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Survivors SPEAK OUT! Melinda Murphy

SPEAK OUT! – Melinda Murphy

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

Melinda Murphy with TBI

1. What is your name? (last name optional)

Melinda Murphy

2. Where do you live? (city and/or state and/or country) Email (optional)

Middletown, Ohio, USA

3. When did you have your TBI? At what age?

February 9, 2011 I was 40 years old.

4. How did your TBI occur?

I fell down a flight of steps into a basement.

5. When did you (or someone) first realize you had a problem?

Immediately, although the TBI was not diagnosed for quite some time.

6. What kind of emergency treatment, if any, did you have?

None

7. Were you in a coma? If so, how long?

8. Did you do rehab? What kind of rehab (i.e., In-patient or Out-patient and Occupational, Physical, Speech, Other)?

I have had all of the above, and I am still in therapy. I have had some fantastic therapists over the years, and I just have to say that they are the key in so many ways. I don’t know where I would be without them.

How long were you in rehab?

They did in-home rehab and therapy with me for about 5 months, if memory serves me. I do not remember most of those first months, though, so I could be lying to ya :).

9. What problems or disabilities, if any, resulted from your TBI?

I have horrible balance. I live with headaches constantly. My vision and hearing have both been affected to the point that I can no longer go out in public on my own because of the amount of stuff coming in, so to speak. I miss my church and independence. I have short-term memory loss. I lost organizational skills and basic life functions, like just being able to make simple decisions. I lost a lot of other skills, like math and English. I have trouble speaking; I lose words before they hit my mouth. Many times my brain gets over-tired and just quits working at all. I can’t explain it. I can’t drive. I could go on, but…LOL.

10. How has your life changed? Is it better? Is it worse?

Both – honestly! No one being truthful would tell you there is nothing that he or she wouldn’t give back. It’s hard, and it stinks a big chunk of the time. Learning to live again and differently is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and I didn’t live the easiest life, so…. Learning how strong I am, though, and learning to receive (which is not something I was used to and I think not many of us are used to) is a tremendous thing. Learning of people and the spirit and nature of them – that is a very rich gift I have been given through this. Learning to be okay with not being okay – that is again a huge thing that has bettered my life. So, I think that – as sad as it is at times and as hard as it is (and it is) – it is also a blessing.

11. What do you miss the most from your pre-TBI life?

Almost everything – I miss being able to drive; I miss my independence; I miss hot meals because most days I cannot cook for fear I will forget to turn off the oven; I miss my job and clients; I miss my social life; I miss being able to keep my house clean (balance issues keep me from up and down and forward and back motions); I MISS MY CHURCH!

12. What do you enjoy most in your post-TBI life?

I enjoy the quiet. Everything is quiet in my world now, out of necessity. It’s very nice. Quiet is better than you think it is – I had forgotten how nice. I think most of us have. I like things that I have learned from having a TBI and the people whom I have met because of it. I like the growth that I see in me because of my TBI.

13. What do you like least about your TBI?

Almost everything

Melinda Murphy – after fall

14. Has anything helped you to accept your TBI?

Time, only time. People can tell you what they want, and they can try and say anything, but until your brain is ready, well hang it up. It’s been three and a half years, and I have just accepted it this year. When you are ready, it will happen. I will say this about acceptance. People say that once you accept it, you will be fine and everything will be easier. In the end, that is correct and true, but let me tell you, acceptance itself is hard. It is the toughest thing in the world to acknowledge that you – the person you are now – are broken and that that is okay. Getting there and getting through it takes time and patience from yourself and your caregiver.

15. Has your injury affected your home life and relationships and, if so, how?

Yes. I touched on my home life earlier – it is difficult to live with a TBI. Memory, balance, and sensory issues affect me far more than people could know, and my home very often suffers. I often feel like I am a burden on my family and on those relationships. When you are dependent, the structure of the relationship is changed.

