SPEAK OUT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faces of Brain Injury . . . . . . . . . Carol Starke-Pyle (caregiver of her son, Thomas)
SPEAK OUT! Faces of Brain Injury – Carol Starke-Pyle
(caregiver of her son, Thomas)
presented
by
Donna O’Donnell Figurski
Brain Injury is NOT Discriminating!
It can happen to anyone, anytime, . . . and anywhere.
The Brain Trauma Foundation states that there are 5.3 million people in the United States living with some form of brain injury.
On “Faces of Brain Injury,” you will meet survivors living with brain injury. I hope that their stories will help you to understand the serious implications and complications of brain injury.
The stories on SPEAK OUT! Faces of Brain Injury are published with the permission of the survivor or designated caregiver.
If you would like your story to be published, please send a short account and two photos to me at neelyf@aol.com. I’d love to publish your story and raise awareness for Brain Injury.
Carol Starke-Pyle (caregiver of her son, Thomas)
Carolyn Starke-Pyle – Caregiver for Brain Injury Survivor
This is my son’s story. Thomas was 43. He trained/rode horses for a living. He was very athletic, vivacious, funny, etc. He came to visit me one Sunday, and, as the day wore on, he became more and more delusional. I called an ambulance. My son knew his name, knew where he was, and walked to the ambulance. I followed to the Emergency Room. I was able to see Thomas twenty minutes later, as he was waiting in the cubicle. He could not talk – he babbled incoherently. He could not sit up or walk. He didn’t know me. He was admitted and was given many tests: a CT (computerized tomography) scan, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and a spinal tap. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) was called in. It was concluded that Thomas had brain damage. After two weeks, Thomas was transferred to a neurological center. He didn’t know how to swallow, he knew NO ONE, he was in a huge crib, and he was in diapers. More 
spinal taps and more MRIs. I was told his frontal lobe looked as if a bag of M&Ms had been tossed into it. Infectious/viral disease had been ruled out. It was determined that, due to numerous concussions from falls off horses, his brain had suffered too much damage – which was IRREVERSIBLE! I collapsed when his doctor said, “The Thomas you knew a month ago is no longer with us.” He continued to tell me that my vibrant son would need a nursing home for the rest of his life.
I went onto Facebook and shared my anguish and pleaded for prayers. A prayer chain encircled the globe. Meanwhile, I attended TBI (traumatic brain injury) seminars and met with social workers and more doctors to find a special nursing home for Thomas. Two months later, on my visit, his nurse grinned and said she had a surprise. Thomas was standing up! The next week, he was walking, then talking (he made little sense, but … !), then recognizing us, and then eating by himself. As I was a teacher, I chose to stick up all sorts of stimuli – photos of family, friends, pets, and horses. 
Thomas slowly improved (contrary to the opinions of ALL specialists). After four months, with short-term memory loss and some loss of intelligence, Thomas was released. I asked his doctor to explain. He looked at me and quietly said, “It is a miracle!”
My son is back to work with horses, has absolutely NO memory of the hospital, has a touch 
of short-term memory loss, and is as bright as he always was. BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! I am praying for YOU ALL!
(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 SPEAK OUT! Caregiver Interview Questionnaire for a copy of the questions and the release form.
(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)
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SPEAK OUT! Itty-Bitty Giant Steps will provide a venue for brain-injury survivors and caregivers to shout out their accomplishments of the week.
This is an incredible finding with strong clinical implications! There already is evidence that transplanted neurons can survive and grow in the brain. The newly introduced neurons can form synapses, and they sometimes improve function by partially compensating for a damaged brain circuit. What was not known was whether the original damage could be repaired. Now scientists have shown in a well-studied mouse model of the brain that transplanted neurons can replace the damaged neurons, make the appropriate connections, and repair the damage.
No matter how great it sounds, we can’t go back. No matter how much we may want to, that bridge has burned. The past has passed for a reason. We need to accept that it is over. We can only take the lessons we’ve learned.
In 1988, I began to compete in Sport for the Disabled and at the Provincial Championships. I finished second in both the 100-meter race and the 200-meter race in the CP8 class. In Ottawa, for the 1989 Provincial Championships, I not only won both the 100-meter race and the 200-meter race, but I also won the long-jump and shot-put events. All were Canadian records. This earned me a place on the Provincial Team, which competed in the Foresters’ Games (National Championships) in Richmond, British Columbia. At these games, I won the same four events plus the 4 x 100-meter relay. This was the first time a Canadian cerebral palsy relay team ever finished in less than one minute. This qualified me to be named to the Canadian Team that would compete in the World Championships and Games for the Disabled, which were held in Assen, The Netherlands. I was entered into five sprint races, plus shot-put and long-jump. By the end of the Games, I had won five gold medals and two silver medals! I also set three world records and six Canadian records. The Ministry of Tourism and Recreation Ontario awarded me Ontario’s 1990 Disabled Athlete of the Year.
Toronto selected me as the Volunteer of the Year.
Annie Ricketts has it posted (with my permission) on her site, 
This same young man was actually the KEYNOTE speaker at the Brain Injury conference in Ottawa, which is supported by the federal government! So, if you think you cannot achieve, cannot fight, or cannot rise up to be at a higher level than the one on which you are at, you should put on your “big boy” or “big girl” underpants and work hard. You WILL rise up to be at a level higher than the one you are at now. It will not be easy; it will not be fun; but you will improve your life. If you need, I can always “kick your ass” to achieve more, as I did for my son! I am so excited; I am so proud of him! He has worked so hard for so long. My son is my HERO!
who can’t walk or stand and only has the use of his right arm and hand … For consecutive weeks, I have independently showered, and that includes completing all necessary transfers.
Raising Awareness of Traumatic Brain Injury - one view at a time. Thanks for visiting my blog
Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury 
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