The following people have given permission for their stories to be in the 'stories' section of this website....

Laurie

Last year (March 16, 2006) I was involved in an accident where I sustained a severe traumatic brain injury (PTA for 30 days). I was airlifted to the Alfred hospital (Victoria) with right leg fractures and dislocation, left femur fracture, fractured pubic rami, ribs, right sided hemiplegia, diplopia, orbital and nasal fractures and worst of all a base of skull fracture.

With months of rehab (physio, occupatinal therapy, speech therapy and neuro/physch assesments. Its been about 10 months and things have been getting better, but there are still residual problems like, balance and visual imparment.

My accident was due to a kitesurfing accident, where I was lifted 12 metres in the air and carried 100 metres across the water into a cement retaining wall and then lifted again into a brick fence.

It was due to a freak gust of wind that had sprung up while I was out in the water, it went from being 10-15 knotts, to 40+ knotts (very windy). I obviously couldnt release from my equipment in time. I only now wish I had been wearing a helmet.

 

Judy

Violence Explodes a Family
Re: Severe Head Trauma/Traumatic Brain Injury

I am 'still in this'. Nothing will or can change this disabled state I am now in. 'This' is what I 'awoke' to. When I now say 'awoke' I mean that a man put me into a comatose state on 30 June 2002.

Many years afterwards he is is now out of gaol. But I still see my world and what has changed. If I could only have the memory of what happened. It is 'forgettable' and irretrievable because I had no memory, feelings, emotions and awareness of the issue. A brain injury does that.

I now remember I never asked “where am I?”, or why and anything like that. Awareness does not come first..........

I now remember I never questioned where I was and why they were touching my head and using two hands to make 'clicking noises' at the side of my head.

That 'clicking' was the staples of my brain surgery being removed. No pain, ignorance and oblivious state. It was a 'no feeling', but sound memory. From then apparently, I still did not recognize people, but have no memory of it. I was a Post Traumatic Amnesiac for 28 days.

Oh it was such a hard time getting through rehab, and I had no memory of children at all. Not once did I miss anyone. I did not even miss myself. God I wish that state of oblivion had stayed !!!!!!!!

Whilst I can now believe a brain surgeon saying, “you will never remember what happened to you” now it is 5 yrs since, I am still in this, because I will never get out of it. Ignorance is crueler than knowledge. Not a lot of people can fathom why I cannot remember these facts now I am almost 5 yrs post injury in June 2002.

Please remember the brain is a recorder and when there is a sudden accident to it.........it stops recording. If you ask an expert brain technician, they will always say it will only recoup some data but not all: Brains are just like machines I was told; once damaged it will shut down like a video recorder and stop recording anything.

I am still in this; this recovery mode. How many parents, children, people or rather, victims of this violence ever understand, live, know and get over this? And who ever gets to tell the real whole story, about how it affects their being, future, faith, trust and family? Can slow progress and one finger typing write and tell Australia these outcomes of one instance of Grievous Bodily harm?

Remember one punch kills and do not let the violent men ruin our lives, other family members lives. They are forever trying to come to understand this shockingly fatal episode that explodes all over your lives.

My children, siblings, parents, kin, friends and colleagues are still so shell shocked with my brain's subdural haematomas and right side body paralysis they want other reading material available to families in this very situation.

Unless someone tells them the real story, whilst waiting to hear from the theatre table, they too will will suffer more.

I was a very astute, intelligent, smart, high-rising cookie, until this time of my life.................when now, I am a flat useless dud who can never work again.

I can't ever be that person and sadly my whole family do not know what to do when they have me in their presence. My 22 yr old daughter refuses to speak to me.

I am awake now, but the hardest thing of awareness is that I now know what I cannot do.

Severe changes as a result of my craniotamy mean my impulsive behaviour, tolerance and processing of information, both written and verbal, are drastically changed. I cannot be a teacher anymore either. There are no support groups in Brisbane and I feel so alone. And I would resent being labelled a "Laughed With or At Disabled" !!!!!

I am brain injured and can now remember the person I was before the injury. I will never be that person again and it will haunt me for the rest of this life, consciously and subconsciously.

Please hear and try to understand.

Judith