16. Has your social life been altered or changed and, if so, how?

Yes. All of my relationships changed – I am dependent now. That is a hard place to be. It stands in the way of traditional friendships. (At least, it feels that way on this end.) When you need, people tend to view you differently. We all have those friends, don’t we? I had them before my accident and still do, but those friends were different from all my other friends and from my social circle. I can’t complain now because I used to do it. I was no more aware of doing it then than are so many who are unaware of my situation now. I can say that I am blessed beyond measure to have a handful that do not fit into that mold and are there for me. God is good all the time because without them I would be in a home.

17. Who is your main caregiver? Do you understand what it takes to be a caregiver?

I am. I live alone and do the very best I can. I had to move in with my family just after the accident because of seizures and not being able to even stand up or sit down on my own. I was 100%-dependent then, but I moved back on my own as soon as I was able.

18. What are your future plans? What do you expect/hope to be doing ten years from now?

I would love to be fully functional. By that, I mean holding a job (any job) – just feeling productive and serving – and doing things more independently. (I have a servant’s heart and desire nothing more than to be helping others in any way the good Lord leads.)

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 TBI survivors with your specific kind of TBI.
You’re okay just the way you are.

It took me forever and a day to accept that, and, frankly, I am still getting there. I know those words probably mean no more than anyone else’s, but I pray they touch someone. I always had a perfect picture of what healthy looked like in my mind, and I was working so hard to get there until one day, I realized that I was already there. I don’t need to walk up those steps upright like my neighbor. If I get up all the steps with my tail in the air and bear-crawling like a two-year-old, but I make it to the top, well by Jove, I can climb a flight of stairs – can’t I? It matters not the way you get there, only that you do. The fact that you do is what makes you as healthy and whole as that beefcake next to ya. Find a way.

20. What advice would you offer to other TBI survivors? Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?
My faith has held me so strong from day 1 of this. Without it, I’m not sure I would have survived. My God is greater than my broken brain and all the problems and mess that come with it – make no mistake.

Melinda Murphy

Advice? I am finding that there are tools everywhere for me. Some work and some don’t, but never, ever stop looking. I still find therapies and little things that can greatly improve things in my world all the time. If there is even the slightest bit of hope that something can bring a touch of independence or relief, then you need to jump with both feet. Stop thinking, all you caregivers. Just try, try, try. You never know what will work. The more you get out there into the world of TBI, the more you find. Never stop looking; never stop trying.

Thank you, Melinda, for taking part in this interview. I hope that your experience will offer some hope, comfort, and inspiration to my readers.

(Disclaimer: The views or opinions in this post are solely that of the interviewee.)

(Photos compliments of Melinda.)

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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Survivors SPEAK OUT!

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SPEAK OUT! NewsBit . . . Electromagnetic Pulses Correct Abnormal Neural Connections

Electromagnetic Pulses Correct Abnormal Neural Connections

newsboy-th Research by scientists at The University of Western Australia and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in France has shown that weak sequential electromagnetic pulses (rTMS) can help to properly locate abnormal neural connections in mice. rTMS does not affect normal neural connections, meaning there should be no side effects. The immediate concern is to have a new therapy for such neurological problems as epilepsy, depression, and tinnitus. Such a therapy should also provide a benefit to TBI survivors, who are constantly “rewiring” parts of the brain. (Full story)

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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NewsBits

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SPEAK OUT! Guest Blogger: Broken Brain – Brilliant Mind Change . . . for the Better

SPEAK OUT! Guest Blogger: Broken Brain – Brilliant Mind

Change . . . for the Better

When it comes to TBI recovery, it’s easy to feel like things are never going to change. After I fell down a flight of stairs and hit my head in 2004, my personality changed dramatically. Before my fall, I used to be very levelheaded and thorough. I was competent to an extreme. Being a Type A overachiever was a big part of my personal identity, and any time I fell short in the know-how department, I worked my butt off to make up for it. I was very funny, once upon a time, and I was fun to work with. People sought me out and asked specifically to have me assigned to high-profile, high-stakes projects at work. I could pick up new skills with little or no problem, and I was always up for a challenge.

