Brainstorming With Brooke

 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 ...

A s we age, people often need reminders. I’ve been a consummate list maker since I was very young. I have always planned my days in lists, sometimes going beyond the average to do lists  adding specific timeframes. Because my traumatic brain injury has resulted in short term memory deficits, I need ways to keep track of things.  Thankfully, technology has come a long way since the paper lists I made as a child. I make a lot of lists on my phone in the notes app.  I also keep notes on my Alexa. In my bedroom, where I have an Alexa, I’ll say, “Alexa Create a list called Things to do Thursday.”  Then you can add things to the list verbally and look at the list on your Alexa app.  I also rely very heavily on my calendar. As soon as something is scheduled, it goes  on the calendar. I look at the calendar first thing in the morning and throughout the day. Apart from technology, I also use memory strategies.  Chunking is one strategy. If you are trying to rem...

  It’s graduation season, and this one is extra special for me because there is a graduate in my family. My daughter is graduating from high school. It’s so exciting to see my oldest child end one chapter and move on to a new one. You might be wondering what this has to do with brain injury. In my mind, events like graduations are like markers in my recovery. Every step, whether it is physical, or cognitive, takes effort and time. Like a graduation, it doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye or without a long-term commitment to the goal. On the physical side, I went from a wheelchair to a crutch and now walk only with a hiking pole. On the cognitive front, I am working to compensate for the losses to my short-term memory and other challenges that resulted from my traumatic brain injury. Instead of focusing on what I’ve lost, I focus on the hard work I need to invest to advance my recovery. I’m willing to put in the hard work, but the progress comes incrementally and not without fru...

Attending events at venues like a stadium makes me more conscious of how much more work remains to be done to make large scale events and venues accessible. I’m very fortunate to be able to walk, but it is still a challenge to navigate a stadium setting. While the venue was ADA compliant, I think the vast majority of stadiums could be more thoughtful in their approach. On Sunday, when the game concluded, one of the staff impatiently told me that I needed to exit quickly because the game was over.  T he reality is that I couldn’t exit quickly because there were places with no rails.  Even with rails I’m not as fast as the average person and never will be. What’s more, I need someone to walk with me for safety reasons. I’m not talking about stadium staff, I'm referencing someone at the event who accompanied me.       Some venues have a really good understanding of my needs and have dedicated ushers to walk you to your seat before the show and help you out aft...

This post  isn’t 100% TBI related, but it’s timely because of Mother’s Day. Like many, my TBI was life changing.  Mine was also life threatening. It was far from a given that I would survive my injuries.  All moms love their kids, of course, but Mother’s Day is especially significant for me because it was not always sure that I would be here for that holiday.  I’m so thankful that I am.  We celebrated with brunch and an MLB game. More about accessibility in my next post. Attending events at venues like a stadium makes me more conscious of how much more work remains to be done to make large scale events and venues accessible. I’m very fortunate to be able to walk, but it is still a challenge to navigate a stadium setting. While the venue was ADA compliant, I think the vast majority of stadiums could be more thoughtful in their approach. On Sunday, when the game concluded, one of the staff impatiently told me that I needed to exit quickly because the game was ove...

     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.

            B efore the month is over (time does seem to go faster the older you get), it seems worth noting that March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month. I wish it was a Hallmark holiday like Boss’s Day(isn’t every day Boss’s day?), but for me and the 2.8 million Americans that suffer a TBI each year ( ref ),  it  is not a holiday but instead a journey and a lifelong one at that. Though TBIs have similarities, each TBI is distinct and impacts the patient differently. TBIs can be the result of car accidents; sports injuries resulting in mild concussions to a permanent severe brain injury.      Beyond the impact on the patient is the impact on the family and community of the patient (work; religious; friends; etc,) Suffering a TBI is not like stitches or a broken bone. For many, including me, the “after” won’t ever be like the “ before.”  For me, it’s a matter of accepting that reality and putting1000% into reclaimi...