command but slowly. Things they said he would not do ever. His left hand from the wrist to finger tips has started to jump like his brain is firing the signals to it now. With anoxic injury not a whole lot shows up in c scans or MRI’s. They think its probably mid brain injury due to his eyes shifting side to side and lack of upper body movement. However he has been able to turn his head from side to side since end of jan/beg of Feb. He has a turned c1 with a bisected vertebral artery so they cant operate on his neck to straighten out the C1. The operation could cause total paralysis or death so he will have to wear a neck collar for the rest of his life I am told. The doctor here at this great brain injury place wont release my husband to come home and tells me he has to go to a skilled nursing home for care which in Oklahoma means an retirement home. His medical issues preclude bringing him home and Dr feels he would receive better care at a facility for those issues. I call BS on that fact. Here these facilities dont have good records and the patient vs nurse ratio are high like 20 to 1. With him not being able to talk or feed himself or move I think he very easily could get lost in the cracks and forgotten and I cant live at the nursing facilities with him. He cant tell me if anyone has changed his diapers or moved him in his bed. I am very frustrated,tired and alone here in georgia .
There is no operation to help him get better. His brain will have to heal on its own. It has taken me all of these months to accept the term “God’s Will”. I do have faith and belief in the Lord. It is hard for me to give it up to Him to take care of because I am so very human that I want to take care of it all for my husband of 30 years. I will continue to take one day at a time and be thankful for what God has blessed me with. Getting to see my husband every day and kiss him and hold his hand. I get to sing to him and wash his feet and massage them for his comfort. I love my husband so much and even though my heart breaks each minute that I see the strong virile man I know laying in a bed unable to move and sitting in a diaper. I believe God has a plan in mind for him. I don’t know what it is or when it will play out, but I will be by his side every minute I can cherishing and loving him.
I want everyone out there to hold onto your hope,beliefs and dreams. Dont let anyone take them away from you. Only one being can tell us what the future holds and its not the doctors or the educators.
I had very successful brain surgery about thirty five years ago. Unfortunately, because of memory problems, it took about twenty years to recover well enough to work effectively again. But physically I felt so good that I tried to work in my profession which is Marriage and Family Therapy. I had worked for about ten years prior to my operation and wanted to help other families of survivors cope with the problems that resulted from a loved one’s injury. Now, thirty five years post surgery, I am fully recovered except for a minor short term memory problem.
I feel like I have very valuable personal as well as professional experience that I would like to use to help others. But the local social workers, as well as some of the agencies that purport to treat us, do not think I have anything to offer. When they learn about my surgery they just see problems and will not hire me or use my services.
Apparently once someone is put into the category of ‘disabled with a brain injury’ they are not seen as capable of doing professional work, and I think that is a shame because the therapy I received was absolutely worthless! I don’t think most professionals can truly understand how devastating some brain injuries can be! But because of their lack of understanding and liability issues they do not use people with my medical history.
I consider my surgery and recovery to be a minor miracle that resulted from some help from exceptional people that were not all professionals. But now I wonder if it was worth it because I will always be considered ‘defective’ and unable to live the life I always wanted to live due to lack of funds.
Wow…
That is all I can say right now…I was also involved in a severe car accident in 1997 at the age of 17 and have thought about what happened to me ever since. The life changes that people with a TBI experience vary substantially. Getting to the question at the beginning of this email chain -“is it a disservice to say that people recover from a TBI based solely on their own will and determination – hence saying that those who don’t recover as well gave up and aren’t fighters.” I am on the fence with this one.
I strongly believe that it is a combination of all factors that are involved. My car accident left me in a coma for one month. When I woke up, I began the denial that this would be the rest of my life (2 years to relearn to walk and speak). If I would not have worked my behind off, I am confident that I would not have recovered to the extent that I have. However, I whole heartedly agree with the other side of the argument that the physical location / amount of brain damage also plays a huge roll in the ability to recover. My injuries were mainly physical – some balance and speech difficulties. YES, there is so much that I can not do compared to before the TBI but the other important part is your ability to adapt and remain flexible.
I believe it is a combination of both – equally important factors in the post TBI recovery. Please send me an email if you have any questions or feedback, I would love to hear it: [email protected]
– Ben
Anybody has any experience with anoxic brain injury? Recovery time? Lance-Adams syndrome?
