Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury

SPEAK OUT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Itty-Bitty GIANT Steps

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.

Karie Jacobson Collins (caregiver)…Today’s victory was that my husband initiated saying “I love you” to me. He has responded in kind when I have said it to him. But, this is the first time since the morning he had his accident that he initiated it. My cup runneth o’er.

Jonathan Curtis (survivor)…I just bought myself art paper and colored pencils for the first time. It’s an Itty-Bitty Giant Step that could lead to great things.

Michael Montepara (survivor)…My Itty-Bitty Giant Step for this week: I kept all appointments, did chores like Hazel the housekeeper, twice shopped for snowstorms, got a much-needed haircut, refilled meds that I was nearly out of, filled my truck with gas, reached out to an old friend, wrote a letter to my Ex and sent it, contacted a lawyer for advice, sent faxes for a hearing, and managed to piss off several Facebookies! It’s been a busy week so far, and it’s only hump day!

Pam McClurg Richardson (survivor)…Sometimes I OVERTHINK things. I am MY OWN worst enemy! I need to learn not to be so hard on myself. After all, each of us is human with human flaws (with or without a brain injury). 🙂 I came to a point where I realized that I was a different person now than I was before my TBI. It’s OK for me to be a “different” me now and to grieve the loss of the “old” me. Besides, in some ways, I am a BETTER me. 🙂

JR Vigil (survivor)…I moved back to the U.S after Christmas. I was in Orlando in January for a month while I was being fitted for a new prosthetic socket. At the urging of my dad, I searched for a job. (I was actually offered a job, but I turned it down.) When the other job prospects weren’t looking so great, I thought, “Who do I know that I can stay with?” I’ve been in Seattle a little over two weeks, and today I had an interview at a temp agency that offers benefits. This temp agency is paid by companies looking for temp-to-hire workers, so it did not cost me a thing. A few hours after the interview, I bought a car for the first time in my life. I still can’t believe it! I will be applying to business schools in the following months. Driving around in the U.S. is definitely interesting with a brain injury. It’s a good thing we have map apps now because I have gotten lost so many times. There was one time where I had to make five U-Turns – no joke! On the other hand, after about two weeks, I didn’t need the apps for the places I frequented, so there is hope.

YOU did it!

Congratulations to all contributors!

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)