Birthdays and Memories

I celebrated my birthday on Thursday. Some people don’t like their birthdays because it is a reminder they are getting older. Kids always enjoy celebrating birthdays, but somewhere along the way, the switch seems to flip for many. 


I’ve always loved celebrating my birthday and even more so now because it wasn’t clear that I would get to celebrate with my family and friends after I suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of an accident .So, having breakfast and dinner with my kids followed by cake and a movie made for a wonderful day. The celebration will spill over into the next two weeks with some friends and family.

What do birthday celebrations have to do with a brain injury? Brain injuries don’t all present in the same way. I am fortunate that mine did not impact my long-term memory. Though my TBI left me with some occasional short term memory deficits, my pre-accident memory is completely intact. I remember not only important dates (birthdays of family members or other significant dates), but also events in my pre- accident life with almost crystal clarity  (trips; relationships; my childhood but also things like my bar and social security numbers), etc) . Not everyone with a brain injury retains this kind of information.

I'm lucky and know it.  Here's to another trip around the sun.  




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anniversaries

     People note anniversaries of all kinds. Of course birthdays are anniversaries. So too are wedding anniversaries. And, in Judaism, we mark the anniversary of a loved one's death (called a yarzheit).        Today is the 9th anniversary of the accident that caused my traumatic brain injury. Some people might get upset or depressed on such anniversary. But I look at it through a different lens. I'm thankful. Thankful that I survived; thankful that I'm thriving; thankful to be present for my amazing children and surrounded by loved ones and friends. So, on this anniversary, and those that follow, I choose to be thankful for how far I've come since April 24, 2016, and looking ahead to meeting new goals for the next anniversary.
Read more

Staying Active in the Summer

 Summer in Seattle provides a great opportunity to enjoy the sunny weather while we have it.  It’s not easy for me to engage in every outdoor activity due to my disability, but this summer, I’m  challenging myself to engage in sports that are keeping me active and pushing me to develop new skills and muscles: rock climbing and kayaking Both activities are offered by a nonprofit organization called Outdoors for All.  https://outdoorsforall.org/ Though I never climbed or kayaked before my accident, I’m finding it very rewarding to challenge myself in these new physical ways despite my disability.  My participation requires not only physical exertion but also concentration to ensure I’m safe. When I’m rock climbing, I need to listen carefully to the instructor about how to safely ascend and the same goes for the descent down. I’ve found that after each activity, I’m (a) sore, (b) starving, (c) exhausted.  In both of these activities, the hardest part can ...
Read more

Welcome

 Welcome to my new blog! I intend to use this space to share my own experiences with a traumatic brain injury. More to follow soon. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving!  
Read more