After my fall, I basically fell apart. I lost the ability to read things and understand them. I hardly could sleep. I was always on edge, and my hot temper flared at an instant’s notice. The worst was I lost my sense of humor. I no longer thought anything was funny. Plus, I could not learn new skills . . . at all. I could never figure out for myself where to begin new tasks, and, when others told me where to begin, I could not stick with things long enough to complete them. But I could not see that something was “up” with me. It was always someone or something else’s fault.

And I thought that nothing would ever change. So did my spouse. Both of us figured the old me was gone for good.

But it hasn’t turned out that way at all.

I somehow managed to find a neuropsychologist who is a strong believer in neuroplasticity — the idea that people’s brains change and that we can get better after TBI. My “neuropsych” is convinced that the brain can rewire itself, and so am I. In fact, I have been a believer in neuroplasticity for 30 years. Back in the early 1980s, I came across a scientific report that showed the brains of rats that had been exposed to a rich learning environment versus those that had not received any stimulation. The brains of the stimulated rats were chock-full of additional connections (their wiring). The proof was in the picture, and it was undeniable. If that happened to the brains of rats, surely it happened with humans as well!

In the last 5 years, since I started my TBI rehab, I have seen so many changes for the better. I realize now that my fall in 2004 was really the most recent of a series of mild traumatic brain injuries, which started when I was a kid. I’ve had at least 9 mild TBIs since I was about 7 years old, and there could have been more that I just can’t remember. So, I’m not just recovering from a fall in 2004. I’m recovering from a lifetime of concussions — some of them worse than others, which finally culminated in my nearly catastrophic traumatic brain injury ten years ago.

To say that I’m a different person now would be an understatement. There have been many ups and downs, and some days I still wonder who the heck I am. But in the end, things are so much better now than they were just five short years ago. TBI recovery takes years and years — and even when we reach a level of decent functioning in the outside world, our inside world can still feel like utter chaos.

My life can “feel” very chaotic, when it’s actually very calm and orderly. That’s one of the weird and frustrating things about my injury — it makes many things seem far worse than they are, and I tend to react to that impression, rather than stepping back and taking a logical look at things. It’s hard to trust my brain, when it’s constantly sending me signals that something’s wrong while everything is actually pretty awesome.

But to be honest, it’s tough to believe everything is okay when you have constant issues that never seem to go away. I get overwhelmed by back and neck pain, loud ringing in my ears, sensitivities to light and noise, and feeling like I’m always playing catch-up. My memory comes and goes; I’m tired a lot and have trouble sleeping; and my energy level is unpredictable. Some days I just need to disappear into my own world — going for long walks in the woods or walks on the country roads around my home, spending time surfing the Web, working in the yard or my workshop, or just sleeping all afternoon on the weekends.

After years of trying to fix the problems, I’ve found that a better strategy is to concentrate on creating new and better experiences that eclipse the bad ones and to get my mind off my troubles. Yes, I’m in pain. Yes, I forget things. Yes, I often feel like I’m in damage-control-mode. But when I focus my attention on the good parts of my life, the troubles fade away and become part of the scenery, instead of the defining factors of my life.

My present recovery strategy is to enjoy myself as much as humanly possible. I go out of my way to slow down and really enjoy the life around me. I want to give my brain as much good to react to, as bad. I’m an expert in identifying problems that I can fix, and it gives me a lot of pleasure to fix them. At the same time, there’s more to life than constant problems. Being able to stop and enjoy an amazing day…just breathe deeply and soak it all in…really taste the food I’m eating…feel myself getting stronger when I work out in the mornings before work…and feel my body soaking up the water I drink after my workout is done. All those things are good for my spirit AND my brain. I figure the more good things I notice and dwell on, the more “wiring” for good I’m building in my brain.

