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Life As We Know It

Life As We Know It Brittany Engbrecht

If you were to look into the windows in our house of life, we would appear to be a “normal” family, but the reality is, we don’t feel normal. Most days are spent figuring out what will help Kyle on that day; how can that brain of his be calmed.

Dear friends...

Dear friends...

Hope—love—tenacity—go for it—get mad, let yourself be sad—but don’t let the madness or sadness swallow you. These were repeated themes, said in a thousand ways for a thousand reasons. These are the messages we need to hear again and again.

Love You Hard

An excerpt from Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love. By Abby Maslin

It is impossible to deny that my husband is now a stranger. Despite everything we learned at the hospital, I don’t know how much to help TC and how much to get out of his way. Every morning, I wake up still a little bit shocked that doctors let me take him home at all. Who am I to be trusted with something so fragile?

The Comparison Trap

The Comparison Trap Caregiving After Brain Injury, Norma Myers

We admit, despite celebrating Steven’s recovery, we did fall into the dismal comparison trap. "Why is Steven’s rehab roommate already walking?" "His accident was as severe as Steven’s; how did he escape a craniectomy and the helmet?" "How did she escape the epilepsy curse?"

The Fierce Heart of Hope

The Fierce Heart of Hope Nicole Bingaman

Hope is complicated. It represents believing something can improve, despite the current state of circumstances. It also means having the courage to believe when things appear hopeless. I have become well acquainted with the infinite value of hope, but also the tightrope on which it teeters.

Therapeutic Lying After Brain Injury

David Grant Therapeutic Lying After Brain Injury

Some may question the morality of lying. As I moved deeper into my new role as a caregiver, I reached out to learn as much as I could about caring for someone with mom’s type of brain injury. My mistruths are categorized as Therapeutic Lying.

The Long Haul

Abby Maslin The Long Haul

It’s been six and a half years since I began this brain injury journey. Or, to compute, 2,372 days, 56,928 hours, 3,415,680 minutes. As I think back, I take pride in each of those days (the bad ones included), remembering too vividly a time in which I was convinced we couldn’t make it at all.

The Complexity of Ambiguous Loss

The Complexity of Ambiguous Loss

The emotional equivalent of being caught in the undertow came earlier this week. I was scrolling through old photos, reconnecting to moments captured in time. I found my mind trapped in the tumultuous waters of ambiguous grief, fighting my way to the surface.

Coming Full Circle

Coming Full Circle

I don’t often write about my teen kids. But in this case, I want to share something. I need to, because coming full circle means that I get to let go a little of this job of informing our kids what happened to their wonderful father.

The Missing

The Missing

Life inside the bubble of brain injury is a roller coaster. In our bubble, the daytime is generally good. Nighttime brings the opposite. Each evening, Taylor's post-injury thought process evolves into a profound sense of sadness, frustration, and defeat. It is hell to witness.

Man, Woman, Caregiver

I Am You: How Caregiving Forces Us to Rethink Gender & Identity

It’s time for a broader, braver dialogue around gender and caregiving. It’s time to start talking about the transformation in identity that occurs when one spouse adopts the role of the other. It’s time to recognize that caregiving is a role that requires the revision of gender norms and the acceptance of power transfers.

Caregiving: Lessons and Confessions

Caregiving: Lessons and Confessions

After my son was diagnosed with a severe brain injury, despite the shock, I remember hearing Steven’s healthcare providers repeating the word caregiver, over and over, as if they were determined to make me, of all unqualified people, claim the title. I felt an urgency to scream that nowhere on my resume indicated that I was qualified to take care of a severely, brain injured son.

Sunshine & Security

Sunshine & Security

In learning how to manage the small, we become better equipped to manage the large. A well-rounded caregiver doesn’t just come into being because a trauma occurred. Becoming is a process, a transformation.

How an App Gave My Daughter a Voice

How an App Gave My Daughter a Voice

Kara was growing up and thinking about the future. She would tell us, "I want my own life. I want my own house when I grow up." So I began going to conferences that focused on people with disabilities and became intrigued with technology. As Kara grew into young adulthood, technology became the key that would open the door to her independent life.