My 26 year old sister was hit by a car 12 days ago. She exited the party bus we were on and hit instantly flying about 15-20 feet. The vehicle that hit her drove off. She has been in the surgical trauma ICU for 12 days. The injury she sustained was a DAI brain injury. The doctors have been very vague about everything. They haven’t been telling us how severe it is or where exactly her brain injury is. We’ve had a dr tell us we just have to wait it out. Another Dr said he doesn’t think she’ll ever wake up. Hearing those words were the worst thing I’ve ever experience in my life. I’ve searched so much on other people with similar injuries and from my understanding miracles do happen. She’s not done. She’s not giving up. It’s only been 12 days we have to believe in her. Today she got moved up to another floor because there is no need for ICU anymore. She is in a coma but she is breathing on her own. Her vital signs are okay but they do fluctuate. I heard someone use the term brainstorm and I think that’s what it is. Right now we’re looking into a long term acute care facility that will take her. we are located in Chicago land area and I’ve heard RIC is one of the top rehab facilities in the nation. The problem with RIC is they will only take her if she is awake and following commands. My sister is the greatest person. I ask myself why! Why would this happen to her. She doesn’t deserve this. She is the most caring person. She is a special Ed teacher. She loves her job. She loves her students. Why would this happen to her. I can’t stop asking myself why. I need to focus on her. I need to be there for her. I need to support her. All I can do is pray for her and believe that God will heal her brain. Please pray for my sister. If you have any advice you can email me. [email protected]
I know a woman Who is healing positively And slowly after Tbi for Car accident
looking through The web in search of terapies helping her I Read of Very effective promising new terapies based on Bone marrow auto transplanted cells. The experience of many unfortunate people That rely on God help made me decide To share this information here for The potential benefit of all people and relatives. I am Not a doctor, But i Think i am a serious Good Person That Can be trusted. I Cannot allo guarantee success 100%. What I suggest is To ask your doctor more on this tecnique And Where It is performance And if It could be applica To You. God Bless You And Hope for The Best to everyone! Paolo
I am a victim of medical negligence..My wife was wrongly intubated for a surgery scheduled under GA. She did not get oxygen for a considerable period of time and suffered an anoxic brain injury..Its three months past now…We are praying to god for her recovery…need all your support …
My husband suffered a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage at the age of 53. Eleven days later he coded for 20 minutes. They did revive him and he was in a coma for quite some time. He suffers from Post Anoxic Myoclonus and shakes all of the time, his eyes did shake back and forth for the first two years, but they seem better. They state his cognitive level is that of a 3-5 year old. He says the shaking internally, especially in his tongue. This has been 6 years. He was at home for 3 years after all of the rehabs and hospitals. However, two years ago, I had to place him in a facility. I am astounded at the lack of knowledge the general medical community have about brain injuries. PAM survivors are very few from what our Neurologist says. So the miracles are that he lived, and that he can communicate. However, he can do zero activities of daily living. I still hope for a miracle to help him walk and his cognitive to improve.
I am more bothered by the medical community not understanding, than what the media says. But, if the media would use their positions to fight for more help for these victims, it would be a great thing. I also consider the extreme costs of care for these patients as an atrocity. And, Medicaid in GA will not pay for them to live in the correct type of homes for TBI patients. One would have to have endless wealth to afford this over $250,000 per year that the local assisted living homes charge. If anyone knows of any resources, please share on this site?
My mom had bacterial meningitis and pneumonia that causes her to pass out. She has been diagnosed with severe anoxia. We are only on day 5 in the hospital, but she is in a vegetable state. Seeking positive stores if anyone making processing from veg state to somewhat normal life.
My husband suffered cardiac arrest in March of this year. The Drs told me that he has an anoxic/hypoxiic Brian injury and would most likely remain in a vegetative state. He is now in in patient rehab, and will be released to come home in a couple weeks. He is, by my counts and that of many others including drs, a miracle. He is talking, learning to walk again, holding conversations…he has memory issues, but I have to keep the faith that they will be resolved in time. God didn’t bring him this far to stop here. Does anyone out there have any experience with anoxia and seizures and memory loss? I consider myself very fortunate that he has come this far, but I feel very alone and overwhelmed.
