Monday, December 28, 2009
Did You Know? Traumatic Brain Injury Information by Freedom House
Freedom House is a non-profit organization formed to provide housing for disabled persons who have survived traumatic brain injuries (TBI). This video highlights some of the shocking statistics about TBI in the United States.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Freedom House Survivor Stories Part 6
RON MAYER
Following, is the story of Ron Mayer beginning with the accident that changed his life forever, and his journey back to being an active and productive member of his community. In 1971, Ron was riding his small motorcycle to his neighborhood community center to practice basketball. On his way, he rode into some sand that was left on the street. He went into a skid and was thrown onto the pavement. He sustained a brain injury that left him with short term memory loss and a tremor in his right hand. In addition, his left hip was injured. Ron considers himself a careful rider, but of course, not on sand! Fortunately, there was a doctor and nurse close by at a Pop Warner football game and they quickly came and gave Ron medical help until an ambulance arrived. He spent the next three weeks in a COMA at Sharp Children's Hospital, followed by seven weeks in rehab.
After being discharged from children's rehab, Ron lived at home while continuing to seek treatment to improve his short term memory. He required a lot of supervision, including help with mood swings.
The accident occurred during Ron's junior year in High School. He had been and honor student with a year ahead in school. After three and a half months in the hospital, Ron was still not well enough to return to school. He spent the rest of the year with a home teacher.
At that time there were no programs or resources for people with brain injuries. However, through his high school, he found out about a relearning foundation for slow learners. He spent three months in the program part time working with a tutor. With the help of the home teacher, he returned to the twelfth grade the following year with a requirement of three subjects. With the help of his tutor, he finished High School with his class.
After High School, Ron went on to Mesa College for six years, taking some classes over, and earned a two year AA degree. He worked in the printing field for about five years. In those days, it was very difficult for disabled people in the work field...They weren't accepted very well. He was let go from many of the printing jobs...they required too much lifting and more speed than Ton could handle. His last job in the printing field was at a bank. He worked there for three months and again, they informed him that he was too slow. After that experience, he decided that the printing field was not for him.
In 1978, Ron decided to return to college. He went to Point Loma Nazarene University and stayed in the dorm to regain his independence. He was one of the college photographers and worked on the yearly Annual, as he had experience in photography in Jr. High School. He finished the junior year. In spite of finding the bookwork quite stressful, Ron felt it was a great year. Then, in 1987, he returned to Mesa College, this time to take Hotel-Motel classes. He went for three years and did so well that the teacher offered him a desk clerk job at Hotel Del Coronado.
Ron worked in the hotel field for about six years, holding many jobs during that period. After his last job ended, Ron drew unemployment for about a year. During that time, he attended the Brain Injury Foundation meetings. One day, there was a teacher from Mesa College talking about a new program called ABI. The following fall, he began attending the ABI classes. They proved to be a valuable experience, as they gave him reassurance to look forward to the future and focus on improving himself.
At that point, he decided he wanted to learn the computer. Through ABI, he was enrolled in a computer class for a year. After his computer class was over, Ron applied for a job at Miramar Naval Station doing Accounts Payable and Receivable. He was hired, but the job required more speed than he was able to handle, so the boss gave him a new job doing payroll and ordering office supplies. Ron worked there for three years, enjoying the job very much. However, as often happens, there was a change in the office and many people were laid off, including Ron.
Then, Ron's boss from the Naval Station suggested that he should go on SSDI, as he should have enough credits from all his jobs together with his medical history, to qualify. That proved to be true, and he was able to go on SSDI.
Today, Ron is doing very well and is involved in life. He has a part time job in the video field, and volunteers making videos for the members of the Brain Injury Foundation. He still retains some loss from the accident that injured him so many years ago, but he has a positive outlook and continues to strive to make each day a good one. Ron has come a long way in the 36 years since his accident and is very grateful to his parents for always being there for him, encouraging him to keep going and to not give up.
Ron's father, Leslie Mayer, was one of the original group of people who created and started the Brain Injury Foundation. After that, came the Brain Injury Support Group, that gave survivors an opportunity to meet with and talk to others who have gone through similar experiences. He was a great mentor and an inspiration to all who knew him. He passed away in 2005, and will be greatly missed.
Following, is the story of Ron Mayer beginning with the accident that changed his life forever, and his journey back to being an active and productive member of his community. In 1971, Ron was riding his small motorcycle to his neighborhood community center to practice basketball. On his way, he rode into some sand that was left on the street. He went into a skid and was thrown onto the pavement. He sustained a brain injury that left him with short term memory loss and a tremor in his right hand. In addition, his left hip was injured. Ron considers himself a careful rider, but of course, not on sand! Fortunately, there was a doctor and nurse close by at a Pop Warner football game and they quickly came and gave Ron medical help until an ambulance arrived. He spent the next three weeks in a COMA at Sharp Children's Hospital, followed by seven weeks in rehab.
After being discharged from children's rehab, Ron lived at home while continuing to seek treatment to improve his short term memory. He required a lot of supervision, including help with mood swings.
The accident occurred during Ron's junior year in High School. He had been and honor student with a year ahead in school. After three and a half months in the hospital, Ron was still not well enough to return to school. He spent the rest of the year with a home teacher.
At that time there were no programs or resources for people with brain injuries. However, through his high school, he found out about a relearning foundation for slow learners. He spent three months in the program part time working with a tutor. With the help of the home teacher, he returned to the twelfth grade the following year with a requirement of three subjects. With the help of his tutor, he finished High School with his class.
After High School, Ron went on to Mesa College for six years, taking some classes over, and earned a two year AA degree. He worked in the printing field for about five years. In those days, it was very difficult for disabled people in the work field...They weren't accepted very well. He was let go from many of the printing jobs...they required too much lifting and more speed than Ton could handle. His last job in the printing field was at a bank. He worked there for three months and again, they informed him that he was too slow. After that experience, he decided that the printing field was not for him.
