David Figurski | Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury

TBI – Survivors, Caregivers, Family, and Friends

Posts tagged ‘David Figurski’

Speaking Engagement . . . . . . . “Prisoner Without Bars . . . . . . . . . . . A Caregiver’s Story”

YOU ARE INVITED!

When Donna’s spouse, David, did one chin-up too many, he had a brain injury (BI), and Donna became a caregiver. David had three brain surgeries within two weeks. Donna signed on the dotted line for each of them – probably the hardest thing she has ever done in her life. Donna will share her story, “Prisoner Without Bars: A Caregiver’s Story” about David’s unexpected recovery and how she and David are making this “new normal” work for them. She will also share tips and offer suggestions from what she learned along the way.

It’s been a long, bumpy road for both David and Donna, but they travel that road together.

Come One! Come ALL!

Post-Brain Injury 2010

What: Donna will share her experiences with caregiving and will offer tips based on what worked for her. Donna will also share snippets of her book, “Prisoners Without Bars: A Caregiver’s Memoir,” which is searching for a publisher.

Why: Hopefully, Donna’s experiences with caregiving will help others who might find themselves in this position

When: Monday, April 6, 2015

Time: 1:00 to 2:30pm

Where: Desert Palms Presbyterian Church
13459 W. Stardust Boulevard
Sun City West, Arizona 85375-2548

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

(Photos compliments of Donna)

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Events Calendar

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On the Air: Brain Injury Radio Another Fork in the Road . . . . . . Allan Bateman – Preventive & Rehabilitative Therapist

On the Air: Brain Injury Radio Interview –

Another Fork in the Road

with

Allan Bateman – Preventive and Rehabilitative Therapist

Therapy should be gentle. That is what Preventive and Rehabilitative Therapist, Allan Bateman, touts. He does not buy into the “No pain! No gain!” train of thought. He also believes that therapy is not one-size-fits-all. When he meets with a client, he searches for methods that will best help his client, and those methods

Allan Bateman – Preventive & Rehabilitative Therapist

are ever-changing as the needs of the client change. Allan incorporates a lot of Eastern philosophy into his therapy like Qigong and martial arts. He uses their gentle movements to retrain the muscles to accomplish his goals.

Allan Bateman, PRT, was my husband, David’s, therapist for nearly seven years.

Allan Bateman & TBI Survivor, David Figurski

Thank you, Allan, for sharing your knowledge and expertise with me and my listeners on “Another Fork in the Road” on the Brain Injury Radio Network.

Click the link below to listen to New York City-based Allan Bateman discuss how he approaches therapy with his clients.

See you “On the Air!”

Allan Bateman – Preventive Rehabilitative Therapist

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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On the Air – Brain Injury Radio Interview with Dr. David Figurski Prisoner without Bars: Conquering Traumatic Brain Injury

On the Air – Brain Injury Radio

Interview with Dr. David Figurski

Prisoner without Bars: Conquering Traumatic Brain Injury

You’ve heard David’s story from my point of view. Yesterday David shared his perspective of living with traumatic brain injury. He spoke about how his life has greatly changed for better…and for worse.

David Figurski 3wks before Traumatic Brain Injury

We learned about David’s life as a child and his educational career, which he began as a Kindergarten dropout. He told of the years that led up to our marriage and also about his life as a Professor of Microbiology at Columbia University, both before and after his TBI. We found out how he is coping with this new life thrust upon him…and upon us. The show ends with me brushing tears from my cheeks as David talks about the heroic acts of caregivers and my role in his recovery.

12 D&D I Donna O'Donnell Figurski & David Figurski Dancing 13 copy

David & Donna Figurski Starlight Dance Studio 8yrs after Traumatic Brain Injury

If you missed the show, don’t fret. You can always listen to the archived show. I’ve included the link below.

Please SHARE!

I hope you’ll tune in to my show, “Another Fork in the Road,” which airs the 1st and 3rd Sunday evenings of every month. The show starts at 5:00p Pacific Time and runs for 90 minutes. On the fifth Sunday in a month, Julie Kintz, Host of “Quantum Leap,” and I team up to cohost a show called “Another Quantum Leap in the Road.”

