NeuroNote 3 - Acquired Brain Injury

I read a blog post by a young man, Tyson, who was involved in a boating accident that left him in a comatose state with a traumatic brain injury for many months. Tyson's described his story as "fascinating", and he definitely captured my attention through his renderings of the events that followed his accident. The title of this blog post, "I got hit by a boat and I want to share my story" caught my attention because I wanted to delve into a material that was written by the individual who sustained the injury; and as I was reading what happened to Tyson, I was shocked that he was able to share his story. Tyson began his post with "This is my story. Take your time, it's worth it."(Ward, 2012). I would have to agree, his story is 100% worth the read. He was in a coma for 99 days before finally waking up, but upon waking he has sustained multiple injuries and surgeries that required a lot of therapy and physical care. Luckily, he was able to get the care he needed in multiple different settings that eventually allowed him to regain his independence, go back to school, and get his driver's license back. One of the things that stuck out the most to me while reading this article was the way the Tyson described the affect a coma has on your brain and body. He stated that your brain is smart enough to know when your body is in no shape to repair itself in an awake state, therefore it enters a comatose state so that all of the energy that the brain would be using to keep you awake and alert goes to repairing the damage that was done to your body instead. Comatose state always seemed like such an abstract topic that I struggled to wrap my brain around, so hearing this description of it put it in a perspective that made sense. Tyson has an amazing story that is both heartwarming and fascinating. I would recommend this for anyone who is might work with individuals who experience acquired brain injuries. There is so much that can be learned form Tyson's story, but I think the most important thing is to not give up on your client's and continue to fight for them because Tyson had all of the odds stacked against him, yet he is not only alive but thriving. I will provide the link for the blog post here. 

Ward, T. (2012, January 21). I got hit by a boat and I want to share my story. I Got Hit by a Boat. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://igothitbyaboat.webstarts.com/