In 1981 I was working for the Bylaw Enforcement Department for the City of Edmonton when I obtained my brain injury! I was told to walk up to a house and give the owner a warning for his dog barking uncontrolably!

The time of the year was in early March so as every Canadian knows it is the time of ice and snow as well as warmer weather!

Walking up toward the house I had to cross over a side walk leading up to the house. The night before it had rained and then frozen as well as a bit of snow had fell covering up the sidewalk so I couldn't see the icy surface!

Stepping onto the sidewalk which had a slant to it, my feet went out from under me and I went straight backward down onto the sidewalk! I hit hard right into the center of my head on the back and for the next few minutes I was in a daze!

Looking up I could see the owner of the house looking over at me then continue to walk to the house not even checking to see if I was alright! Slowly I crawled back onto my feet again and found my way over to my truck parked a short distance away!

Since my truck was radio dispatched I called into the office for assistance and was picked up and driven to the nearest hospital where I went under many x-rays.

After checking me over the doctor told me he couldn't find anything wrong or broken and sent me home for two weeks to rest up before going back to work!

Being loyal to my profession I went back to work in a few days but found I wasn't able to keep up the job as well as I had before!

Shortly after I quit my job due to being haressed by the boss for not doing my job well enough!

I went into taxi driving after that but found that too was very difficult for me to do but I continued in that profession for another 14 years but eventually I couldn't keep going with the long hours and trying to remember addresses was getting harder for me to do!

Then one morning I woke up and found I couldn't talk very good, like a drunk coming out of a three day party!

I drove across town to the doctor which discovered I had suffered with a stroke, which later revealed was from a number of mini strokes through the years that had passed!

Since then I have finished writing my autobiography which consisted of 250 computer printed pages which I hope some day to be able to publish! I was for many years the whole supporter of my family of three counting the wife, but now I sit home watching other people supporting me! My hopes and dreams are of someday getting over this condition but I know it will never happen so I will have to learn to live with it!

My email is buddy2@telusplanet