Survivors SPEAK OUT! Ryan Stoltz
presented
by
Donna O’Donnell Figurski
Ryan Stoltz – Brain Injury Survivor
1. What is your name? (last name optional)
Ryan Stoltz
2. Where do you live? (city and/or state and/or country) Email (optional)
Eureka, California, USA Ryan.Stoltz2014@gmail.com
3. On what date did you have your brain injury? At what age?
My traumatic brain injury (TBI) happened on July 13, 1997. I was 17 years old.
4. How did your brain injury occur?
My TBI was caused by a car accident.
5. When did you (or someone) first realize you had a problem?
About six months
6. What kind of emergency treatment, if any, did you have?
I was intubated at the scene. I was then given a trach (tracheostomy tube), a G-Tube (gastrostomy tube), and IVs.
7. Were you in a coma? If so, how long?
I was in a coma for 23 days.
8. Did you do rehab? What kind of rehab (i.e., inpatient or outpatient and occupational and/or physical and/or speech and/or other)? How long were you in rehab?
I had occupational, speech, and physical therapies. The physical therapy was to relearn how to walk. I was in acute physical rehab for nine months.
9. What problems or disabilities, if any, resulted from your brain injury (e.g., balance, perception, personality, etc.)?
I have problems with balance, memory, speech, and perception.
10. How has your life changed? Is it better? Is it worse?
My life is dramatically much worse. I have no independence.
11. What do you miss the most from your pre-brain-injury life?
I miss being able to go out and about on my own – without assistance from anyone. I also miss having my own family.
12. What do you enjoy most in your post-brain-injury life?
I don’t enjoy anything because every day is a struggle.
13. What do you like least about your brain injury?
I dislike not being able to accomplish the dreams and goals I had for myself.
14. Has anything helped you to accept your brain injury?
I was helped by my support system at home (my family) and by my support systems at my job and my day program.
15. Has your injury affected your home life and relationships and, if so, how?
My relationships at home were not affected because my parents have been a great support for me.
16. Has your social life been altered or changed and, if so, how?
Ryan Stoltz – Brain Injury Survivor
My social life was affected greatly because I can’t go anyplace or do anything on my own. All my friends have grown and were able to move on with their lives. I feel like I was left behind.
17. Who is your main caregiver? Do you understand what it takes to be a caregiver?
My parents have been my main caregivers. Yes, I do understand what it takes. They help me with all my needs and wants in my home life. I also have a respite worker who takes me out into the community to do the fun things I like to do.
18. What are your plans? What do you expect/hope to be doing ten years from now?
I want to be a mentor to others by telling them my life-story from before my accident to my accident and then telling them how the accident has affected my life.
19. Are you able to provide a helpful hint that may have taken you a long time to learn, but which you wished you had known earlier? If so, please state what it is to potentially help other survivors with your specific kind of brain injury.
I would like survivors to be more willing to hear both sides of the story.
20. What advice would you offer to other brain-injury survivors? Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?
Don’t get angry at your situation. Take life day by day.
If you’d like to learn more about Ryan, please check out his blog.
Didn’t Give Up: Your Life Can Change in a Minute
(Disclaimer: The views or opinions in this post are solely that of the interviewee.)
If you would like to be a part of the SPEAK OUT! project, please go to TBI Survivor Interview Questionnaire for a copy of the questions and the release form.
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It wasn’t until CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) came to the forefront when neuropathologist, Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered the disease in the autopsied brain of 50-year-old Mike Webster, a once-upon-a-time revered Pittsburgh Steeler whose life unexpectedly declined soon after retirement. This left Webster homeless and exhibiting abnormal behaviors. Soon after, the brains of many other deceased NFL players were examined and various degrees of (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) were also found. Dr. Omalu’s discovery began to open eyes of many other scientists and Boston University began a study. 89 of the 93 donated NFL player brains, were found to have CTE, which explained to the families the many bizarre behaviors their loved ones were exhibiting before they died.
Jim wrote his book, “
I am a three-time traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor (2007, 2010, and 2011). After my first one, I lost everything, including my husband, but I always had my mom. Now nine years post my first TBI, I am remarried to a wonderful man. He loves me, knows and understands my limitations, and treats me like a queen. I have gone back to college, and I am a nationwide certified pharmacy tech. I have real friends and a great life.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. It’s said that brain injuries constitute an invisible and silent epidemic. Invisible? Yes, because most times we, “the walking wounded,” seem fine and because there isn’t a high-profile celebrity who is a spokesperson for brain injuries. Silent? Yes, again, because most of us prefer to blend in and don’t have a public forum to speak from.
