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Tamara "surf" McKay
My first brain injury was in 1975 at the age of 15. I was beaten by a girl at school and certainly had no clue about defending myself. Needless to say, I lost the battle and landed in the hospital for 3 grueling weeks. The first week in i.c.u. I have no recall of still. However, I did have to re-learn how to use my right side as I had a left hemisphere skull fracture. I went through physical therapy for quite a long, long while as well. I did master walking properly once more. Back then I might add they did no neuro-psyche testing on me and although I felt I was better my family seemed to feel I had changed.

Life went on and in 1981 I got married and as of a result had three great kids. One boy and a set of identical twin daughters. Life was peachy or so I thought until June 12, 1991. Coming home from work one evening a car had pulled out of a driveway off of this old hwy I was on. I didn't have a chance to brake and hit her going 45mph an hour. I went though the car windshield half way and really did a good job on myself as I broke my neck this time along with another skull fracture. I was in a coma for 5 or 6 days I'm told and after I was stabilized in the acute care facility I was then transferred to a rehab hospital. I kept having seizures so from rehab hospital I was then transferred to a seizure monitoring unit where my head stayed wired up for 3 very long weeks. When finally it was learned what type of medication I needed to be on I was then transferred back to the rehab hospital. I stayed there for 4 more monthes. Then I finally made it to a Brain Injury Living Facility for another 14 monthes to be treated with all the different types of therapies. i.e. physical, occupational, speech, neuro-psyche. You name it I had it. lol During this process my husband of 8 years had divorced me because he had no concept of learning how to accept me being "different" and taking care of three children and working full time. Our son was only 6 and our twins were only one year. Needless to say I was crushed and felt so abandoned that I still work on abandonment issues to this day because of this. But (excuse thy language here) shit happens.

I now am a very independent 40 year old cuss and proud to say that I did regain my independence back. Something I was afraid I'd never retrieve again. I now live a quiet existence as I cannot work because of my seizure disorder. I take three different medications to control these daggone things and it does seem the older I get the meaner they are. My neck has been fused 3 times and a pending neck surgery is down the road I hope far down the road. I need a plate inserted but am trying to hang on as well. However, I keep plugging along and fighting what seems to me my own mortality at times. Thankyou for all hearing me and thank you all for your support as well.

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