Traumatic brain injury comes with a host of predicaments and issues that you’d never expect to come up in a regular life. If I’m going to have to deal with all of that, I might as well get to enjoy myself too. There’s a ton of stuff I cannot control in my life — but my attitude and my outlook are something I can control. So, I focus my energy there.

Granted, it doesn’t always work. It takes a lot of energy, and some days I just can’t manage the whole “positive” thing. So, I cut myself a break, make myself a nice steak dinner, watch a man-against-nature television show, and call it a day.

There’s always tomorrow.

Thank you, Broken Brain – Brilliant Mind.

Disclaimer:
Any views and opinions of the Guest Blogger are purely his/her own.

You can read more about Broken Brain – Brilliant Mind on his blog.

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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Guest Bloggers

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On the Air – Brain Injury Radio “Prisoner Without Bars” (segment 1)

On the Air – Brain Injury Radio

“Prisoner Without Bars” (segment 1)

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

When I was asked to host my own radio show, my first reaction was disbelief, quickly followed by “Are you kidding?” Being a radio host is something I had never aspired to. It had never crossed my mind. I didn’t have the least idea of how to go about achieving a goal such as that.

I’ve never spoken in front of an adult audience, unless, of course, you count Back-To-School-Night audiences of parents who are dying to meet their child’s new teacher and see what their child will be doing for 6 hours each weekday while under my tutelage. My audiences were always 9 years old and under. They made up my “captive” audiences as I taught them to read, ‘rite, and do ‘rithmetic. (I admit some may have felt they were a “captured” audience.)

After I got over my first feeling of doubt, I let the idea tumble in my brain. I felt flattered, and the seed began to grow. “Why not?” I have a story to tell. I know a LOT about Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I had already written a book, “Prisoner Without Bars: Conquering Traumatic Brain Injury” (searching for a publisher) about David’s and my life living with his traumatic brain injury, and I write a blog dedicated totally to raising awareness of TBI and helping survivors and caregivers. So, I said, “YES!”

Then came the hours and days of preparation. Yes, I knew my story. It’s never far from my mind, but I wanted the show to be organized and cohesive. When the day of the show arrived, so did the butterflies that were doing a jitterbug in my stomach as the minutes clicked down the clock to showtime. “Your show will start in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 second. You’re ‘On the Air.’” There was a second of dead air time before the Brain Injury Radio logo music began. Then there was no turning back…

“We lived a normal life…until we didn’t….”

I hope you’ll tune into my show the 1st and 3rd Monday evenings of every month. The show airs at 5:00p Pacific time and runs for 90 minutes.

See you “On the Air!”

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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On the Air!

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On The Air – Brain Injury Radio Discrimination of TBI Survivors

On the Air

with

Donna O’Donnell Figurski and Julie Kintz

With my first radio stint under my belt (my interview with Kim Justus on her show, “Recovery Now,”) I felt relieved. I’d made it through my first time on “live” radio. Now my new friend, Julie Kintz, another Brain Injury Radio Network host asked me to help her co-host a show. Her computer sound was not working properly and she didn’t want to not do a show.

Though I was nervous, I felt that it would allow me to familiarize myself with the studio and the studio hosting tools, and give me more practice on the air before I took the microphone myself. And . . . I wanted to help a fellow host. So, I reluctantly agreed.

There were some glitches before the show. We expected to be interviewing a guest, but because communications got twisted, the guest never arrived. Julie and I had only minutes to decide what to do as the minutes ticked down to “On the Air” time. Since we’d planned to discuss discrimination of TBI survivors with the guest, we decided to pursue that topic as our discussion for the evening. I think it turned out well. What do you think.

You can listen here.

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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On the Air!

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On the Air – Brain Injury Radio Donna’s Interview with Kim Justus

On the Air

with

Donna O’Donnell Figurski & Kim Justus

(interview to tell David’s TBI story)

images-1 I was surprised when I got a Private Message from one of the Brain Injury Radio Network hosts one evening while I was browsing through the many Traumatic Brain Injury sites that I belong to on Facebook. The host, Julie Kintz (“Quantum Leap”), asked if I’d be interested in becoming a BIR host too and referred me to Kim Justus, who is in charge of recruiting new hosts.