See you “On the Air!”

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On the Air!

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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.

David Figurski…I assembled Donna’s new office chair. It came as 12 pieces with 13 screws. The Allen screws made it possible to use my non-ataxic left hand. Because the instructions were written with two good hands in mind, I sometimes had to devise my own way of assembling the parts. It took me twice as long, but I felt good about doing it.

Jodi Mannon…I was hit and thrown down stairs in January by my ex-roommate. I don’t remember a lot in the past 8 1/2 months. Yesterday I became friends with a lot of people who also have a TBI. I spoke with one on Facebook Messenger for a couple of hours. We chatted for a moment today, and he is going to call me tonight. I was shocked! He made me truly happy for once because we were able to talk the way we did and share our lives. I haven’t done that with anyone because I’ve never even thought about it before. I just had a lot of issues in dealing with getting better. It’s the greatest feeling to have people who have been through the same thing understand me!! Not that my parents and friends haven’t been nice, but they just don’t understand the things I go through. My new friends do. I feel so blessed to have them in my life, and I look forward to keeping these new friendships for the rest of my life!!!

Carmen Gaarder Kumm…I passed the test that allows me to keep my job!!! I needed a 70, and I got 73.7 – not much, but I PASSED! Better yet, I found my car after going out a different door than the one I went in. (Also, I was parked on the street in a college city that I’ve only been to once before.) I walked around for a half an hour looking for it – but I was still within 2 hours! LOL!

YOU did it!

Congratulations to all contributors!

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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Itty-Bitty GIANT Step

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“Another Fork in the Road” . . . Brain Injury Radio Network: “Prisoner Without Bars” (part 2)

Come one! Come ALL!

(NOTE: New Day, Sunday – Same Time)

What: “Another Fork in the Road” on Brain Injury Radio Network: “Prisoner Without Bars” (part 2)

(This show was originally scheduled for August 18th, but was aborted due to technical difficulties in the studio.)

Why: Donna continues her story of David’s Traumatic Brain Injury and their life together after TBI.

Where: Brain Injury Radio Network

When: Sunday, September 7th, 2014

Time: 5:00p PDT (6:00p MDT, 7:00p CDT, and 8:00p EDT) 90 minute show

How: Click: Brain Injury Radio Network.

Call In: 424-243-9540

Call In: 855-473-3711 toll free in USA

Call In: 202-559-7907 free outside US

or SKYPE

If you miss the show, but would like to still hear the interview, you can access the archive on On Demand listening (Archived show) will be available after the show both on the Brain Injury radio Network site and on my blog in “On the Air.”

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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Events Calendar

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On the Air – Brain Injury Radio Oops, Glitch Apology

On the Air – Brain Injury Radio

“Prisoner Without Bars” (segment 2) (Oops – aborted show)

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

I’m sorry! Извините! Lo siento! Desculpe! סליחה! Mille Excuses! λυπάμαι! Scusami! Entschuldigung! ごめんなさい! jag är ledsen!

Like I said, “I’m sorry!

Yesterday I was excited to air my second show on “Another Fork in the Road.” I did all my “HOMEFUN” (as I always called it with my 1st and 3rd grade students). My notes were ready at my side. I logged into the studio, opened the chat room, checked my mic, and waited for the countdown. “Your show will start in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 second. You are on the Air.” I waited still for the prerecorded introduction music and ad to run down. I waited for the dead space, which indicates that I am indeed live. That is my time to start talking – and I did for a brief second or two – until I realized that a male voice was still talking. I soon realized that a prerecorded show was playing. How that happened – I do not know. (But as my son said to me after the show, “Well, looks like you ran into another fork in the road!”) There seem to be a lot of them, but they just add interest to your life, and you move on.

Anyway, I left the studio to troubleshoot the problem behind the scenes in the tech part of the show, but there was nothing to be done. The prerecorded show was irreversible. And so I apologize to all those who came to find a “dark” studio.

