Survivor Stories

Many of the TSN members have shared their experiences about life after injury and the road to recovery. A selection of these stories is listed below. Reading other’s stories can help you connect to others and not feel alone in your recovery. You may also discover some ideas that may be helpful to you. You may wish to read several stories to get a number of perspectives on injury and recovery.

After joining the TSN you can share your own story with others. Writing about your experiences can help both you and others. You can benefit by taking time to reflect on your injury, how you have coped and where you are on the road to recovery. Other folks can benefit by realizing they are not alone in their recovery. If you are already a TSN member, click here to share your story in the community forum. If you have not registered (it’s free), please register now and then you can share your story.

• Wayne’s Story
  On December 2, 2019, I was on my way to work and was in a near fatal head on collision. I was flown by PHI Air Medical to Parkland Dallas. The first 48 hours were critical to my survival. The helicopter had blood plasma on board which aided in saving my life. In the days and ...
• Still Disoriented (Essay)
  Still Disoriented By Pete AnzianoHusband, Father, Adventurous Spirit, Advocate for Intentional Living, and Trauma Survivor I woke up still disoriented, the dim morning light filtering through heavy curtains. Beyond the walls, San Francisco hummed, alive with early sounds—a city stretching awake, distant seagulls, a murmur of traffic that felt like a heartbeat. The house was silent; my ...
• Spinal Cord Injury Research Advocacy Course
  Shared by National American Spinal Cord Injury Consortium (NASCIC) NASCIC is offering a free online course to increase knowledge of the research process so that individuals with SCI and caregivers feel prepared to serve as research advocates. Go to the Course The goal of the course is to empower people with lived experience to serve as ...
• Dysthymia Shouldn’t be a ‘Way of Life’: How the Low-Grade Depression is Diagnosed & Treated
  Article shared by Anxiety & Depression Association of America For people who suffer from dysthymia, it often feels to them – and sometimes to their friends and loved ones – like it’s just who they are. Not that they are depressing, negative, glass-half-empty-thinking types but that something is not quite right with the way they consistently ...
• ICHOM Trauma Working Group
  The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) is an independent not-for-profit organisation. Their mission is to improve how healthcare is delivered to patients by encouraging providers to measure the treatment outcomes most important to people who access services, such as for traumatic physical injuries. ICHOM has brought together an international Working Group (WG) for ...
• Seeking Survivors: Stanford BRAIN Initiative Study
  A research team at the Stanford School of Medicine is conducting an NIH-funded BRAIN Initiative study about a developing technology called Brain Computer Interface (BCI). We are recruiting patients who have experienced strokes and/or traumatic brain injuries. We are also hoping to talk to the caregivers of these patients. The goal of our study is to ...
• What is Anxiety? (video)
  Video shared by Anxiety & Depression Association of America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odg02IGrDKo The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), a non-profit organization, leads in education, training, and research for anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, OCD, and co-occurring disorders. ADAA also provides free evidence-based mental health information and resources to the public.
• Comprehensive Resources for Intermittent Catheter Care (VIDEO)
  Shared by National American Spinal Cord Injury Consortium (NASCIC) For individuals living with a spinal cord injury (SCI), effective bladder management through catheterization isn’t just a medical necessity – it’s a cornerstone of independence and quality of life. The North American SCI Consortium (NASCIC) recognizes this crucial aspect of care and recently partnered with Convatec ...
• Ken Bulldog Lesher’s Story
  “Do not let trauma define you. You define trauma!” Watch Ken’s Story On 10/12/21, a driver failed to stop at a stop sign. It resulted in me T-boning the SUV on my Indian Chieftain, a motorcycle, in Falling Waters, WV. I was life flighted to Inova Fairfax. On the life flight, I had to be resuscitated. I ...