OBIA News

Just over thirteen years ago an elephant arrived at our home. There was something very familiar about him, perhaps it was his gait or was it the occasional twinkle in his eyes that we recognized?
Every so often in life we are met with an individual who stands out above the rest, amazes us with their determination and inspires us with their grace. For me, Chris is one of those people. Although I have only known Chris for a fraction of the time that his family and friends have, I have been amazed and stricken by his ability to persevere. In my life there have been times where I have aggressively allowed myself to delve into my own personal pity party, the poor me version of this is NOT a wonderful life, then I met Chris.
It was a typical summer work-day morning. My buddy and I were travelling to work on our motorcycles—not just any motorcycle—our Harley Davidson Sportsters.
In 2006 I wrote a story of my experiences (OBIA Review – After The Fall) concerning a serious head injury I sustained. Well, much has happened since then and I recently realized, during these reflective times, that I have been suppressing many of the details of the accident and the aftermath.
According to a study, written by Scott Patten of the University of Calgary and Heather Juby of the RDC Network, 1 in 50 Canadians are suffering from depression at any given time; for survivors of a Traumatic Brain Injury the risk of depression increases substantially. Both the College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and the University of Iowa have done studies outlining the problems associated with TBI.
If you are like me one of the most heartbreaking aspects of brain injury is the isolation which is often the result of brain injury. We cannot do the things we used to do, we have problems dealing with those we love and we often find it difficult to navigate the world at large.