Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury

SPEAK OUT! Itty-Bitty GIANT Steps

SPEAK OUT! Itty-Bitty Giant Steps will provide a venue for brain-injury survivors and caregivers to shout out their accomplishments of the week.

If you have an Itty-Bitty Giant Step and you would like to share it, just send an email to me at donnaodonnellfigurski@gmail.com. If you are on Facebook, you can simply send a Private Message to me. It need only be a sentence or two. I’ll gather the accomplishments and post them with your name on my blog approximately once a week. (If you do not want your last name to be posted, please tell me in your email or Private Message.)

I hope we have millions of Itty-Bitty Giant Steps.

Here are this week’s Itty-Bitty Giant Steps.

Melinda Murphy…I made it to church last week for the first time in two years, and I managed to stay through the whole service. I still had a decent day. Oh my!

Catherine (Cat) Brubaker…I stood up for myself by establishing boundaries. I made sure someone talked to me with respect. This is a big step for me because my self-esteem has been in the toilet for a long time – after being humiliated in my assault in 2010, which gave me my first TBI.

Jenny Marie…I can drive now if I use a GPS so I don’t get lost.

Judy Feeley…I was proud of myself today. My head hurt, and I am not good with crowds. Despite these issues, I went to a funeral and stayed through it.

Ellie K. Payton (caregiver)…This week Claus Nowell hit his 6-month mark and stood using the parallel bars. He also began weaning off the trach.

Michael Anthony Boccio…Hey People!! Michael and Rachel down here in HOT Florida, and we are trying to keep things cool. Rachy is nearly done with her studies at Liberty University, and me – well, even through the pains, I keep pushing on to that finish line. (Rachel is 12 years out from her TBI, and me – well, I’m 35 years post-TBI, and life keeps getting more interesting every day!!)

Cheri Richardson Hicks…Okay, my Itty-Bitty Giant Step is that with two very small children in tow, I made a three-hour trip to visit my in-laws. It was much easier than I’d expected. We had a really relaxing and enjoyable trip. It was due time because it has been over a year since we’ve gone to visit them. Well worth the drive!

Tracy McDonald (caregiver)…I am happy to say that my son has asked his neurologist to wean him off The DURAGESIC® (fentanyl transdermal system) CII patch. He has been on it for over two years for pain – not only from his TBI, but also for the pains he suffers from injuries. He has gone without the patch for five days now, and he is toughing it out with the horrific withdrawal associated with the pain patch. This is a challenge for anyone with pain of this magnitude. The plan is custom – scheduled doses with a different medication that has little or no withdrawal or addiction problems. I wanted to share something positive today, as many times I get on here to tell of my woes or of the struggles of my son. I am glad to celebrate a positive thing. We really celebrate each and every move forward for our TBI survivor. It is a great thing for all of us. All positive developments are precious for TBI survivors – no matter how small or minor they may seem to “outsiders.”

YOU did it!

Congratulations to all contributors!

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)