In 1978, Ron decided to return to college. He went to Point Loma Nazarene University and stayed in the dorm to regain his independence. He was one of the college photographers and worked on the yearly Annual, as he had experience in photography in Jr. High School. He finished the junior year. In spite of finding the bookwork quite stressful, Ron felt it was a great year. Then, in 1987, he returned to Mesa College, this time to take Hotel-Motel classes. He went for three years and did so well that the teacher offered him a desk clerk job at Hotel Del Coronado.
Ron worked in the hotel field for about six years, holding many jobs during that period. After his last job ended, Ron drew unemployment for about a year. During that time, he attended the Brain Injury Foundation meetings. One day, there was a teacher from Mesa College talking about a new program called ABI. The following fall, he began attending the ABI classes. They proved to be a valuable experience, as they gave him reassurance to look forward to the future and focus on improving himself.
At that point, he decided he wanted to learn the computer. Through ABI, he was enrolled in a computer class for a year. After his computer class was over, Ron applied for a job at Miramar Naval Station doing Accounts Payable and Receivable. He was hired, but the job required more speed than he was able to handle, so the boss gave him a new job doing payroll and ordering office supplies. Ron worked there for three years, enjoying the job very much. However, as often happens, there was a change in the office and many people were laid off, including Ron.
Then, Ron's boss from the Naval Station suggested that he should go on SSDI, as he should have enough credits from all his jobs together with his medical history, to qualify. That proved to be true, and he was able to go on SSDI.
Today, Ron is doing very well and is involved in life. He has a part time job in the video field, and volunteers making videos for the members of the Brain Injury Foundation. He still retains some loss from the accident that injured him so many years ago, but he has a positive outlook and continues to strive to make each day a good one. Ron has come a long way in the 36 years since his accident and is very grateful to his parents for always being there for him, encouraging him to keep going and to not give up.
Ron's father, Leslie Mayer, was one of the original group of people who created and started the Brain Injury Foundation. After that, came the Brain Injury Support Group, that gave survivors an opportunity to meet with and talk to others who have gone through similar experiences. He was a great mentor and an inspiration to all who knew him. He passed away in 2005, and will be greatly missed.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Freedom House Survivor Stories Part 5
MICHAEL HANSON
In October 2002 Brian and Michael were involved in a horrible car wreck just two blocks from home as they were returning from a weekend with their father. While making a left turn, they were broadsided by a car that was involved in a street race and traveling at 120 miles per hour with its headlights off. Although theother driver applied his brakes, his speed at impact was approximately 80 miles per hour. Brian and his girlfriend Shanna, both 19, were killed instantly. Michael was severely injured, suffering two broken legs, afractured pelvis and a severe “closed head” injury with a diagnosis of “vegetative”.
The drivers of the racing cars were charged with 2nd degree murder and their trial was broadcast on Court TV. They were ultimately convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter and sentenced to 6 and 9 year prison sentences. As the result of outcry from citizens regarding deaths resulting from street racing, more rigid laws have been implemented both locally and at the state level.
Michael’s recovery over the past 4 ½ years has been nothing short of miraculous and he continues to improve in all areas. Debbie and Michael’s father, though divorced, quit working for the first year after the accident and spent full time with Michael’s recovery both at his bedside and participating in the various phases of his recovery. Michael attends physical therapy 3 to 4 times per week and works out at home.
He has returned to school where he is learning job skills and is back to playing his guitar and computer games. He is also learning cooking. His father has returned to work but since Michael requires a full-time caregiver, Debbie stays at home and has not been able to return to her regular profession.
Michael’s progress has been followed by the local media and he and Debbie have been interviewed many times. They have spoken about the dangers of street racing and the realities of long term recovery from severe injuries to local high schools, and the Rotary Club. They have also participated in Traffic Victim’s Remembrance Day and the Think First Accident and Injury Prevention Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital. They have participated in fund raising media events for Sharp Memorial Rehab Center, Race
Legal at Qualcom Stadium and the Challenge Center.
Debbie is hopeful that FREEDOM HOUSE will be successful in establishing a residence facility where Michael can continue to work toward independent living. She intends to re-enter the Nursing profession as soon as she is able and looks forward to working with FREEDOM HOUSE toward that end.
In October 2002 Brian and Michael were involved in a horrible car wreck just two blocks from home as they were returning from a weekend with their father. While making a left turn, they were broadsided by a car that was involved in a street race and traveling at 120 miles per hour with its headlights off. Although theother driver applied his brakes, his speed at impact was approximately 80 miles per hour. Brian and his girlfriend Shanna, both 19, were killed instantly. Michael was severely injured, suffering two broken legs, afractured pelvis and a severe “closed head” injury with a diagnosis of “vegetative”.
The drivers of the racing cars were charged with 2nd degree murder and their trial was broadcast on Court TV. They were ultimately convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter and sentenced to 6 and 9 year prison sentences. As the result of outcry from citizens regarding deaths resulting from street racing, more rigid laws have been implemented both locally and at the state level.
Michael’s recovery over the past 4 ½ years has been nothing short of miraculous and he continues to improve in all areas. Debbie and Michael’s father, though divorced, quit working for the first year after the accident and spent full time with Michael’s recovery both at his bedside and participating in the various phases of his recovery. Michael attends physical therapy 3 to 4 times per week and works out at home.
He has returned to school where he is learning job skills and is back to playing his guitar and computer games. He is also learning cooking. His father has returned to work but since Michael requires a full-time caregiver, Debbie stays at home and has not been able to return to her regular profession.
Michael’s progress has been followed by the local media and he and Debbie have been interviewed many times. They have spoken about the dangers of street racing and the realities of long term recovery from severe injuries to local high schools, and the Rotary Club. They have also participated in Traffic Victim’s Remembrance Day and the Think First Accident and Injury Prevention Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital. They have participated in fund raising media events for Sharp Memorial Rehab Center, Race
Legal at Qualcom Stadium and the Challenge Center.
Debbie is hopeful that FREEDOM HOUSE will be successful in establishing a residence facility where Michael can continue to work toward independent living. She intends to re-enter the Nursing profession as soon as she is able and looks forward to working with FREEDOM HOUSE toward that end.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Freedom House Survivor Stories Part 4
JAMES VICTOR BALMER - By Julia Balmer
In 1974 my husband Vic, my three children from my previous marriage, and I, left the shores of England to live in The Hague in Holland. Vic had accepted a job with an American company they wanted him to work in Holland before moving us to the USA in 1977. We bought a tall, skinny typical Dutch home with seven bedrooms and a tiny garden on the outskirts of the city. The children were enrolled in the British school of the Hague and we all began having Dutch lessons.
