Print Comment

Getting Back on the Bike

David Grant and his wife smiling into the camera
David A. Grant blogs about life after brain injury

My name is David A. Grant. I am a husband, a father, and a son. On November 11, 2010, I was unceremoniously forced to start closing the book on my old life and begin life anew as someone with a traumatic brain injury. My brain injury is singularly the most life-changing event of my life.

In this space, I will offer you the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a survivor. I'll share my victories, my defeats, my pains, and my joys. My hope for other people with brain injury is that they will see reflections of their own lives in my words and know they are not alone. Learn more about David >

The Latest from David

If You See 2014, Let Me Know

David Grant and his wife in Howe Caverns.

Life after brain injury is, if anything, surreal. Just when you think you’ve mastered life as a survivor, something else happens, something you never saw coming. The silver lining is that one of the skills that can be mastered after brain injury is simply the ability to roll with things, to not get flustered, and to understand at a deep level that it’s just part of the journey and that, in the end, all will be okay.

The Value of Lived Experience – An Unexpected Outcome

David Grant and his wife smiling into the camera.

Those who know me well know that I am a big fan of peer support for brain injury survivors. While there is a lot of information to be gained from the medical community, the subtle and at times not so subtle nuances that come with living the brain injury life can’t be taught from books. As a TBI survivor, my own lived experience is my greatest asset in my advocacy work. It’s the sharing of this lived experience that creates strong bonds and lifelong friendships within the survivor community.

"Order This" – A Note to My Future Self

A smiling David Grant and his wife.

Life after brain injury remains a bit surreal. One might think that after fifteen years, I would have mastered the subtle nuances of this second life, but not even close. Occasionally, I am reminded that I live on a different plane than the neuro normals of the world but I've found ways to adapt and celebrate.

Life After Brain Injury — An Unexpected Outcome

David Grant and his wife smiling at the camera.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, my 16th as a brain injury survivor. Looking back, until my life became defined by brain injury, I had never heard of Brain Injury Awareness Month. For several years after my injury, the goal was simple: I wanted to be the person I was prior to my injury. I wanted to be “the old me.” But what if I told you I could be better than my old self in ways I never saw coming?

My Miracle 15 Years Later: A Break in PTSD Night Terrors?

David Grant and his wife smiling at the camera.

Living alongside David Grant's TBI was a treatment-resistant case of PTSD. For over fifteen years, he lived with innumerable night terror events. The kitchen calendar counted the bad nights. A good month noted three or four bad nights. A tough month, like last November, came with nineteen night terror events. Last November was as bad as it gets. Life was unsustainable… until it wasn’t.

Fifteen Years Out - Looking Back and Moving Forward

David Grant and his wife smiling at the camera.

On November 11, the fifteen-year anniversary of the accident that changed everything came to pass. I marvel that it’s been a decade and a half since I was struck while cycling on Main Street.

I’ve had fourteen anniversaries before this year’s milestone. One might think they are all the same, but this year was tough. Perhaps the toughest. 

Life After Brain Injury – Nature’s Therapy

""

Last week, while scrolling through my news feed on social media, I had a rather abrupt realization: my life looks pretty normal these days. As I scrolled through my posts from the last few weeks, a picture emerged — a picture of someone enjoying life.

You might be asking yourself what changed. That’s the same question I asked myself. It’s a simple question with a complicated answer.

From Nightmares to Progress: My Ongoing Journey with PTSD

David and his wife, Sarah, PTSD, nightmares

And if there’s one thing that I’ve learned from having a brain injury and PTSD, it’s this ... recovery is not linear. There will be gains and there will be setbacks. But equally important, I know that attitude is everything. And despite how tired I can feel, I remain full of hope. And that covers a lot of ground.

Finding Purpose After Trauma

David Grant blog, loss, grief, brain injury, parents, growth, time

As it turns out that pivotal day — when I was hit by a car on my bicycle and sustained a brain injury — opened the door to the purpose-driven life that I now live.

Redefining Brain Injury Recovery

David Grant and his wife smiling at the camera

For a long time after my brain injury, I was focused on the conventional definition of recovery. I wanted to get back to the place where I started. I wanted to be me again. But the passage of time, and lots of fighting my fate, have proven to me that there is no going back. I will never “get over” my brain injury. Like my shadow that follows me on a sunny day, I am forever bound to my brain injury. And today, I am okay with that.

Surviving Suicide

David Grant and his wife smiling while on a boat.

"I’ve seen both sides of the suicide coin, both as a surviving family member as well as an actual survivor. I have a deep empathy for those who think life would be better off without them, but I know that they are wrong. When you feel that way, you have no perspective; you are unable to understand that there are people who love you unconditionally and who would be shattered had you succeeded."

Taking a Victory Lap After Brain Injury

David Grant blog, Brain Injury Hope Network, loss, grief, brain injury, growth, time, non-profit,

Looking back over the years, I never expected to live a life defined largely by being a brain injury survivor. Early on, I was completely unable to see that there might be a silver lining to all that has come to pass ...

Navigating Life with Brain Injury and PTSD

David Grant blog, PTSD, treatment, frustration, lifelong issues

When I started treatment again for my PTSD, I said that I'd give it 90 days. No sudden or irrational decisions, just a three-month treatment test drive. Ninety days have come and gone, but here I am, still not seeing any relief. What do I do?

The Weight of Loss After Brain Injury

David Grant blog, loss, grief, brain injury, parents, growth, time

Time seems to pass faster every year. It feels like just yesterday that I first presented at a brain injury conference. It was 2013, and I was asked to offer the keynote address at the Brain Injury Association of Maine’s annual conference. No one was more surprised than me to receive the invitation.

Navigating Life as a Long-Term Brain Injury Survivor

David and his wife in the woods

If, within your own personal or professional circles, you know someone with a brain injury or PTSD who has been living the survivor life for years, please know that time does not equate to freedom from challenges. Reach out to those you know and ask how they are really doing. You might just be surprised by what you hear — and how much your asking means.

Mindfulness Revisited 

David and his wife smiling in front of a palm tree

Mindfulness has taught me that true and lasting peace only comes in the moment. Right here, right now. In the moment, my past carries no weight, and the future does not exist. Life is truly a succession of moments.

Long Brain Injury?

David and his wife smiling in bright pink Hawaiian shirts

Well, it finally happened. After successfully dodging COVID for over three-and-a-half years, the virus finally struck our household. Since the outbreak, my biggest fear about COVID was having a preexisting brain injury — what might the virus do to further compromise my already challenged brain?