Of course, I was interested, but I wondered if I could even do something like this. I told David (my husband), and, surprisingly, he encouraged me. (He usually worries that I’ll take on too much.) I was glad for his encouragement, but I wasn’t convinced yet and threw the idea around with several close friends. They also gave me their “thumbs up.” I agreed to do it!

Then Kim invited me to be a guest on her show (“Recovery Now”) as a Traumatic Brain Injury caregiver. She wanted me to tell an abridged version of David’s and my story of our travels in the TBI maze.

I am featured in the first two hours of Kim’s three-hour show. You can listen by clicking the link below. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

My show, “Another Fork in the Road,” will debut on Monday, August 4, 2014, at 5:00 pm Pacific time. It will air the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month. On that show, I will tell a more complete version of our tale based on my book, “Prisoner Without Bars: Conquering Traumatic Brain Injury,” which is searching for a publisher. I hope to see you there.

Subsequent shows will feature interviews with TBI survivors and caregivers and offer brain injury resources and interviews with professionals in the field of TBI. There will also be discussions on current topics of interest.

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

Click here for a list of all “Another Fork in the Road” shows on the Brain Injury Radio Network.

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On the Air!

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Survivors SPEAK OUT! . . . Daisy Lou

SPEAK OUT! – Daisy Lou

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

Daisy Lou

1. What is your name? (last name optional)

Daisy Lou

2. Where do you live? (city and/or state and/or country) Email (optional)

Boyertown, Pennsylvania, USA

3. When did you have your TBI? At what age?

The first one was on July 6, 2012. I was 30 years old. The second one was in February 2014. I was 32 years old.

4. How did your TBI occur?

Someone ran a stop sign and T-boned my car for the first one. I don’t remember the accident, but my car was totaled. For the second one, I fell in the street on six inches of ice.

5. When did you (or someone) first realize you had a problem?

In August 2012, I started having back problems. I realized in November that I was having other problems, like nausea, dizziness, balance being off, sleeping all the time, noise sensitivity, and headaches, among a multitude of other problems. But I waited until December (5 months after my accident) to talk to the doctor. For the second one, I realized I had a problem a few days after I fell, when my nose started dripping and I started sleeping a lot. I wasn’t sick at the time.

6. What kind of emergency treatment, if any, did you have?

None

7. Were you in a coma? If so, how long?

8. Did you do rehab? What kind of rehab (i.e., In-patient or Out-patient and Occupational, Physical, Speech, Other)? How long were you in rehab?

For the first TBI, I did physical therapy for a month and a half as an Out-patient. I did biofeedback with a neuropsychologist for four months. For the second one, I took a week off of work. That’s all.

9. What problems or disabilities, if any, resulted from your TBI (e.g., balance, perception, personality, etc.)?

I sometimes have balance problems. If I try to get up too quickly, I get dizzy. I have lots of memory problems, anxiety, impulsiveness, and trouble concentrating. I tend to tell people things three or four times because I forget whether or not I’ve told them whatever that thing happens to be. I get frustrated very easily. I have trouble talking and finding words. I don’t handle stress very well, and sometimes I can’t handle it at all. I get tired very easily, and sometimes I have to take a nap in the middle of the day.

10. How has your life changed? Is it better? Is it worse?

It’s better in the fact that I don’t remember things. So, if something happens that is upsetting, I soon forget it. But that’s also worse because I forget things I want to remember. I’ve learned to become more patient with myself and with other people.

11. What do you miss the most from your pre-TBI life?

I miss being able to explain something to someone and have them understand what I’m saying. Now I can’t seem to find the right words.

12. What do you enjoy most in your post-TBI life?

When my brain is functioning on a capable level, I enjoy explaining to people what a TBI is like and how it affects you. To some people who seem interested, I give the address of an interesting blog to look at, so they can understand TBI even better.