In 1976 Vic and I had been together for 6years and married for three, we decided it was time to have a child of our own. After an amazingly uneventful pregnancy and easy birth James Victor Balmer was born.
He was instantly adored by us, and by his three half siblings, Helen who was 17, Steven 16, and Trevor 13 too. He weighed in at 9lbs and was a gorgeous, happy healthy baby. James was 3months old when we moved to the USA and settled in Vermilion Ohio. We bought a lovely house on a small lake, there were about twenty other homes around the lake, the neighbors were very nice people and we became close friends with many of them. We were invited to clam bakes, Lake Erie perch fries, lamb and pig roasts and other events too numerous to mention, James would come with us. He thrived on the love and attention from his family and our friends. We went overboard with the “tooth fairy” and “Santa-Claus”events, to this day James still has the tiny notes with minute writing from his tooth fairy “Tinkerbelle”. We tried to teach him to be kind, caring, generous and loving. He was taught not to kill any living creature which may explain why he became vegetarian at the age of fifteen and is now a “Vegan”. We really enjoyed James’s childhood and documented every step of his way with photos, films and diary notations. My other three children were born with very little space between them so their early days are just a frantic blur whereas James’s were tranquil and precious. He spent a lot of time around adults, his brothers and sisters were much older than him, so when he was three years old we enrolled him in a nursery school so he could interact with children of his own age. He made friends easily and had a crush on his teacher. His elementary school years seemed to fly by. He did very well in all subjects and made many friends. He joined the cub scouts too. The lake would freeze in the winter so the children would ice skate. In the summer James and I would swim or take the canoe out and paddle around in it. He and his friends would try to catch the turtles and fish. When he was nine we bought him a tiny motor bike on which he would zip around the surrounding woods wearing a red helmet almost as large as he was.
In 1987 when James was 10 Vic was offered a job in California so we moved. Initially, James did not want to go because he had his friends, liked his home and his school. Vic’s new company flew us out to California to explore. James discovered boogey boarding and the skate board park which at that time was next to the Del Mar fair grounds and he was sold. We bought a home in La Costa with a swimming pool which we felt would make up for the missing lake. James started in 6th grade at the then new La Costa Heights elementary school. I was more nervous than he was on his first day at the new school. He settled in very well and soon made new friends. He had the lead in his class play “The little Peach Boy”. He had a short spell in Pop Warner foot ball and basket ball but was never really “a jock” as you Americans say. He did however love to boogey board; skate board and ride his bike. He became involved in BMX bike racing for a while and at twelve years old began taking guitar lessons. He went to middle school in Encinitas and
then to San Dieguito High School also in Encinitas. James’s grades were always excellent; he was on the honor roll and gained college credits in high school. With three of his friends he formed a band they called themselves “Useless,” they wrote their own songs, and won the battle of the bands they continued on to play shows at Soma, other venues and parties. They cut a Tape which was on sale at “Lou’s Records”.
The band collapsed when the members went off to different colleges. James took driving lessons we let him drive our van on condition that he came home by 10pm. He would pull into our driveway smack bang on the stroke of 10pm, it was uncanny. He became a vegetarian around this time and would make “Hacky Sacks” on my old sewing machine with his friend David, they also made very pretty beads from “Fimo” clay. He learned how to weld and won first prize at the Del Mar fair for an intricate belt buckle he made.
When he left school he worked part time welding custom made racing bicycles while attending Palomar College where he enrolled in their “Tag” program.
During all his baby, little boy, boy, teenage years James never, ever gave us any trouble. We would wait for it, expect it, but it never came, he was almost too good to be true.
Shortly after starting college he became involved with the Hare Krishna’s. We were upset and blamed ourselves for not including religion in his upbringing. He joined the Temple and became a devotee. He traveled the country from sea to shining sea distributing their literature and lecturing at Universities. He went to India dressed in saffron robes with his head shaved except for the little top-knot. When he visited us, we would try to understand but we found it difficult. He left the Krishna’s after two years, went back to school, got a job in the produce department at Henry’s and moved into an apartment. He began dating a series of pretty girls. He formed a new rock band called “Swan”; he acquired numerous tattoos, pierced his ears, but remained a very spiritual and philosophical person with an intense interest in nutrition.
James met Kristie in 2001. At last he had met his soul mate. They moved in together and love each other very much. They visit us often, usually with their two dogs. They cook us vegan meals and we watch movies. Two years ago Kristie made her dream a reality when she opened a lounge which specializes in organic beers and wine it also provides diverse entertainment from jazz groups to Irish singers. We were all very involved in getting it ready to open. James would help Kristie in the lounge, he also had a small nutrition consulting business and of course his new band “fing”, they had just cut their first CD and were ready to go on tour in February 07, but that was not to be because of the accident.
On December 4th our lives were shattered when James had his terrible accident. We received the call in the middle of the night that every parent dreads. We were also told that a girl had died and initially we thought it was Kristie. We so nearly lost our beloved boy. James’s brain has been severely injured; he was in a coma for almost three weeks, on life support, because his lungs became infected too. The Doctor gave us a very gloomy prognosis because of the severity of his brain injury; he was only a 3 on the Glasgow scale which is used to measure comas. When he woke up he could not move at all, he could not swallow, eat, or speak and he was incontinent. He had a gastro tube in place, a Catheter to drain his urine; he had to wear a diaper, and had a hole in his throat where the tracheotomy had been. His temperature would spike due to the brain injury, he was suffering dreadful shivering spells call “Neuro-Storming” again due to the injury. I can’t begin to imagine how terrified he must have felt, when he became conscious and was able to comprehend his predicament. He had developed painful bedsores too. He lost 50% of his muscle mass and his weight dropped to 132 lbs which considering that he is 6’4” was skeletal.