This category is an extension of my radio show, “Another Fork in the Road,” which airs at 5:30 pm (Pacific Time) on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month on the 
The list goes on and on. Usually these resolutions are good intentions for the year that last maybe a week or two – perhaps even a month – but for whatever reason or reasons – time, lack of interest or motivation – many of these good intentions fall by the wayside.
starts to wane. Lack of time, or more like “inability to properly manage time,” is a big factor for me. I seem to be always too busy with tons of projects, most of them involving writing. I work daily on my blog. I spend hours preparing my radio show. I’m writing articles for publication, and, of course, I have to write a lot of query letters to agents and publishers as I try to sell my book, “Prisoners Without Bars: A Caregiver’s Story.” It seems that the only things that ever get any exercise are my brain … and my fingers as they fly over the keyboard. Uh, did I say “fly”? I meant more like “stumble.” Most of my projects have deadlines – if not actual ones, then at least self-imposed ones. So, due to my over-commitments, this year I chose not to make any resolutions that I know I will not keep. Not keeping my resolutions only makes me feel like a failure, and that is not productive. I bet a lot of people fall into this category.
I can pretty much guarantee that you will not be successful and that lack of success is certainly going to instill feelings of failure. I think a big part of being successful in keeping a resolution is to give the goal some thought first.
bedtime preparations. If you want to always remember where your keys are, put a hook on the wall and ALWAYS hang your keys there. You will never have to search your home again for keys. Following a routine makes life easier. That goes for anything. Also, use available tools (calendar, Post-It notes, smart phone, etc.) to help you keep organized.
Simply write the date at the top of the page, and write what you accomplished that day (e.g., Sit-ups – 5 minutes; Meditated – 10 minutes). You could also simply use a calendar dedicated just to your resolution and write your activity under each day that you do it. If you are computer savvy, you could keep a spreadsheet. Place the days in the left column; list the activities across the top. Then just put a checkmark in the box corresponding to day and activity. That would be the way I would do it.
his arms. He was fit and healthy. He exercised not only for his health, but also to leave the stress of his laboratory behind. David’s disabilities are all physical, including severely compromised balance, which makes him unable to run. He regrets this, but he has turned his attention to the treadmill – with its handrails – for exercise. He has also recently acquired a recumbent trike, which allows him to pedal away on his own with no danger of falling. None of this was possible when David first arrived home from the hospital. He was confined to wheelchair and bed. He could not even stand unassisted. It was a slow process – one that he has worked on over the past eleven years, but with small steps and small increments of exercise, he is gaining his strength and his independence.
Grief is often an after effect of brain injury. It is experienced not only by the survivor, who may have lost his or her “old” self and is trying to adjust to his or her new world, but also by those who have frequent contact with the survivor. As we know, brain injury affects ALL members of the family, who are often the caregivers.
The reason for a hard helmet in American football is to prevent deaths from skull fractures. The attempts to make bigger and thicker helmets have been based on trying to absorb linear impact force, but that’s based on the faulty notion that linear impact force is related to brain injury (Condi, 2015).
I think the Kevlar insert sounds like a very good idea. Put that layer next to the head, below the artificial scalp I suggested. This in turn is to be below a light weight, springy framework, which I imagined would absorb linear impact by rapidly changing shape and then dissipating the energy by vibrating. The artificial scalp layer, in addition to sliding to absorb rotational impact, would also insulate the player from damage due to the vibration energy.
hockey and soccer are statistically more likely to cause brain injuries than football, but even basketball, track, wrestling, swimming, skating, ice skating, and even bicycling present similar dangers. [Actually, football is second only to cycling, followed by baseball and basketball for associated brain injuries (Sports-related Head Injury, 2014, August)]. In my mind, the greater danger to the collective health of the nation would be the elimination of these various sports (Devine, & Zafonte, 2009). Humans need to be active, and there is no way to eliminate the potential danger of living a healthy life.
SPEAK OUT! Itty-Bitty Giant Steps will provide a venue for brain-injury survivors and caregivers to shout out their accomplishments of the week.
his shaving kit and cell phone, and he gave me the biggest smile. He said, “My mind is getting better. Do you know why? I wanted to get my cell phone, but when I went into the bedroom, I couldn’t remember what I went in for. Then I started doing my shaving stuff, and when I saw your cell phone on the night stand, I remembered what I went into the room for – my cell phone.” He was so excited. The little stuff counts so much!
drove 80% of the way, and my 16-year-old was a Peruvian exchange student.) Halfway there I realized I forgot my pill for sleeping and my “happy” pill. I was concerned 
because we were spending the night in a hotel, and then the next day would be spent shopping and driving home. Not only was I able to do it all with no anxiety, no bursts of anger, and no frantic rushing, but I also came home and attended my husband’s fire department banquet. (Note: I planned to sleep all the next day if I needed to.) Yay me!
s :), and I have to share the joy. 
I got approval to go to a university – covered (thanks in part to my test scores ;). I get to fulfill my dream of working with TBI survivors. I’ve had this dream since my accident in August 2014. I am beyond happy right now!
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