13. What do you like least about your TBI?

I dislike forgetting things and feeling stupid all the time. I feel like a part of my brain has gone missing, and no matter how much I search for it, it continues to hide from me.

14. Has anything helped you to accept your TBI?

Time and talking about it with friends

15. Has your injury affected your home life and relationships and, if so, how?

Not really. It’s more that I forget where I put things more often, so I’m continually asking someone if they’ve seen the items I’m looking for. But my relationships haven’t really changed, and my home life hasn’t changed.

16. Has your social life been altered or changed and, if so, how?

I always was a loner, but I’m more of a hermit than before. I tend to stay in more often or go places by myself, instead of asking someone to go with me. Even if the person is on the way to wherever it is I’m going, I don’t call them because it seems like too much work to have to drive to their house and then talk to them until I drop them back off at their house.

17. Who is your main caregiver? Do you understand what it takes to be a caregiver?

Myself – I don’t have a caregiver. Although, I live with my mom, and she’s the one I’m always asking where things are.

18. What are your future plans? What do you expect/hope to be doing ten years from now?

Right now, I’m just concentrating on making it through the day. I have no future plans, except to take things one day at a time.

Write everything down! If you have memory problems, it makes your life so much easier when you can look at a piece of paper and say, “Oh yeah, that’s what I wanted to do!”

20. What advice would you offer to other TBI survivors? Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?

Rome wasn’t built in a day…. It’s frustrating to suddenly have some part of your body go berserk on you, but don’t beat yourself up. A very important part of your anatomy was bruised and battered, and it takes time for it to heal. Everyone recovers at a different rate, so don’t expect the same results as someone else with a TBI.

Daisy Lou

Thank you, Daisy Lou, for taking part in this interview. I hope that your experience will offer some hope, comfort, and inspiration to my readers.

(Disclaimer: The views or opinions in this post are solely that of the interviewee.)

(Photos compliments of Daisy Lou.)

If you would like to be a part of this project, please go to TBI Survivor Interview Questionnaire for a copy of the questions and the release form.

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Survivors SPEAK OUT!

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SPEAK OUT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #2 Itty-Bitty GIANT Steps

SPEAK OUT! #2 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.

Cheri Richardson Hicks . . . I managed to make a six-hour drive to go to my 20-year reunion for high school. It felt so good to reconnect with old friends. I walked a lot, but I kept up. It was a lot of fun. By the way, Donna, I really love taking part in your website. It’s fun to do.

Andi Ramsay . . . Not Itty-Bitty, but this week I rode over 100 miles for my local Headway (a brain injury charity).

David Figurski . . . I traveled cross-country and back. I flew from Phoenix, Arizona, to Boston, Massachusetts, to enjoy several days with the parents of my son’s new wife in her parents’ rented vacation cottage. My son, his wife, and her two sisters and their families were also there. Both Donna and I had a delightful time.

Congratulations to all contributors!

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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Itty-Bitty GIANT Step

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Brain Injury Resources . . . Unleashed Talents

Can TBI Unleash a Talent That We Didn’t Know We Have?

TBI survivors are usually defined by others in negative terms. Survivors are often seen as people who are no longer able to do something they once did easily or as people who are physically disabled. It has become strikingly evident from the interviews on this blog (Survivors SPEAK OUT!) that TBI survivors, once they have accepted the new normal of their lives, often show immense courage and determination. They have aspirations and exhibit motivation that is intensified or that wasn’t even known to exist. Here are two videos that show a positive outcome from TBI.

The first video is long (1 hr, 5 min), but it is mesmerizing. In it, neurologist Dr. Darold Treffert discusses (with videos) the “savant syndrome.” It is thought that some abnormality in the brain unleashes a skill that normal people find to be phenomenal. At 29 min 20 sec into the video, Dr. Treffert discusses “The Acquired Savant” – a person who has become a savant after a brain injury. Although becoming a savant after a brain injury can happen, it’s rare. But, any model of the brain has to be able to explain the savant syndrome. Dr. Treffert suggests that the brain comes “fully loaded with software” and that the normal functional brain eventually suppresses much of its intrinsic “software” to reduce stimulation. This means that we all may have suppressed talents.