He was moved to Sharp Cabrillo on December 28th where he has been ever since. Over the past six months James has come back to us slowly. He is still very broken. He cannot walk on his own yet. The muscles in his right arm are contracted so he is unable to move it very well. His speech is very quiet and the pitch is higher than it used to be, he has trouble sometimes finding the words he wants. His memory is impaired. His laugh is strange. He has sudden mood swings, fits of frustration and depression and blurts out things that the pre-accident James would not say. He has muscle spasms which are scary to see. But although there are some personality changes which we have been told is to be expected in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury survivors, our funny, loving, sweet, kind and generous boy is back. He has shown amazing spirit, strength and determination in his attempt to get his life back. We are in awe of his strength.
He gets very frustrated sometimes because he is not improving fast enough and cannot walk yet. We were told by all the nurses and Doctors that his recovery would be long and slow and that we would all have to be very patient. His thought processes are still foggy.
Until recently he did not know that Angie had died in the accident. We were all afraid that he would have a bad reaction or completely shut down. A Neuro Psychologist gave us permission to tell James so Kristie, his best friend Pascal and us gathered around his bed and told him. He expressed his regret and said he felt like a murderer, he asked about her family. However, we are not sure that he will remember what we told him. He remembers nothing at all about the accident and according to the Doctors he never will. We are all very sorry about Angie and our hearts go out to her family.
James has an amazing support group of very good friends from all walks of life and of course he has us. We all intend to be with him every step of the way until along the long road to recovery, James knows that he is very much loved.
In 1974 my husband Vic, my three children from my previous marriage, and I, left the shores of England to live in The Hague in Holland. Vic had accepted a job with an American company they wanted him to work in Holland before moving us to the USA in 1977. We bought a tall, skinny typical Dutch home with seven bedrooms and a tiny garden on the outskirts of the city. The children were enrolled in the British school of the Hague and we all began having Dutch lessons.
In 1976 Vic and I had been together for 6years and married for three, we decided it was time to have a child of our own. After an amazingly uneventful pregnancy and easy birth James Victor Balmer was born.
He was instantly adored by us, and by his three half siblings, Helen who was 17, Steven 16, and Trevor 13 too. He weighed in at 9lbs and was a gorgeous, happy healthy baby. James was 3months old when we moved to the USA and settled in Vermilion Ohio. We bought a lovely house on a small lake, there were about twenty other homes around the lake, the neighbors were very nice people and we became close friends with many of them. We were invited to clam bakes, Lake Erie perch fries, lamb and pig roasts and other events too numerous to mention, James would come with us. He thrived on the love and attention from his family and our friends. We went overboard with the “tooth fairy” and “Santa-Claus”events, to this day James still has the tiny notes with minute writing from his tooth fairy “Tinkerbelle”. We tried to teach him to be kind, caring, generous and loving. He was taught not to kill any living creature which may explain why he became vegetarian at the age of fifteen and is now a “Vegan”. We really enjoyed James’s childhood and documented every step of his way with photos, films and diary notations. My other three children were born with very little space between them so their early days are just a frantic blur whereas James’s were tranquil and precious. He spent a lot of time around adults, his brothers and sisters were much older than him, so when he was three years old we enrolled him in a nursery school so he could interact with children of his own age. He made friends easily and had a crush on his teacher. His elementary school years seemed to fly by. He did very well in all subjects and made many friends. He joined the cub scouts too. The lake would freeze in the winter so the children would ice skate. In the summer James and I would swim or take the canoe out and paddle around in it. He and his friends would try to catch the turtles and fish. When he was nine we bought him a tiny motor bike on which he would zip around the surrounding woods wearing a red helmet almost as large as he was.
In 1987 when James was 10 Vic was offered a job in California so we moved. Initially, James did not want to go because he had his friends, liked his home and his school. Vic’s new company flew us out to California to explore. James discovered boogey boarding and the skate board park which at that time was next to the Del Mar fair grounds and he was sold. We bought a home in La Costa with a swimming pool which we felt would make up for the missing lake. James started in 6th grade at the then new La Costa Heights elementary school. I was more nervous than he was on his first day at the new school. He settled in very well and soon made new friends. He had the lead in his class play “The little Peach Boy”. He had a short spell in Pop Warner foot ball and basket ball but was never really “a jock” as you Americans say. He did however love to boogey board; skate board and ride his bike. He became involved in BMX bike racing for a while and at twelve years old began taking guitar lessons. He went to middle school in Encinitas and
then to San Dieguito High School also in Encinitas. James’s grades were always excellent; he was on the honor roll and gained college credits in high school. With three of his friends he formed a band they called themselves “Useless,” they wrote their own songs, and won the battle of the bands they continued on to play shows at Soma, other venues and parties. They cut a Tape which was on sale at “Lou’s Records”.
The band collapsed when the members went off to different colleges. James took driving lessons we let him drive our van on condition that he came home by 10pm. He would pull into our driveway smack bang on the stroke of 10pm, it was uncanny. He became a vegetarian around this time and would make “Hacky Sacks” on my old sewing machine with his friend David, they also made very pretty beads from “Fimo” clay. He learned how to weld and won first prize at the Del Mar fair for an intricate belt buckle he made.
When he left school he worked part time welding custom made racing bicycles while attending Palomar College where he enrolled in their “Tag” program.
During all his baby, little boy, boy, teenage years James never, ever gave us any trouble. We would wait for it, expect it, but it never came, he was almost too good to be true.
Shortly after starting college he became involved with the Hare Krishna’s. We were upset and blamed ourselves for not including religion in his upbringing. He joined the Temple and became a devotee. He traveled the country from sea to shining sea distributing their literature and lecturing at Universities. He went to India dressed in saffron robes with his head shaved except for the little top-knot. When he visited us, we would try to understand but we found it difficult. He left the Krishna’s after two years, went back to school, got a job in the produce department at Henry’s and moved into an apartment. He began dating a series of pretty girls. He formed a new rock band called “Swan”; he acquired numerous tattoos, pierced his ears, but remained a very spiritual and philosophical person with an intense interest in nutrition.
