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Tara Jean "TJ" Olson
My name is Tara Jean Olson, I am 20 years old. At 17, I was in the middle of a wonderful life. I have two younger brothers and a wonderful family including 32 cousins! I had the opportunity in my short life to play tennis, snowboard, run marathons, camp, hike and generally do what I wished. I had just returned from Europe on a 30 day adventure with a high school class. I had a lot of catching up to do with my friends upon my return. I crammed a lot into the next 5 days, rock climbing in Yosemite, camping in Big Sur, camping with the family in Mt. Madonna etc. After all this we planned a big BBQ on Monday night and a trip to see the B-52's at the fair. My dad, Tdog to you guys, cooked a chicken BBQ for all of my friends and we took off for the fair. Naturally I was the designated driver. My friends pushed it a little too far, lots of drinking and smoking weed. I was very tired of it after the concert. I had 7 passengers on the way up, 9 on the way home, all out of it except me. I was tired and fell asleep going 65 MPH. Don't remember a thing. The suburban rolled 4 times in the median! The only reason I am alive is because an ambulance coming home from the fair got there in 6 minutes. Everyone in the car is alright now. A few of them had to spend 2 or 3 days in the hospital. One had a back surgery. It was a miracle, how many times have you heard of a car accident with 10 people and everyone gets out? Not so lucky for me, I had a basal skull fracture, broken bones, lots of cuts and a gnarly brain injury. In a coma for 2 months, I was transferred to a rehab hospital in San Jose. After four months I returned home for Christmas. My condition is called left-hemiplegia. It's a kind of paralysis on my left side. Sucks because I WAS left handed. I had to learn how to do everything again. I can walk pretty good with a cane but if I have to go anywhere fast I use a wheelchair. I am going to a J.C. a few days a week. Also enduring lots of physical therapy and generally trying to get better. I have just started using TBI chat and enjoy talking to others in the same situation. I recently had a pump put in me to deliver a drug to my spine. It's working alright but there have been a few complications. Last week I had to go to the E.R. because the doctor accidentally put 3 days worth of the stuff in me in an hour! My heart was going 35 beats per minute! Well, life goes on and I'm GOING to get BETTER!!! Hope to hear from you on my e-mail. Remember my dad's motto, "You get what you get and you DEAL with it". T.J. Olson 4/7/01Email T.J.
