Dance

Freedom House is preparing a fund raising dance in mid summer at Balboa Park, providing we can arrange for the space. As soon as we have a date and a for sure place will post it. Something to add to your list of fun things to do this summer.

Freedom House Walk for Thought 2010

What a great success our Walk For Thought turned out to be. The best ever. The San Diego weather cooperated, especially after the torrential rains we had the previous week and the always questionable reports we were getting for our weekend. And most of all, I want to specially thank all of the volunteers who spent their free time coming to planning meetings and the work they did at the Walk (and after, cleaning up was fun!?!!!) And thanks to everyone who came out to walk along with family and friends. We need that kind of support.

Also the food stands (great hot dogs and lots of fruit), and information about TBI and books to read. I saw many who took advantage of the tables of information around the area.

We plan many more fundraisers this coming year so will keep you posted and for any who want to help, keep checking our blog and I will give you heads up as we can always use your help planning and working, to make Freedom House a real home for those who need it.

Beverly Thompson
Freedom House President

New Videos, New Directions

My name is Beverly Thompson and I am the president of Freedom House. As you know, we are a non-profit organization which plans to open homes for people who suffered a traumatic brain injury.

As president, my board of directors and myself asked Praxis Universal to create a video for us to educate and show the public the need for such homes and to ask for their financial support.

Praxis Universal not only created this video but also went above and beyond our expectations by creating two more videos and setting up a social networking system that has reached out to a public who has responded by comments and questions asking for the help that often is not available them. They have answered as many of these individuals as possible using their own valuable time to help, and to answer questions.

I again want to thank Praxis Universal for the many hours they put into these videos to make it a success, and again, for going above and beyond our agreement because they care.

The third video features our 2010 Walk for Thought, which I hope you will be able to attend!

Here are their videos:

Thank you,

Beverly Thompson

Freedom House President

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.

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.

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.

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.