James met Kristie in 2001. At last he had met his soul mate. They moved in together and love each other very much. They visit us often, usually with their two dogs. They cook us vegan meals and we watch movies. Two years ago Kristie made her dream a reality when she opened a lounge which specializes in organic beers and wine it also provides diverse entertainment from jazz groups to Irish singers. We were all very involved in getting it ready to open. James would help Kristie in the lounge, he also had a small nutrition consulting business and of course his new band “fing”, they had just cut their first CD and were ready to go on tour in February 07, but that was not to be because of the accident.
On December 4th our lives were shattered when James had his terrible accident. We received the call in the middle of the night that every parent dreads. We were also told that a girl had died and initially we thought it was Kristie. We so nearly lost our beloved boy. James’s brain has been severely injured; he was in a coma for almost three weeks, on life support, because his lungs became infected too. The Doctor gave us a very gloomy prognosis because of the severity of his brain injury; he was only a 3 on the Glasgow scale which is used to measure comas. When he woke up he could not move at all, he could not swallow, eat, or speak and he was incontinent. He had a gastro tube in place, a Catheter to drain his urine; he had to wear a diaper, and had a hole in his throat where the tracheotomy had been. His temperature would spike due to the brain injury, he was suffering dreadful shivering spells call “Neuro-Storming” again due to the injury. I can’t begin to imagine how terrified he must have felt, when he became conscious and was able to comprehend his predicament. He had developed painful bedsores too. He lost 50% of his muscle mass and his weight dropped to 132 lbs which considering that he is 6’4” was skeletal.
He was moved to Sharp Cabrillo on December 28th where he has been ever since. Over the past six months James has come back to us slowly. He is still very broken. He cannot walk on his own yet. The muscles in his right arm are contracted so he is unable to move it very well. His speech is very quiet and the pitch is higher than it used to be, he has trouble sometimes finding the words he wants. His memory is impaired. His laugh is strange. He has sudden mood swings, fits of frustration and depression and blurts out things that the pre-accident James would not say. He has muscle spasms which are scary to see. But although there are some personality changes which we have been told is to be expected in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury survivors, our funny, loving, sweet, kind and generous boy is back. He has shown amazing spirit, strength and determination in his attempt to get his life back. We are in awe of his strength.
He gets very frustrated sometimes because he is not improving fast enough and cannot walk yet. We were told by all the nurses and Doctors that his recovery would be long and slow and that we would all have to be very patient. His thought processes are still foggy.
Until recently he did not know that Angie had died in the accident. We were all afraid that he would have a bad reaction or completely shut down. A Neuro Psychologist gave us permission to tell James so Kristie, his best friend Pascal and us gathered around his bed and told him. He expressed his regret and said he felt like a murderer, he asked about her family. However, we are not sure that he will remember what we told him. He remembers nothing at all about the accident and according to the Doctors he never will. We are all very sorry about Angie and our hearts go out to her family.
James has an amazing support group of very good friends from all walks of life and of course he has us. We all intend to be with him every step of the way until along the long road to recovery, James knows that he is very much loved.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Freedom House Survivor Stories Part 3
KELLCIE MACNAMARA - by Barbara C. Macnamara
On December 4th, 2004 our lives changed forever. Our 19 year old daughter, Kellcie Macnamara, was critically injured in an auto accident. Her driver's door was T-boned at 70-80 mph. It was as though she had had a bull’s-eye solely on her. Unknowingly, I was stuck in the traffic jam from her accident.
The paramedics found her with a slight pulse and a blood pressure of 60/0. They rated her as a 4 on the Glasgow Scale. This is a scale of 1-15 which rates responsiveness. Things looked quite dire.
She had emergency surgery for internal bleeding due to a ruptured spleen. Next they addressed her other extensive injuries: lacerated liver, bruised kidney, and bladder, pelvis broken in three places, three broken ribs, collapsed lunch, and fluid aspiration.
She had been hit so hard that even a lay person could see on from the X-ray that her heart and lunch had been shoved significantly towards the center of her chest.
Then began her long battle against pneumonia. This was extremely dangerous as she lay unconscious in a coma and could not cough up the fluid. Our tiny but mighty 100 pound daughter clung to life against all odds.
As extensive as all these injuries were, none of them held a candle to the damage done to her brain. The neurosurgeon told us around day eight that there was nothing more he could do.
We sat in terror as the cranial pressure reached into the 80’s (5-10 is normal). There was a very real and fatal possibility of her brain hernia ting downwards into her throat. The wonderful SICU nurse wrung her hands helplessly as the warning lights flashed and the alarms went off. I opened the Bible and began reading aloud from Psalms. I know it kept me from going insane. But it also had another effect-her pressure began to fall!
I had only rediscovered my faith in God four months earlier, in August. By mid September our lives seemed to take a serious downward spiral. John, my husband was found with a large lung tumor. One month later a brain tumor was found. The cancer was diagnosed as Stage IV Melanoma - a very aggressive and usually fatal cancer.
Late November ’04 John had one lung removed. He had been home about 4 days when Kellcie nearly lost her life. We had turned to prayer for John as had many friends, but Kellcie’s accident turned things up a notch. I can now see how blessed we were to find out faith returning in August - just in time for the onslaught of our lives.
But I felt so “new” at becoming reacquainted with God. Would He care to listen to me? I had been ignoring Him for years. Churches put my family on their prayer list. Soon we were being prayed for from CA. to the East Coast to Hi, to Canada, England and Ireland. I became more confident that God heard our prayers.
We could see that if John had not had cancer in his brain we would have never have known about a fantastic neurosurgeon who God willing helped turn things around.
It was 20 days post accident before Kellcie was barely stable enough to travel the short distance to the MIR. The results were devastating – anoxia and extensive brain shearing.
We were reminded we could turn the ventilator off. Her prognosis held no hope. If she lived she would never wake up. If she woke up she would have no awareness of her surroundings, her self, or even know who we were. One doctor known for his perfectionism said even this was a “generous prognosis”. But he also said that studies showed that the power can work. Evidently there were just two rays of hope - time and prayer.
We struggled on with our hope for our daughter. Prayer and denial worked wonders! Someone told me that when something is broken you take it to the repair man. When the repair man can’t fix it, you go straight to the manufacturer. Well, we were definitely going to have to go straight to the manufacturer (God).
