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It will never get easier being a trauma survivor and that’s ok. Being a survivor lets you see the world different.
The side of the vehicle I was riding in was T-boned by an eighteen wheeler at highway speeds and pushed nearly 75 yards before both vehicles came to a stop.
My parents guided me through the life I nearly lost for years while I was not mentally present in my own life thanks to the moderate to severe traumatic brain injury I sustained. While recovering physically, I also did so mentally at home doing cognitive exercises like jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, and sudokus.
After I regained my mental capacity, it became clear to me how blessed I am to have these struggles every day. To be able to keep on living with my trauma. My short term memory is pretty much gone. I make a lot of notes on my phone which is a tool I was taught while inpatient in the brain injury recovery program at Mary Free Bed.
I accept help in some form or another every day of my life. The public’s prayers and support when I was in the hospital correlated exactly with the days I began to get better.
Physical strength means nothing if you have no mental strength. Mental health is extremely important. Don’t let anyone put you in a box you don’t want to be in. I choose to let the bad thing that happened to me define me in a good way knowing that’s not going to be everyone’s way of seeing things.
What did I wish I know at the start of my recovery?
That it’s all apart of a greater plan. Having goals pushed me though the recovery process. Reach one goal then set another.
