Tag: family

By Ian Hebeisen As of October, my family officially passed the eight-year anniversary of the car accident causing my mom’s traumatic brain injury. That’s eight years of doctor’s appointments, chiropractic care, restless nights, back exercises, visual therapies, and legal battles. It’s been eight years of trial and error, bouncing from ...

By Ian Hebeisen 20 years ago, Mike Lang returned home to find his house empty – not unusual, since he knew his wife Kelly and their two daughters were at a ballet rehearsal. Upon checking the answering machine, however, Mike learned that they never made it to their destination. “The ...

By Ian Hebeisen Over the years, my mom has undergone various treatments to battle her brain injury. She tried everything from physical therapy to vocational rehab to help reclaim her life, each aiding to some degree. Yet throughout her therapies, her progress fluctuated. At times, when one aspect of her ...

By Ian Hebeisen My mom recently described what she called “a ripple effect” resulting from her traumatic brain injury. Upon sustaining the TBI, it began affecting her life in ripples, starting at home and spreading outward. It affected life with her family and friends, then work, and so on. “It ...

By Ian Hebeisen My mom first sustained her traumatic brain injury over seven years ago, leading to frequent fatigue. She’d come home from work and flop down into a chair, trying to regain enough energy to get through dinner. Our family struggled to understand at first – she’d been fine ...

by Anne Adkinson The term “caregiver” in the brain injury community can be complex and varied. Unpaid family and friend caregivers can be a key to recovery and living well for survivors of head injury. However, calling yourself a “caregiver” when referring to care provided for someone we love who ...

By Ian Hebeisen Over seven years ago, my mom received a traumatic brain injury from a car accident. As a result, she sustained nerve damage that often leads to painful contortions in her arms and legs. At first, we couldn’t tell what would set off her arm spasms, but as ...

by James Heuer A traumatic brain injury affects not only the person suffering from it, but their entire family and friends. Typically, a caregiver can be a spouse, child, relative, or close friend. Stressing the importance of seeking support services for the caregiver themselves is vital. Caring for someone with ...

By Ian Hebeisen During my junior year of high school, my dad picked me up after I finished play rehearsal. These car rides home became commonplace, except for one day in particular. I hopped into my dad’s van, and he started our usual car-ride conversation with the phrase, “Now, don’t ...

By Tyler Bouwens I hadn’t ever conceived being a caregiver would be part of my story until a reckless and likely intoxicated driver hit my wife, Sophia in March of 2015. She spent a month in the hospital recuperating from a diffuse axonal traumatic brain injury, a broken shin bone, ...