Early February John and I “accidentally” discovered Tiffany Snow. We had been living at the hospital since Kellcie’s accident. It was a rare morning for me to be home. I settled down in front of the TV with a cup of coffee. I tuned in to a local station. The segment was showing Tiffany facilitating a healing with a 19 year old girl who was expected to die! Was this speaking to me or what?! It seemed like divine intervention.
Tiffany came to see Kellcie a few days later in her coma. Kellcie was in sub-acute care and doing poorly. Her blood pressure was quite high and her heart rate was 150-200.
Tiffany was so gentle and loving. It felt as though she had been sent to lift our burden. As Tiffany prayed we all joined in and asked for divine intervention. Kellcie’s vitals all returned to normal and she fell asleep. But Tiffany’s words brought another gift. I had implored her to tell me if my baby was “in there.” She smiled knowingly and said, “yes your baby’s there.” she even giggled and said Kellcie was thinking of a certain young man. She gave the first initial of his name and she was correct!
This was the first time in over 2 months that John and I felt a lightening of our load.
Tiffany held Kellcie’s right arm and said very seriously, “there is an infection and she is on the wrong medicine.” Her words echoed in my being as Kellcie became quite ill later that night. She was moved back to the MICU where the Drs. were baffled at her symptoms.
I repeatedly asked if it could be the antibiotic. I was repeatedly told by the infectious disease Dr. that it would be extremely rare to have an allergy to Vancomycin. However, 10 days later he meekly suggested that we need to list Vancomycin as a drug allergy.
Always the skeptic, I was at once in awe and yet had to consider the possibility of it being a coincidence.
As our family was to learn with time and more visits form Tiffany, the word “coincidence” could not begin to explain what we were witnessing following the healings, as she awoke into consciousness and more abilities.
After the second healing Kellcie began moving her left arm, fingers, and left leg.
Following the third visit Kellcie began saying a couple of words.
One afternoon Tiffany called. She had been led in to prayer for Kellcie and wanted to know if she was speaking more. I felt badly, but honestly there had been little improvement. Within 2 hours Kellcie sat up and clearly asked “What happened?” this sent chills through all of us. This certainly showed an awareness of her self. And that something happened to her. More sentences followed and soon I could not even spell in front of her.
In April, Kellcie was seen by Tiffany again. We were not in a private room this time and visitors were there also. Two physical therapists were in and out as were nurses. It felt like Grand Central Station. I worried maybe God wouldn’t work in front of all these people. None of this fazed Tiffany as she tuned into God’s goodness. She began at the head and mentioned that “there was some fluid buildup there. Nothing to worry about but I should be watched.”
Well, I am not kidding when I say that within 10-15 minutes of Tiffany saying this, the Neurosurgeon came in, he scratched his head and he looked at Tiffany and then said “I will have to adjust Kellcie’s shunt, there is a little fluid built up there, don’t worry I will keep an eye on it.” This is how it has continued to be. Tiffany facilitates God’s healing energy and love. Within two hours to two days things will happen just as God has directed Tiffany to tell us.
In May, Kellcie was in rehab. That in itself was a miracle. She was a handful and very agitated. She could not tolerate anything touching her face, especially her mouth. In six months, she had no food or water by mouth and the therapist worked daily to help her through this aversion but there was no progress.
Kellcie had been there four weeks.
Tiffany had visited her the day before her discharge. She told us “Kellcie wanted to eat and drink but was fearful“. We should “try a blue or purple cup as those were her favorite colors”. We brought Kellcie home the next day. We offered her water out of a blue mug and she immediately drank and drank. The very next day she ate cheesecake.
In very short order, she was able to eat everything. Many people have severe swallowing problems after a severe brain injury. Most need salad or veggies put into a blender, and thickener put into water for less chance of aspiration. Kellcie was eating everything now, and still our tiny but mighty girl but a little over 100lbs.
Late June, Kellcie began in home therapy two times a week. During one visit Kellcie nearly broke a therapist’s nose. She mentioned that Kellcie was one of the most violent patients she had seen.
Well along came Tiffany again, she worked intensely and said, “expect changes with Kellcie’s legs.” A day later the PT returned for a session. She was very guarded as she began working with our daughter. After a bit she relaxed and told us that “we have a completely different person here today. She is so cooperative, her legs how much more strength and coordination and her balance has improved. I think she could eventually use a walker.”
Her neurosurgeon and physiatrist are so amazed with Kellcie’s progress. They too have found hope out of her miraculous recovery. I am praying they will offer other families some encouragement due to what they have seen.
Kellcie now smiles, jokes and sings at doctor visits. It does my heart good to see their smiles after such a long, dark journey. Kellcie doesn’t need splints, braces or Achilles tendon release surgeries as had been prescribed. There is talk she will walk without her walker one day, and she is practicing now, and doing well! (*7 weeks after this letter, Kellcie rarely uses a walker now, and is at PT twice a week and in swimming classes and looking forward to competition).
Tiffany knew all this from the first visit. She told us Kellcie would be fully healed, physically, emotionally and spiritually, that Kellcie would be a miracle testimony for God, encouraging many people and doctors.
Kellcie has remembered the SICU where she spent nearly six weeks. Keep in mind, her eyes were never opened during this time. Hmmm…
She has remembered the night of her accident and her destination. She can verbalize that her thinking doesn’t flow as it should and is very aware of her memory problems. All of this will heal I tell her. She is not “brain damaged”, she is in brain recovery!
We saw Tiffany in January. Again, like clockwork, two days later, here came the results. Kellcie stated out of the blue “I want to write.” She had only made straight lines and traced circles previously. She wrote on our grease board “Kellcie, CM (her initials) I love you.”
My husband who also sees Tiffany has survived four brain surgeries, one lung removal, one bowel resection and two series of intense brain radiation. We always see Tiffany before his checkups, which involve MRI’s, CAT scans and PET scans. She tells us that results before the tests and has always been right!
