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

The Overlapping Paths of Sobriety and Brain Injury Recovery

David Grant and his wife smiling in front of tall pine trees

Last month, I marked a significant milestone in my life as I celebrated 30 years of sobriety. And, in what amounts to a “whoever would have thought it,” moment, being a sober person in recovery has made my brain injury journey easier. In fact, it literally saved my life.

Mental Health Challenges After Brain Injury

David Grant and his wife smiling in front of a cloudy sky over a body of water

As my 60th birthday approaches, the internal emotions are ramping up. Over the years, I’ve heard the saying that health is one of those things you never fully appreciate until it’s gone. While this is definitely true, most often it’s used in reference to physical health. But what happens when your mental health is compromised?

Living Without a Memory – Creating a Life Worth Living

David Grant and his wife smiling in front of a brick building with columns

Here’s a TBI mind-twist: Looking forward to a holiday that just passed. All but forgetting that it’s already in the rearview mirror. “How does that work?” You might be asking.

Losses, Laughter, and Unconditional Love After Brain Injury

Of all my post-TBI challenges, it is the speech difficulties that most affect my self-worth. Lost in a sea of garbled words, I feel less than the rest of humanity.

Living That PTSD Life

While packing for our trip, I never suspected that PTSD would steal a ride with us, but two of our four nights away found me with the type of horrifying PTSD episodes reminiscent of the early years after my accident.

Life After Brain Injury – A Five Year Lookback

David Grant and his wife smiling in sunglasses

While five years may sound like a long time, I know today that I was still such a TBI Newbie. At some point, just before my five-year anniversary, I learned through our statewide Brain Injury Association that it was at five years that most people reached out for help.

Family Matters: Losing Friends and Family After Brain Injury

David Grant and his wife smiling in face masks

My verbal and emotional filters were shredded by my injury. I was, well… rather abrupt, unthinking, unfiltered, and a different person than I was before my injury. Did I say something offensive that drove him away?

Self-Care During Difficult Times

David Grant and his wife smiling at the camera in front of a lighthouse

These are difficult times. Life is challenging enough for the fully-abled, but add a traumatic brain injury to the mix, and things can get downright overwhelming.

Thanks For the Memories?

David Grant and his wife smiling at the camera, surrounded by snow.

Every year since my 2010 traumatic brain injury, I’ve taken the time to reflect back on changes that have come to pass during the prior year. This past year was no different, although what my reflection showed was not what some may call progress. Progress is not always measured with tangible facts.

Thanks to Our First Responders

David Grant and his wife smiling at the camera.

Members of the medical community literally take their lives in their hands every day they go to work. It’s hard not to feel a bit humbled by that courage. My first face-to-face encounter with First Responders was just over a decade ago. In November of 2010 fate saw fit that most of the First Responders from our Main Street Fire Station and I would meet.

Getting Off the Struggle Bus

In just a few days, the ten year anniversary of my cycling accident will be here. I have come a long way since everything changed in 2010. But just because things are okay most of the time does not mean that my brain injury disappeared.

Stress and Brain Injury

Living under the shadow of a global pandemic, protests, natural disasters, and a contentious political landscape means our lives are full of stress and anxiety. While all of this weighs heavily on most anyone, it is those of us within the brain injury community that pay a higher premium.

Life After Brain Injury: A Decade’s Worth of Thoughts

I have been living as a brain injury survivor for almost a decade. Today I am sitting in my office, a busy day of work ahead of me. Never one to miss deadlines, I blocked off some time to let you know how I’m doing — how I am REALLY doing.

Brain Injury — An Unexpected COVID-19 Consequence

From all aspects of the pandemic, societal as well as scientific, we are still only months into learning the full scope of life after COVID-19. But I have a feeling that some people may be dealing with cognitive challenges for the rest of their lives.

Using My Post-TBI Voice to Fight Racism

David Grant and his wife wearing black face masks.

In the early years after my 2010 TBI, I had to relearn the fine art of speaking. That took a year.

But it took much longer for me to regain my voice.

The Pandemic and Brain Injury — Maintaining Emotional Health by Staying in the Moment

COVID-19 has ended those routines that made getting through the day so much easier for someone with brain injury. The effects have been challenging on some days and completely devastating on others.

Remapping the Neural Pathways of Humanity

The pandemic has changed the daily lives of everyone. How we work, how we shop, and how we interact with each other are all shifting. Comparing life as it is now with how it used to be can lead to sadness or despair and what's called "ambiguous loss."

Social Distancing & Isolation — A Survivor’s Perspective

David and his wife smiling at the camera

David talks about the social isolation caused by the coronavirus and how those in the brain injury community have been coping with it for years.

Enjoying Life In Spite of a Brain Injury

David Grant and his wife smiling at camera

Blogger David Grant talks about celebrating the progress he's made, but also recognizing that his journey isn't over yet.

PTSD & TBI: Seven Life-Changing Letters

When I was struck by a teenage driver back in 2010, I sustained a traumatic brain injury. In addition to my TBI, four new letters became forever intertwined with my brain injury: PTSD. Over the years, PTSD has proven to be harder to live with than a brain injury.

Depression After Brain Injury – An Unexpected Outcome

My brain injury journey has come with many unexpected twists and turns, making it an experience that is truly stranger than fiction. Many of the changes that came to pass after my brain injury were incredibly painful and life-changing. But not all the changes were difficult. Some were – dare I say – simply wonderful.

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