Five years ago to the day, a Markham family lived through what would be the first of a series of nightmares. Their bright and funny four-year-old son was hit by a car in their driveway, leaving him unconscious for days.
Brain Injury with Tammy Kirkwood
‘FAIR – supporting auto accident victims through advocacy and education’
Most people live their lives not giving a thought about what they have accomplished. We plug along with day to day events or situations.
UNTIL …. Life stops the way you’re use to! Your abilities change, for example…..physical movement, memory, concentration, motivation, determination, planning (even hourly), mood/behaviour, you change. This can happen with a motor vehicle accident, or blows to the head, or a fall, to name a few.
After my car accident, the first 6 months involved three different hospitals, for intensive rehabilation. When my glascow scale reached 8 out of 15, I was discharged and then able to go home from the hospital to the care of my brother Mike. He gave me 24 hour care for the next 6 months. He was my rock. He rode the roller coaster of recovery with me!
After the accident I had to relearn many things people take for granted. Learning the skills of sitting up in bed or chair unsupported, being in a wheelchair for mobility, using a walker to re learn how to walk, learning how to use the cane for stability were uphill challenges for me. The basic skills of eating, drinking and thinking all had to be relearned. I was a 40 year old woman with the functions of a toddler.
When this unfortunate experience occurs, we are required to work harder, mind & body, than we ever have before just to try and “regain” our abilities. I looked at my head injury in the beginning, with disbelief, anger, and resentment. I couldn’t believe that this had happened to me.
Through a lot of support from family, friends, and therapists, I was guided in how I could move forward. Do I miss my abilities I no longer have? ABSOLUTELY YES! But, I like me and I’m grateful for what I have. My positive thought has always been, IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE!
I’m trying to share what worked for me with the hope that the ideas, might work or help you.
I took my experience as an opportunity to revise me. Through working with and through my deficits, I also learned how to adapt, so I could LIVE.
I’ve come a long way since that day in 2008. Today I am the Vice-Chair of FAIR Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform. Now I find myself fighting for other MVA victims so they too can have access to the resources they so desperately need for recovery.
__________________
Restarting Your Life – Tammy Kirkwood – beginning my story post accident
__________________
Human books share their stories Tammy Kirkwood, who incurred an acquired brain injury after she was involved in a horrific car accident four years ago, chats with Miss Petite Simcoe County Jessica Katie Foster during the Get a Life Festival at the Orillia Public Library Saturday. Both Kirkwood and Foster volunteered to share their stories as human books.
___________________
Hundreds rally against cuts to auto insurance benefits TORONTO – Changes to auto insurance benefits for motor vehicle accident victims passed in the Ontario legislature Wednesday as part of the provincial budget.“God help us all,” Tammy Kirkwood said upon hearing the news. “We’re getting a lot less coverage for a lot more money and I’m not sure why.” Kirkwood was one of hundreds of protesters at Queen’s Park rallying against reductions in auto insurance benefits which they say will have the most effect on victims with catastrophic injuries. The 47-year-old Orillia woman said protesters were “flabbergasted” that the provincial government “was trying to disable our resources and our funding to recover.”
___________________
Orillia woman involved in serious collision slams province’s planned changes to insurance industry An Orillia woman who was in a car crash seven years ago that left her in a coma worries changes to the auto-insurance industry will have devastating effects. Tammy Kirkwood said the province’s plan to reduce auto-insurance benefits that was passed as part of the budget earlier this year will severely hurt crash victims requiring extensive care.
____________________________________________________________
The Brain’s Way of Healing
The Brain’s Way of Healing is about neuroplasticity’s next step — healing the brain using totally non-invasive methods, including patterns of energy to resynchronize the brain’s neurons when illness or injury causes them to fire improperly. It’s revolutionary and in some instances shocking — we’ll see people’s lifelong afflictions improved, or, in some cases cured almost miraculously. But these are not miracles, and Dr. Doidge explains the science behind these improvements. http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-brains-way-of-healing
FIVE INCREDIBLE NEW WAYS TO HELP THE BRAIN HEAL ITSELF http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/five-incredible-new-ways-to-help-the-brain-heal-itself
Recovering from a brain injury? Video games can help!
Play is important for children because it promotes learning and helps them develop new skills and abilities… but kids play just because it’s fun! As adults we’re really not so different; if it weren’t for our ‘grown-up’ responsibilities we just might play games for hours on end too. Encouraging adults to play is the premise behind play-based therapy for patients with acquired brain injury due to stroke or trauma to the head, such as a car accident or fall.
The Influence of Diet and Physical Activity on Brain Repair and Neurosurgical Outcome
The brain has a remarkable capacity for plasticity, an aptitude that ironically contrasts with the limited therapeutic approaches that would reduce the consequences of brain insults. Although a large amount of clinical trials have been performed to test the efficacy of various pharmacological compounds in minimizing the burden of neurological disorders, the results of many of these trials have been unsuccessful. Another concern frequently encountered in neurosurgical surroundings is that the patient outcome after brain surgery may not match the predicted prognosis.
You Can’t See Me
You can’t see me, but I exist. I live in your neighborhood. I am hurt and yet you don’t seem to know or care. I am broken, and yet you can’t see it on my body. I am scared and frightened every day and yet you will never know. If I told you I had cancer you would be calling, offering all kinds of help. There would be support groups, survivors with hope, meals delivered, and even child care offered. The phone doesn’t ring and the meals don’t come. My 8 year old daughter cries out, “I want my old Daddy back.”
http://www.marcidrimer.com/blo
Giving Migraine Treatments the Best Chance
If you’ve never had a migraine, I have two things to say to you:
1) You’re damn lucky.
2) You can’t begin to imagine how awful they are.