All I can say is have faith and get close to God he does miracles my son was assaulted in his head by four individuals with brass knuckels when he was 16 and was in a state of coma his 29 he pulled thru with alot of therapy he survived he graduated from college and had two children after they told me he was a loss case God gave me back my son his cone a long way so pray to God and have faith
On October 29 2014
My brother was in a bad car accident ..
I lived over a hour away he called me and said he was having a hard time breathing and asked me to come where he was ..we talked on phone for almost the full hour I was driven to get to him ..when I got there fhp said he passed away ..then a another officer fhp ..told me wait we got a pulse ..they rushed him to hospital in Clearwater FL ..and told me he was dead no pulse or nothing for over 7 minutes from a massive heart attack and followed by a stroke. .but thank god they got him back alive ..in icu at hospital they froze his brain to help save him ..that turned out well ..and the dr ‘s kept telling me my brother will not make it much longer ..we all kept praying ..back in 1990 me and my brother lost our sister from a bad accident. .and I couldn’t believe now my brother which is now 46 years old and he is almost back to normal again ..doing very well ..but still has serve brain injury ..a lot if people can’t tell cause he try so hard not to let people no he has serve brain injury…my brother is a TRUE MIRACLE I LOVE HIM VERY MUCH .AND I THANK GOD FOR HIM ..
Dec 5, 2015
Around 2 p.m. an extremely pretty day, Me, my fiance, son and daughter were on our way home from my son basketball game, when a woman came into our lane hitting us head on. I tried to avoid but there was so much traffic. Due to her ignorance as a driver, my husband was killed, I had 2 collapsed lungs 5 broken ribs broke femur in 3 places ,shattered knee, head injury loss lots of blood was in coma for a month, my short term memory is gone ,not to mentiokn a trach was placed …my daughter only had fractured foot. My dear son, all i kept thinking was we re all going to die as a family, and my sons lifeless body already killed me. At time my husband to be was still alive talking me thru until ambulance got to us, and once they pulled me out he was gone. Helicopter was there for my boy, who was 10 at time. I went into a coma so I was not able to be there thru his hell. When I woke up he had woken up day later neither of us we re expected to live .he only had 10 percent chance and docs said no hope. They did a surgery where they took part of skull n put it in n deep freeze then later replaced it back. He can’t do a thing for himself. They said we were miracles , I am back to living my drastically changed life but my now 12 yr old son is not. Yes he is eating real food , but still has the feeding tube. He also started speaking, but nothing like how he was. He can’t walk, he can’t just start a normal conversation,he can’t sit up, he can’t do anything and i cant help but think he would’ve been better off had he died. I’m scared he is suffering and know he only fought for me and how selfish am i for making him feel he had to save me when he’s the one in that bed helpless and in constant pain and agony . I am grateful that I still have my son, but a miracle I am not sure. Now I broke Down and begged god to show me a sign that my baby still in there, and then next day he started speaking…now that was a miracle 100%. My brain injury is nothing compared to his and everyone elses. My speech is very difficult to understand at times and i have trouble swallowing due to trach that i had removed because I couldn’t stop pulling it out. I was lucky but why am I doing normal activities and my baby is not? THAT should be me in that bed or my fiance should still be here and i should be dead! My boys are heroes tho. He died saving me, and my sons injury was from him grabbing onto his sister before she followed me into windshield. Tbi is unrecognized and not thoroughly discussed to the public. Tho we all know it exist we dont know the full extent until it happens to YOU or a LOVED one. And never doubt it could happen to you because it can. I think as a mother, and caregiver to my son that TBI survivors need to be recognized and tell their stories if able. This is something very serious and unknown because by looking at a person who lives with TBI you can’t tell. So many live with tbi that goes unrecognized because breast cancer or hpv or whatever commercials they have for marathons and so forth where’s 5k wall for TBI survivors or tbi awareness month? Where’s the lectures on educating everyone about tbi and the severity?
Someone please help me with guidance!! My 5 month old son was in accident and dr called it anoxic brain injury… they say he will be vegetative state n he will no longer have conscious of who we are if he even survive… we were able to have him discharge and he is now at home with us and feeding through a tube of his milk…. And breathe on his own. i feel he does responds to me and he is not vegetative state!!! I dont know where to go from here but pray to god everyday!!!! Please help provide advice how to save my son!