TBI – Survivors, Caregivers, Family, and Friends

Posts tagged ‘Survivng Traumatic Brain Injury’

“Another Fork in the Road” . . . Brain Injury Radio Network Interview with Melissa Cronin, Author of “Invisible Bruise” in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering From Traumatic Brain Injuries”

YOU ARE INVITED!

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Melissa Cronin was strolling through the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market when an elderly man lost control of his car and barreled into the crowd. That changed her life forever. Now Melissa lives with an ‘invisible bruise.’ But Melissa picked up the pieces and is embarking on a new life. Hear how she copes and thrives after her Traumatic Brain Injury.

Come One! Come ALL!

(NOTE: New Day, Sunday – Same Time)

What:        Interview with Melissa Cronin, Author of “Invisible Bruise” in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering From Traumatic Brain Injuries”

Why:        Hear Melissa’s perspective of living with Traumatic Brain Injury

Where:     Brain Injury Radio Network

When:       Sunday, November 16, 2014

Time:         5:00p PT (6:00p MT, 7:00p CT, and 8:00p ET) 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. The 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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Brain Injury Resources . . . . . . Amazing Potential of Stem Cells to Repair the Brain

Amazing Potential of Stem Cells to Repair the Brain

Brain th-2My NewsBits are often about advances in stem cell research (1, 2, 3, 4). There is good reason – the recent advances in our understanding of stem cells make them a key component in efforts to heal the brain. This video shows the potential of stem cell-based therapy.

Siddharthan Chandran

Dr. Siddharthan Chandran on TED Talk

For years, medical students have been taught incorrectly that the brain cannot repair itself. Recent exciting research on stem cells has definitely put that “dogma” to rest. In fact, the rapid pace of discoveries about the brain indicates that the future may be closer than you think. The brain actually does repair itself, just not enough. The repair the brain does do uses a natural reservoir of stem cells (pluripotent cells that have the potential to become any cell). Recent research has shown that we will be able add more stem cells to boost the natural repair of the brain and restore lost functions, even functions usually considered to be lost forever. In the video, Dr. Siddharthan Chandran hypothesizes that the added stem cells help repair the brain, not by acting themselves to do the repairs, but by activating more of the brain’s own stem cells.

 

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(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

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Brain Injury Resources

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Brain Injury Resources . . . Unleashed Talents

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

 

Brain th-2TBI 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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SPEAK OUT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Itty-Bitty GIANT Steps

SPEAK OUT! Itty-Bitty GIANT Steps

by

Donna O’Donnell Figurski

 What have you accomplished this week? Itty-Bitty GIant Steps for BlogHave you met any goals – BIG or small? It can be as teeny as blinking an eye – something that most of us take for granted, never think twice about. But for someone with no motion in his or her body, this would be a monumental accomplishment.

Your “giant step” may be tying a shoe, walking a few steps, not interrupting a conversation, or remembering an appointment. Or maybe you started a new job or are heading to college. All these are accomplishments.

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 me an email at donnaodonnellfigurski@gmail.com. It need only be a sentence. 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.)

I hope we have millions of Itty-Bitty Giant Steps.

(Clip Art compliments of Bing.)

 

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