Well recently i was involved in a car accident. Stupid as it was i got into my car while i was drunk to the point i was blacking out. To make matters worse i had just broken up with my girlfriend. Well as it turned out i ended up blacking out from the alcohol and getting into a highspeed pursuit with the police. Now i have no recolection at all of doing any of this, but i only suspect that i was blacked out because i would never have done something so wreckless.

Now while this was happening i ended up hitting a telephone pole after taking a corner way too fast. They say i hit the pole doing around eighty mile an hour. They couldn't get the chopper out there because of the downed power lines, so they ended up taking me in an ambulance up to fond du lac, wisconsin. But i was in to bad of shape for them to handle so they ended up sending me in the flight for life up to neenah, where they're better set up to deal with my injuries.

I had sustained a broken neck, collarbone, 7 ribs, my jaw in 5 places, a collapsed lung, and had a stroke. The doctors told my parents that they didn't think i would make it, because i was responding after three days of having been paralyzed that was chemically induced. Now finally i had awaken when my mom came in and was trying to get me to come around.

I ended up being in the hospital for a month, and walked out on my own will. I sure amazed the doctors, they never thought it would've happened. But as lucky as i was to not have any physical impairments, i still seem to suffer from a mild tbi. Which is understandable, given the circumstances. My doctors seem to think it's just post concussive symptoms that are troubling me right now, because it has only been a little over three months since the accident. I'm just not so sure though, i just feel so unbeleivably different. It's as if i'm a totally different person, i just used to be so outgoing and now i would rather just sit home and read a book. It's as if i have absolutely no ambition at all.

I don't know why i can't seem to overcome these problems. But i don't want to bore you with the details of my struggle. I just wanted to say that as much as i feel like giving up i know that i must truly be here for a purpose after making it through what i have. As it goes for everyone else with a brain injury, just remember that you made it for a reason, even though sometimes you may not know what it is.

Sometimes i get lost myself in the thought of how i am to go on after this, and will i ever be able to enjoy life the way i did. The truth is that possibly you'll never be the way you were, but just simply adapt to the new changes and make the most of what you have. The only plus side to a brain injury that i've seen is that you tend slow down and truly look at how precious life really is. Well that is my story and i hope that i give some hope to survivors out there.

Email Bradley