“Head
trauma isn’t like mumps or measles, which go away after you get them – it’s
with you for life.[i]
You just compensate for it. It’s a long, rocky road. My lifetime goals are to
excel as a father, a son, and as a husband. My accident didn’t change these –
it put an emphasis on them…”[ii]
Why do you
walk the way that you do?
And why do you
talk, but words are so few?
I don’t understand
your behaviors.
Why can’t you
call, and just dial the phone?
In fact, I’m
appalled you can’t live alone.
I don’t understand
your behaviors.
Why do you
toil when baking a cake?
Can’t measure
the foil?
You’re so hard
to take!
I don’t understand
your behaviors.
Just stop
acting crazy; straighten up now.
Perhaps you’ve
turned lazy?
But sweat’s on
your brow.
I don’t understand
your behaviors.
Angry at me;
what did I do?
Oh, I failed
to see beyond bodily clues.
Teach me… to perceive
your behaviors.[iii]
“Some memories are so deep, so ingrained, and so overused in
the past, that brain damage will not destroy them. These ‘packets of
information’ or engrams include singing the words to
‘Happy Birthday,’ a short prayer, a multiplication table – even driving a car.
It’s not uncommon for many brain-injured people to appear to
be able to drive a car. Automatic and overlearned responses may suffice under
‘ideal’ driving conditions. However, problems with reaction time, judgment, and
safety awareness can make ‘real life’ driving highly dangerous.”[iv]
[i]“Change
of life” is another term for menopause. When a woman ages somewhere between 45
to 50 she may stop having a period (or monthly bleeding cycle) ushering in menopause, which means she can no longer give birth. With Traumatic Brain Injury, a person has changed from what they were. (See posts, "Blessed," "Brain Sick," and "The Christmas Tree."
[ii] Quote
by James Blakely, Phoenix, AZ, a brain-injured person
[iii]
Poem by Janice Cortis Kasowski, from the Brain Injury Association, Inc.
[iv]
From Living with Brain Injury by
Richard Senelick, M.D. & Karla Dougherty
No comments:
Post a Comment