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No Such Thing as Fair

In the world of brain injury, the closest we will ever get to fairness is achieving balance. Some days you get what you need and other days you don’t.

Embrace the Suck

This is the darker side of brain injury, and luckily not every family has these dark moments. However, many do.

The Luckiest Unlucky Soul

Are we lucky or unlucky?

The Afterlife

It can take years to accept a loved one’s afterlife, and it may take a decade. I’m not talking about life after death; I’m talking about life after a family member’s brain injury.

The Magic of Moments

The interesting thing about brain injury is being left with a before and after—lifetimes separated by that one moment that changed everything. Last week Nicole and her family set out on an old, but once again new, adventure...

Reaching Back in Time — a Message to My Younger Self

Reaching Back in Time â€“ a Message to my Younger Self

Summer is such a fun time of year. In fact, it’s my favorite season. What better time of year than to talk about suicide?

Letter From the Other Side: Return from a Traumatic Brain Injury

Letter From the Other Side â€” Return from a Traumatic Brain Injury

The Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic Tim Page writes about rebuilding his life after a traumatic brain injury.

Are You Shocked by Brain Injury? That's Not a Bad Thing

Are You Shocked by Brain Injury? Thatâ€™s Not a Bad Thing

My exposure to brain injury has been a journey in education and life lessons. Connected to the brain injury community by circumstance, coincidence, and the universe speaking (loudly) for the past few years, I’ve learned some things.

Invincible

I’m glad I can still remember when my dad was invincible. It’s all I kept thinking, over and over again. Is this as terrible as it sounds? Should I cry? What do we do? How did we get here?

A New Kind of Optimism

“This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.” We needed to slow down because this thing was going to be with us for a while. The quote reminded our family to conserve our strength, energy, and abilities to stay the course...

I Can Fix You

It took a few minutes to go over my medical history as we sat in his exam room. He took a few notes, listened to our story, took a few more notes, and asked a question or two. He then looked us square in the eyes and uttered four words. “I can fix you.”

One More Day

What just happened? Can I handle this? And the one question many TBI spouses ask themselves: Will my husband ever be the same? Will I ever be the same?

A Delicate Pendulum

As TC and I prepare for the upcoming birth of our second child, my head is filled with all the anticipation and questions you’d expect from any new parent. But it’s also filled with the unique worries that can only accompany the experience of expanding your family in the aftermath of brain injury.

The Chopper

Two decades ago cars sat at this same intersection, waiting at this same light, watching helicopters land on that same rooftop. One Tuesday in July my dad was the person in the chopper...

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My Insurance-Driven Recovery

It’s a tough nut to swallow when you look back and realize with stunning clarity that the very quality of day-to-day life after a TBI is largely determined by how well insured you are.

What We Carry Forward

When I think about the role post-traumatic stress has played in our post-TBI lives, it hasn’t been present in the way many might assume. As awful and shocking as the assault was, we know that it is illogical to blame a neighborhood or even a city...

Irritable Gratitude Syndrome

If you are caregiving for a loved one with TBI are you tired of hearing, “Isn’t it a miracle he’s here? Think of all the blessings you have in your life!”

Life in the Zebra Herd — The Survival Skills Necessary to Thrive after a Brain Injury

Recovery from a TBI is not a spectator sport. Anyone who lives daily with a brain injury knows that recovery takes work! So, specifically, what have I done?

On the Road Again

Becoming a parent and a caregiver at nearly the same time has taught me much about learning to hold on and let go in life. In some ways, the demands of these two roles are not so different. In other subtle ways, they are quite distinct.

The Growing Season

Caregiving can be an isolating and lonely job, and it seems to feel all the more lonely in the darkness and cold of winter. Stepping outside into the sunshine is a mood booster for everyone, caregivers and TBI survivors alike. The sun recharges us.

Possibility & Positivity

I thought if the class wasn’t going well, I could just lie on my yoga mat in the middle of the studio and, at least, be around people for an hour. Knowing how accepting yoga is, I unrolled my yoga mat for a try.

Words That Make a Difference

Why do some people keep striving while others give up and stop trying?

Our Community is Strong

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, so this is a shout out to the incredibly supportive BrainLine community.

An Unexpected Miracle

I was finally able to do something that I’ve not been able to in several years. And I was able to do it with new hope.

Shout-out to All the Superheroes

Since his injury, my husband and I have come to agree on one point: we will never fully understand each other’s struggle in this mess. And while we can never hope to fully appreciate the depth or complexity of each other’s experiences, we do our best to stay constantly respectful of the hard work that keeps us going.