After John’s second brain surgery in August, the neurosurgeon seemed perplexed at how relaxed we were. He tried to drive home the point that John’s survival and recovery has been amazing. All the doctors look at us as we don’t understand the seriousness of his prognosis. We look at them in amusement that they are so stymied and don’t know what to do with him because he is not “by the book.”
It is ironic but I know that John’s cancer has played a part in saving Kellcie. It allowed us to know the neurosurgeon to call. I believe that because this doctor had met Kellcie previously and knew John to be amazingly resilient and also knew first hand the horror of the multiple tragedies, he didn’t have the heart to give up on her.
I also know that Kellcie’s injury has saved John. Her needing him has provided him with a very primal instinct to stay around and help his family. His will to live has been aided and supported by God through Tiffany.
I could go on and on. All the details don’t matter so much unless you are stubborn and skeptical as I was. God needed to keep hitting me over the head again and again before I got it. Our Father is real He listens and speaks to us all the time. Whether we think we are on speaking terms or not. His plan is always better than ours because He sees the big picture. We just need to relax in His love and know that He will give us the strength we need and the people we need to help us triumph.
Kellcie continues to make wonderful breakthroughs after healing from God. Tiffany says that Kellcie also has the gift of healing hands. Kellcie is quite impressed and excited. As poor as her short term memory is now, she does not forget her bright future helping people!
As analytical and skeptical as my nature is, I don’t use the word coincidence anymore. I smile and just tell God “thank you.”
My sincere hope is that those who need encouragement, comfort, faith or a place to turn to, will ask for and find Divine Intervention. Remember the “Manufacturer’s” number is unpublished but it is in everyone’s heart.
On December 4th, 2004 our lives changed forever. Our 19 year old daughter, Kellcie Macnamara, was critically injured in an auto accident. Her driver's door was T-boned at 70-80 mph. It was as though she had had a bull’s-eye solely on her. Unknowingly, I was stuck in the traffic jam from her accident.
The paramedics found her with a slight pulse and a blood pressure of 60/0. They rated her as a 4 on the Glasgow Scale. This is a scale of 1-15 which rates responsiveness. Things looked quite dire.
She had emergency surgery for internal bleeding due to a ruptured spleen. Next they addressed her other extensive injuries: lacerated liver, bruised kidney, and bladder, pelvis broken in three places, three broken ribs, collapsed lunch, and fluid aspiration.
She had been hit so hard that even a lay person could see on from the X-ray that her heart and lunch had been shoved significantly towards the center of her chest.
Then began her long battle against pneumonia. This was extremely dangerous as she lay unconscious in a coma and could not cough up the fluid. Our tiny but mighty 100 pound daughter clung to life against all odds.
As extensive as all these injuries were, none of them held a candle to the damage done to her brain. The neurosurgeon told us around day eight that there was nothing more he could do.
We sat in terror as the cranial pressure reached into the 80’s (5-10 is normal). There was a very real and fatal possibility of her brain hernia ting downwards into her throat. The wonderful SICU nurse wrung her hands helplessly as the warning lights flashed and the alarms went off. I opened the Bible and began reading aloud from Psalms. I know it kept me from going insane. But it also had another effect-her pressure began to fall!
I had only rediscovered my faith in God four months earlier, in August. By mid September our lives seemed to take a serious downward spiral. John, my husband was found with a large lung tumor. One month later a brain tumor was found. The cancer was diagnosed as Stage IV Melanoma - a very aggressive and usually fatal cancer.
Late November ’04 John had one lung removed. He had been home about 4 days when Kellcie nearly lost her life. We had turned to prayer for John as had many friends, but Kellcie’s accident turned things up a notch. I can now see how blessed we were to find out faith returning in August - just in time for the onslaught of our lives.
But I felt so “new” at becoming reacquainted with God. Would He care to listen to me? I had been ignoring Him for years. Churches put my family on their prayer list. Soon we were being prayed for from CA. to the East Coast to Hi, to Canada, England and Ireland. I became more confident that God heard our prayers.
We could see that if John had not had cancer in his brain we would have never have known about a fantastic neurosurgeon who God willing helped turn things around.
It was 20 days post accident before Kellcie was barely stable enough to travel the short distance to the MIR. The results were devastating – anoxia and extensive brain shearing.
We were reminded we could turn the ventilator off. Her prognosis held no hope. If she lived she would never wake up. If she woke up she would have no awareness of her surroundings, her self, or even know who we were. One doctor known for his perfectionism said even this was a “generous prognosis”. But he also said that studies showed that the power can work. Evidently there were just two rays of hope - time and prayer.
We struggled on with our hope for our daughter. Prayer and denial worked wonders! Someone told me that when something is broken you take it to the repair man. When the repair man can’t fix it, you go straight to the manufacturer. Well, we were definitely going to have to go straight to the manufacturer (God).
Early February John and I “accidentally” discovered Tiffany Snow. We had been living at the hospital since Kellcie’s accident. It was a rare morning for me to be home. I settled down in front of the TV with a cup of coffee. I tuned in to a local station. The segment was showing Tiffany facilitating a healing with a 19 year old girl who was expected to die! Was this speaking to me or what?! It seemed like divine intervention.
Tiffany came to see Kellcie a few days later in her coma. Kellcie was in sub-acute care and doing poorly. Her blood pressure was quite high and her heart rate was 150-200.
Tiffany was so gentle and loving. It felt as though she had been sent to lift our burden. As Tiffany prayed we all joined in and asked for divine intervention. Kellcie’s vitals all returned to normal and she fell asleep. But Tiffany’s words brought another gift. I had implored her to tell me if my baby was “in there.” She smiled knowingly and said, “yes your baby’s there.” she even giggled and said Kellcie was thinking of a certain young man. She gave the first initial of his name and she was correct!
This was the first time in over 2 months that John and I felt a lightening of our load.
Tiffany held Kellcie’s right arm and said very seriously, “there is an infection and she is on the wrong medicine.” Her words echoed in my being as Kellcie became quite ill later that night. She was moved back to the MICU where the Drs. were baffled at her symptoms.
I repeatedly asked if it could be the antibiotic. I was repeatedly told by the infectious disease Dr. that it would be extremely rare to have an allergy to Vancomycin. However, 10 days later he meekly suggested that we need to list Vancomycin as a drug allergy.