The second video is much shorter (15 min) and is relevant to all TBI survivors. Ann Zuccardy redefines what it means to be smart. A person may define himself or herself by a certain talent or ability. Does one’s life then become unfulfilling when that skill is lost as the result of a brain injury? Ann Zuccardy, who was affected by a brain injury, tells us that the loss of a dominant skill allows a person to nurture and/or develop other skills that may have been ignored. These other skills can be as useful as or even more impressive than the dominant one was.

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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Brain Injury Resources

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SPEAK OUT! Guest Blogger . . . . . . George Visger (former NFL SF 49er)

SPEAK OUT! Guest Blogger George Visger (former NFL SF 49er)

Short, Choppy Steps

Anyone who has ever spent time on the gridiron will know what those words mean. But their meaning holds truth far beyond the playing field and can be applied to everything we do in life.

In football, the object of the game is to win. But to win, you must score. To score, you need to punch the ball across the goal line.

But what if the goal line is 99 yards away?

Short, choppy steps will get you there – not long strides and an occasional 50-yard run.

In football, everything starts with a good stance. You need balance. Just like in life. You need to get yourself into position to succeed before you can succeed. A bad stance, and you’re beat before the ball’s snapped. When playing defense, if you have too much weight on your right foot, you’ll never be able step with that foot, and the offensive linemen will easily be able to cut you off if the play is going that way. If you have too much weight forward, like you have during a passing situation, you can never react quickly enough if they call a run to the inside.

A good stance is a balanced stance. Try it.

No, I mean try it. Everyone who can, stand up.

Stand up tall – feet, shoulder-width apart, and toes, even. Move your dominant foot back about 10-12 inches so your right toes (if right-handed) are even with the instep of your left foot. Now push your chest out and your butt back. Slowly squat down until your elbows touch your knees. Once your elbows make contact, lean forward a bit and place your hand on the ground with your thumb directly under your nose.

That’s a balanced stance. You can easily move in any direction from that position.

#74 NFL San Francisco 49er, George Visger @ 1981

On offense, if you don’t score, you can’t win. To score, you have to move the ball. If the offensive lineman fires out with a long stride – like you would do when sprinting, it’s very easy for the defensive player to knock him on his butt. Holding your head up and looking 90 yards down the field at the goal line is a great way to get your cranium removed. Considering the cranium is a fairly important organ, it’s best you hang on to it. You need to keep your butt down, your face up, and your neck bowed and to take short, choppy steps.

Try it.

A long stride with your head up is a narrow stride. Any pressure from the side will knock you on your butt. To maintain the most strength, you want short, choppy steps. Fire out, and keep your butt down and your face up. Stick your face into the numbers, and, with your butt under you, drive with short (12-16 inch) strides. That’s where you get your power. Not a long, narrow, unbalanced stride with your neck craned up and your head looking downfield. Focus on the short, choppy steps.

If a football team got only 4 yards every play on offense – no more, no less, they would never lose.

Think about it.

Only 4 yards a play, and you would NEVER LOSE!

George Visger #74
4th row from bottom, 2nd from right
@ 1981

That’s a first down every 3 plays. You would score every time you had the ball. NO ONE could stop you.

Every one has a cross to bear. Some crosses are much heavier than others. I have met people on my journey, who have silently carried crosses I could never even lift. Yet they pack them – everyone.

And never complain.

If we looked downfield every day – gazing at where we want to be in life and thinking about what we have to deal with to get there, we’d never score. You need to keep that goal line in the back of your mind every day of your life – every play, but to get there, you need to focus on each step. One day at a time. One step at a time.

A single short, choppy step each day wins games.

