BrainLine News - July 2009
Summer's here, bringing lots of outdoor fun — from biking and rock climbing to diving and waterskiing. Learn how to enjoy these sports while keeping you and your loved ones safe. This month, we feature summer safety tips as well as resources about concussions or mild TBI. We also highlight some incredible personal stories that will have you laughing and crying.
In This Issue
- News and Resources
- Ideas for Caregivers
- Inspiring Stories
News and Resources
Going Head to Head
Christopher Nowinski is not your average Harvard graduate. In 2000, newly sprung into the world of jobs and adult responsibilities, he traded the three-piece suit and briefcase for a pair of spandex shorts. A college football player turned professional wrestler who sustained more brain injuries than he can remember, Chris learned about TBI the hard way. He is now helping countless others.
Read more >>
Concussion: Know the Facts
It's a cliché, but knowledge is power. Getting medical help quickly after a TBI — even if it seems mild — can sometimes make all the difference. This fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers the basics about concussion — from the danger signs to look for in adults and children to tips for recovery.
Read more >>
What Is Second Impact Syndrome?
One concussion can be bad enough, but sustaining another — before symptoms from the first injury have completely disappeared can be devastating, even fatal. Dr. James Kelly, a neurologist and expert on traumatic brain injury, discusses the dangers of second impact syndrome and what to do to prevent it. There are also several other BrainLine video interviews with Dr. Kelly on topics ranging from concussion screening standards to children, helmets, and concussion.
Watch videos >>
Wear a Helmet!
All helmets are not created equal. Not only is it important to choose the right helmet for the right sport or activity, but also to choose a helmet that has been certified to a safety standard and designed and tested to protect the user from serious brain injury. Find out how to select the best helmet for you and your loved ones ... and make your summer fun and safe.
Read more >>
The Benefits of Aquatic Therapy
Since Roman times, people have known that water can have healing powers. People with traumatic brain injury may be unable to exercise on land, but often can do so comfortably in the water. As you will read in this article from ResCare Premier, the physical benefits of aquatic therapy can be astounding. And the psychosocial benefits can be even more surprising — aquatic therapy can reduce stress and anxiety, increase one's ability to concentrate, enhance a feeling of well-being and confidence, and allow people in pain to find their center of calm.
Read more >>
Hope for People in States of Minimal Consciousness
In the movies, people in comas simply wake up, start talking, and return to their old selves. Unfortunately, unlike the movies, individuals with severe brain injuries may spend months and even years in low response states. In the latest issue of Brain Injury Professional magazine, Peter Patrick, PhD, interviews Joseph Giacino, PhD — an influential clinical neuropsychologist who has helped to advance the understanding of people who after severe brain injury remain in a minimally conscious state.
Read more >>
New Employment Pilot Program
America's Heroes at Work has embarked on an Employment Pilot designed to coordinate successful employment experiences for veterans who have sustained a TBI and/or PTSD. This program, at the Department of Labor, will study and disseminate best practices related to helping employees with TBI and/or PTSD succeed on the job. The initial phase will concentrate on employers and veterans in the Greater Washington, DC area.
Read more >>
The Power of Stories
Oftentimes, we learn best from people who are going through a similar situation. How is he coping? How is she able to find humor in the face of tragedy? How are they making their new life after TBI work for them? Every Tuesday on the homepage, BrainLine features a new personal story — an excerpt from a memoir or a video that allows you a glimpse into another person's life to get ideas and find inspiration. We hope you will check in weekly. This week's excerpt is from Greg Noack's memoir, My Invisible Disability.
Read more >>
Ideas for Caregivers
Perfectly Imperfect
In her new book, Lee Woodruff shares funny and heartbreaking stories about her life, her family, and their journey toward recovery after her husband, ABC News Anchor Bob Woodruff, sustained a severe brain injury while in Iraq. In this excerpt, she shares anecdotes and advice for other caregivers whose loved ones have been seriously injured.
Read more >>
Visit the BrainLine Channel on YouTube
Visit our channel on YouTube for a variety of videos on preventing, treating, and living with traumatic brain injury. We feature original BrainLine.org videos as well as others that we think are worth sharing. Login and subscribe to our channel to keep up-to-date with the latest video releases on traumatic brain injury on the world's most popular video-sharing network.
See more >>
Inspiring Stories
Crooked Smile
This book tells the story of Daniel, a young man who sustains a TBI in one careless moment. Written by his mother, it is a story of tragedy but also one of incredible love and resilience.
Read more >>
"This ain't your basic inspirational cripple story." So says Billy Golfus, narrator and writer of this pithy and moving documentary. Winner of the Sundance Festival's Freedom of Expression Award in 1995, When Billy Broke His Head is irreverent, funny, and at times shocking and raw; it was made to challenge the public's perception of the disabled. Billy, who sustained a TBI in a motor scooter crash, is someone you will not soon forget.
For more information about TBI, please come visit us at BrainLine.org.
All the best from BrainLine.
Noel Gunther, Executive Director
Christian Lindstrom, Director, Learning Media
Victoria Youcha, EdD, Director, BrainLine
Matthew Bruce, Web Manager
Victoria Tilney McDonough, Associate Editor
Elaine Phillips, MSP, CCC/SLP, Research Consultant
Theresa Rankin, Outreach Consultant
Brian King, Senior Multimedia Producer
Kimberley Larson, Web Designer
Ian Collins, Technical Web Manager
Leon Gittens, Project Administrator
Krystal Klingenberg, Project Coordinator
Newsletter editor: Victoria Tilney McDonough
About BrainLine
BrainLine is a service of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital.
BrainLine.org is a WETA website funded by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center through a contract with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. Government funding support is not an endorsement of WETA or any of its products, including this website.