Always the skeptic, I was at once in awe and yet had to consider the possibility of it being a coincidence.
As our family was to learn with time and more visits form Tiffany, the word “coincidence” could not begin to explain what we were witnessing following the healings, as she awoke into consciousness and more abilities.
After the second healing Kellcie began moving her left arm, fingers, and left leg.
Following the third visit Kellcie began saying a couple of words.
One afternoon Tiffany called. She had been led in to prayer for Kellcie and wanted to know if she was speaking more. I felt badly, but honestly there had been little improvement. Within 2 hours Kellcie sat up and clearly asked “What happened?” this sent chills through all of us. This certainly showed an awareness of her self. And that something happened to her. More sentences followed and soon I could not even spell in front of her.
In April, Kellcie was seen by Tiffany again. We were not in a private room this time and visitors were there also. Two physical therapists were in and out as were nurses. It felt like Grand Central Station. I worried maybe God wouldn’t work in front of all these people. None of this fazed Tiffany as she tuned into God’s goodness. She began at the head and mentioned that “there was some fluid buildup there. Nothing to worry about but I should be watched.”
Well, I am not kidding when I say that within 10-15 minutes of Tiffany saying this, the Neurosurgeon came in, he scratched his head and he looked at Tiffany and then said “I will have to adjust Kellcie’s shunt, there is a little fluid built up there, don’t worry I will keep an eye on it.” This is how it has continued to be. Tiffany facilitates God’s healing energy and love. Within two hours to two days things will happen just as God has directed Tiffany to tell us.
In May, Kellcie was in rehab. That in itself was a miracle. She was a handful and very agitated. She could not tolerate anything touching her face, especially her mouth. In six months, she had no food or water by mouth and the therapist worked daily to help her through this aversion but there was no progress.
Kellcie had been there four weeks.
Tiffany had visited her the day before her discharge. She told us “Kellcie wanted to eat and drink but was fearful“. We should “try a blue or purple cup as those were her favorite colors”. We brought Kellcie home the next day. We offered her water out of a blue mug and she immediately drank and drank. The very next day she ate cheesecake.
In very short order, she was able to eat everything. Many people have severe swallowing problems after a severe brain injury. Most need salad or veggies put into a blender, and thickener put into water for less chance of aspiration. Kellcie was eating everything now, and still our tiny but mighty girl but a little over 100lbs.
Late June, Kellcie began in home therapy two times a week. During one visit Kellcie nearly broke a therapist’s nose. She mentioned that Kellcie was one of the most violent patients she had seen.
Well along came Tiffany again, she worked intensely and said, “expect changes with Kellcie’s legs.” A day later the PT returned for a session. She was very guarded as she began working with our daughter. After a bit she relaxed and told us that “we have a completely different person here today. She is so cooperative, her legs how much more strength and coordination and her balance has improved. I think she could eventually use a walker.”
Her neurosurgeon and physiatrist are so amazed with Kellcie’s progress. They too have found hope out of her miraculous recovery. I am praying they will offer other families some encouragement due to what they have seen.
Kellcie now smiles, jokes and sings at doctor visits. It does my heart good to see their smiles after such a long, dark journey. Kellcie doesn’t need splints, braces or Achilles tendon release surgeries as had been prescribed. There is talk she will walk without her walker one day, and she is practicing now, and doing well! (*7 weeks after this letter, Kellcie rarely uses a walker now, and is at PT twice a week and in swimming classes and looking forward to competition).
Tiffany knew all this from the first visit. She told us Kellcie would be fully healed, physically, emotionally and spiritually, that Kellcie would be a miracle testimony for God, encouraging many people and doctors.
Kellcie has remembered the SICU where she spent nearly six weeks. Keep in mind, her eyes were never opened during this time. Hmmm…
She has remembered the night of her accident and her destination. She can verbalize that her thinking doesn’t flow as it should and is very aware of her memory problems. All of this will heal I tell her. She is not “brain damaged”, she is in brain recovery!
We saw Tiffany in January. Again, like clockwork, two days later, here came the results. Kellcie stated out of the blue “I want to write.” She had only made straight lines and traced circles previously. She wrote on our grease board “Kellcie, CM (her initials) I love you.”
My husband who also sees Tiffany has survived four brain surgeries, one lung removal, one bowel resection and two series of intense brain radiation. We always see Tiffany before his checkups, which involve MRI’s, CAT scans and PET scans. She tells us that results before the tests and has always been right!
After John’s second brain surgery in August, the neurosurgeon seemed perplexed at how relaxed we were. He tried to drive home the point that John’s survival and recovery has been amazing. All the doctors look at us as we don’t understand the seriousness of his prognosis. We look at them in amusement that they are so stymied and don’t know what to do with him because he is not “by the book.”
It is ironic but I know that John’s cancer has played a part in saving Kellcie. It allowed us to know the neurosurgeon to call. I believe that because this doctor had met Kellcie previously and knew John to be amazingly resilient and also knew first hand the horror of the multiple tragedies, he didn’t have the heart to give up on her.
I also know that Kellcie’s injury has saved John. Her needing him has provided him with a very primal instinct to stay around and help his family. His will to live has been aided and supported by God through Tiffany.
I could go on and on. All the details don’t matter so much unless you are stubborn and skeptical as I was. God needed to keep hitting me over the head again and again before I got it. Our Father is real He listens and speaks to us all the time. Whether we think we are on speaking terms or not. His plan is always better than ours because He sees the big picture. We just need to relax in His love and know that He will give us the strength we need and the people we need to help us triumph.
Kellcie continues to make wonderful breakthroughs after healing from God. Tiffany says that Kellcie also has the gift of healing hands. Kellcie is quite impressed and excited. As poor as her short term memory is now, she does not forget her bright future helping people!
As analytical and skeptical as my nature is, I don’t use the word coincidence anymore. I smile and just tell God “thank you.”
My sincere hope is that those who need encouragement, comfort, faith or a place to turn to, will ask for and find Divine Intervention. Remember the “Manufacturer’s” number is unpublished but it is in everyone’s heart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