Set a short-term goal each day, and focus on that.

In 1986, at the age of 28, I returned to school to complete my Biology degree, after an Orange Bowl, a Super Bowl, three emergency VP (ventriculoperitoneal) shunt brain surgeries, and several gran mal seizures. I needed four semesters of Chemistry (Chem 1A, Chem 1B, Organic Chem, and Bio Chem), two semesters of Physics, two semesters of Pre-Calculus, and other fun classes to complete my degree in Biological Conservation and to attain my second dream in life – to be a wildlife biologist. (My first dream was to be the greatest NFL player of all time.) At the time, I was working construction during the day, earning a Class B General Contractors license in the evenings, and bouncing at bars at night to survive. (No, all NFL players are not millionaires. I was a 6^th-round pick in 1980 and signed for $35,000.)

After I returned to school in 1986, I survived five additional emergency brain surgeries during a 9-month period in ‘86-’87, while taking Organic Chem, Physics, and other classes. I was in Organic Chem three times when my shunt blew out. I had emergency brain surgery, and I dropped out of school. After the first, I came back and took the class again. Another shunt blow out and another brain surgery, and I dropped out of school again. Happened a third time. This time, I was determined not to drop out. Brain surgery on Saturday, and I left the hospital on Sunday, 23 hours later. I was sitting in Organic on Monday when I had a >50-minute gran mal seizure. I was hospitalized for a week. It seemed I had developed an infection in my shunt on that one. They sent me home with a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) in my arm, with a pump taped to my bicep, and with a tube that ran directly into my heart to deliver antibiotics. I packed that around for 10 days and had to drop out of school again.

I came back the next semester, but by then I had developed dyslexia and major short-term memory issues from my surgeries and gran mal seizure meds. (I’ve been on Dilantin, Depacote, Phenobarbital, Kepra, Zonegran, and now Lamictil.) After discovering through my own investigations that each one causes short-term memory problems, I had my doctors change the meds because I didn’t like the side effects. I had to write on my notebook where I parked my truck each day, or I would spend an hour or two walking up and down each row of cars in each parking lot on each side of Sacramento State University looking for my truck.

I came back the next semester so frustrated I met with my counselor, Mr. Sterling Ebel, a man who had as much influence on my life as anyone other than my father. Mr. Ebel was a man who quietly gave me information on how best to achieve my goals and connected with me as a person and a man. He was a man who wore the same tiny tie clasp every day I knew him. It had two words:

“TRY GOD.”

“Sterling, I can’t keep doing this crap. I can’t even remember where I parked my truck, much less Organic Chemistry. I just want a degree. I don’t care what it’s in. Just find me a degree. I need to get on with my life,” I ranted one day, as I barged into his office without an appointment, ready to quit.

“You’re 12 units from a Social Science degree,” he calmly replied after studying my transcript and telling his receptionist to hold his next appointment.

“OK, I’m a Social Science major,” I said.

That semester I took 6 units towards my Social Science degree, and passed both classes. The next semester, just 6 units shy of a BA in Social Science, I decided I’d give Organic Chem one more shot. I’d never quit on anything in my life, and words of my father, Big Jack Visger, the greatest man I’ve ever known, rang in my ears:

“Shoot your best shot.”

If I didn’t make it through Organic on this one, God didn’t mean for me to be a biologist. I was shooting the last round in my chamber.

On the fourth try, I powered through Organic – a “Short, Choppy Step.”

Physics 1B – Short, Choppy Step

Pre-Calculus – Short, Choppy Step

Bio Chem – Short, Choppy Step

In 1990, at the ripe old age of 32, with 172 units completed, gran mal seizures, and eight VP shunt brain surgeries under my belt, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Conservation. Graduating made playing in the NFL look like child’s play.

Another Short, Choppy Step.

And I continue to take short, choppy steps each day.

Thank you, George.

Disclaimer:
Any views and opinions of the Guest Blogger are purely his/her own.

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