As my son also said, “I bet your next show will be extra good.” And it will. But PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DAY AND THE NEW DATES. Because of scheduling conflicts, my show is moving to the 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month. It will still air at 5:00 pm Pacific time. The show I had planned to do yesterday (segment 2 of David’s and my story) will now be at 5:00 PDT on Sunday, September 7. The final part (segment 3) will be on Sunday, September 21. On my next show (Sunday, October 5), David will be my guest to give his perspective.

Whenever there is a fifth Sunday in a month, I will co-host the show with Julie Sharp Kintz, who is another host on Brain Injury Radio. Julie’s show, “Quantum Leap,” airs opposite mine on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month. So every Sunday, there will always be live entertainment from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm by Julie or me or both. (Julie and I plan to co-host the show on Sunday, August 31.)

I hope you will be listening every Sunday at 5:00 Pacific time.

See you “On the Air!“

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

Category:

On the Air!

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“Another Fork in the Road” . . . Brain Injury Radio Network: “Prisoner Without Bars” (part 2)

Come one! Come ALL!

What: “Another Fork in the Road” on Brain Injury Radio Network: “Prisoner Without Bars” (part 2)

Why: Donna continues her story of David’s Traumatic Brain Injury and their life together after TBI.

Where: Brain Injury Radio Network

When: Monday, August 18, 2014

Time: 5:00p PDT (6:00p MDT, 7:00p CDT, and 8:00p EDT) 90 minute show

How: Click: Brain Injury Radio Network.

Call In: 424-243-9540

Call In: 855-473-3711 toll free in USA

Call In: 202-559-7907 free outside US

or SKYPE

If you miss the show, but would like to still hear the interview, you can access the archive on On Demand listening (Archived show) will be available after the show

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

Category:

Events Calendar

Tagged with:

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.)

Category:

On the Air!

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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.)

Category:

Itty-Bitty GIANT Step

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SPEAK OUT! . . . You Are Invited! Launch “Another Fork in the Road” on Brain Injury Radio Network: Donna Tells Her Story Aug. 4, 2014

Come one! Come ALL!

What: Launch “Another Fork in the Road” on Brain Injury Radio Network: “Thursday, the 13th – an unlucky day!”

Why: Donna tells about the onset of David’s Traumatic Brain Injury and their life together after TBI.

Where: Brain Injury Radio Network

When: Monday, August 4, 2014

Time: 5:00p PDT (6:00p MDT, 7:00p CDT, and 8:00p EDT) 90 minute show

How: Click: Brain Injury Radio Network.

Call In: 424-243-9540

Call In: 855-473-3711 toll free in USA

Call In: 202-559-7907 free outside US

or SKYPE

If you miss the show, but would like to still hear the interview, you can access the archive on On Demand listening (Archived show) will be available after the show

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

Category:

Events Calendar

Tagged with:

	donnaodonnellfigursk… on Smorgasbord Book Promotions…
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Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury

TBI – Survivors, Caregivers, Family, and Friends

Posts tagged ‘David Figurski’

Speaking Engagement . . . . . . . “Prisoner Without Bars . . . . . . . . . . . A Caregiver’s Story”

On the Air: Brain Injury Radio Another Fork in the Road . . . . . . Allan Bateman – Preventive & Rehabilitative Therapist

On the Air – Brain Injury Radio Interview with Dr. David Figurski Prisoner without Bars: Conquering Traumatic Brain Injury

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

“Another Fork in the Road” . . . Brain Injury Radio Network: “Prisoner Without Bars” (part 2)

On the Air – Brain Injury Radio Oops, Glitch Apology

“Another Fork in the Road” . . . Brain Injury Radio Network: “Prisoner Without Bars” (part 2)

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

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

SPEAK OUT! . . . You Are Invited! Launch “Another Fork in the Road” on Brain Injury Radio Network: Donna Tells Her Story Aug. 4, 2014

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Top 30 Brain Injury Blog Award

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Donna O’Donnell Figurski