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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.

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?

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. 

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.

Brain injury anniversaries are complicated. Like an unseen gravitational force, my mind is drawn back to that day. But this year feels different. My anniversary is still many months away… but thoughts of it are already creeping in at unexpected times.

“There is an inherent value to lessons learned by living them.”

Brain injury survivor David Grant reflects on the fifteen years since his accident — and what he’s learned since his life changed.

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.

"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."

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 ...

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.

Predatory practices are common around military bases. Young servicemembers and those in transition — either moving from base to base or preparing to separate or retire from active service — are easy targets. As soon as you pass the gates off base, you see “Pay Day Loans!” and “Buy Now! Pay Later!” Like servicemembers, veterans are also targets. 

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.