When I began Life Rewired, the brain injury podcast. I had the pleasure of speaking with other survivors, caregivers and professionals who have resources that I found helpful in my recovery journey. I have always supported anyone who has a passion to raise awareness of the invisible injury.
Jason is the founder of Decisive Life who developed and
designed its current programming. He is an experienced motivational
speaker who authored "Bullied: It begins with the 'i'".
Decisive life: Decisive life provides, Traumatic Brain Injury Life coaching & consulting, Mental health first aid certifications, and customizable bullying prevention programming both in person and online along as well as a professional development workshop. https://www.decisivelife.org/
Brain Injury Association of America: The Brain Injury Association of America is a great resource for anyone who is a brain injury survivor. Also known as BIAA, their mission: As the voice of brain injury, we improve the quality of life of people affected by brain injury across their lifespan through advancing prevention, awareness, research, treatment, education, and advocacy.
The Job Accommodation Network: The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on job accommodations and disability employment issues. Serving customers across the United States and around the world for 40 years, JAN provides free one-on-one practical guidance and technical assistance on job accommodation solutions, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related legislation, and self-employment and entrepreneurship options for people with disabilities.
Authors
Dawn is a brain injury survivor, a regular on Life Rewire, the brain injury podcast. Dawn is not only a survivor, but she is also a caregiver to her daughter Veronica who is also a brain injury survivor. Dawn and her daughter teach at local schools to educate on brain injury awareness. She is also the author of A miracle a day, one day at a time, Hope after traumatic brain injury. Be sure to visit her website to read her wonderful blog that she keeps updated and to purchase her inspiring book of hope and recovery.
Michael Coss is the author of the courage to come back, Triumph over TBI a story of hope. Michael is also the winner of the 2011 Courage to come back award for physical rehabilitation (Costal Health). Michael will tell you that his life was changed forever, and it's been change for the good.
Michael also has a new website that he is using to promote workplace safety. Please visit his website, where you can also order a copy of his amazing book.
Amber Lohret
Living with a brain injury can often feel as if you're
carrying a secret. To the outside world, everything may appear normal, but
internally there's a profound struggle that is hard to articulate and often
harder to comprehend, even for those experiencing it. The changes brought on by
a brain injury can be baffling and overwhelming, leading to daily challenges
that are both exhausting and isolating. This sense of isolation can be utterly
lonely; one must find ways to cope with these feelings or risk being engulfed
by them.
Amber Lohret, a former psychiatric nurse, shares her
experience in accepting her new self, her new life, her new reality after
facing a traumatic incident that resulted in a life-long TBI. No longer able to
work as a nurse, Amber has since found solace in finding new modalities of
healing others including reiki and yoga. In “Invisible” she shares details of
what she had to overcome to recognize her (new) self, and share this new
identity with loved ones and friends, despite looking the same on the outside. https://innerpeacepress.com/products/invisible
Laura Kimbro
"Giving Light to Darkness: A true story of the debilitating control of post concussion syndrome depression" is an appeal for attention. Attention to a topic that has been swept under the rug for too long. After the tragic death of her son, a mother's search for answers led her to find the truth about the silent killer: post concussion syndrome depression. Not all doctors know about it. It is real, and it stole Laura Kimbro's son right out of her arms. Help be a part of the solution! Become aware by reading this book.
Anessa Arehart
In 2013 Anessa Arehart found herself on the receiving end of
consecutive auto accidents 53 days apart resulting in brain damage, severe post
concussion symptoms, and a life so greatly affected the only way forward was
though an unlikely path of her own making.
Leaving the hustle of city life and relocating to the
country, she found peace in the chaos that was her brain, an ember of hope
within her heart, and the will to survive the darkest days of her life.
This book will benefit traumatic brain injury survivors searching for supplementary methods of healing beyond the doctor’s office and traditional therapies, but it’s offerings reach well beyond TBI and can help others seeking a cure for unnamable traumas and hurt hidden inside each of us from simply being human. Practical tips and beautiful photos of “everyday magic” will connect you with nature’s gentle healing energy no matter where you live or what condition you’re in. Even if you are unable to leave your bed or your home, this book brings nature to you.
Donna O'Donnell Figurski
Donna O’Donnell Figurski is the author of numerous articles, both in print and online, about brain injury and caregiving. (Google her.) Donna's book, Prisoners Without Bars: a caregiver’s tale, has earned three book awards, currently has 190 global ratings/reviews on Amazon, and is offered as a print book, an ebook, and an audiobook. It was published by WriteLife Publishing. See an interview on WriteLife on Donna. https://writelife.com/page/3/
Donna called 9-1-1. David slipped into a coma. At that moment, Donna was thrust onto the path of caregiver for her best friend and the love of her life. In her debut memoir, Donna shares how a neurosurgeon said that David would make a "great organ donor." She writes of arrogant doctors, uncaring visitors, insensitive ambulance drivers, and problematic nurses. She also tells of the many compassionate doctors, nurses, therapists, staff, strangers, family members, and friends who helped them on their journey. Donna compellingly describes her ability to appear positive as she experiences the horror of making life-or-death decisions. As her world crashes, she credits laughter as her lifesaver. More than 20 years later, Donna and David are living a "new normal" together.
YouTube: Donna Figurski Blog: Donnas Blog
In his debut book, "Saving the Subject," Cameron
Fathauer paints a spiritual odyssey following his traumatic brain injury with
vividness and vulnerability, capturing both the weight of his physical trials
and the depth of his reflections.
Previously aspiring to be a minister, Fathauer's path was
radically altered when he was hit by a car as a pedestrian, steering him to the
legal profession and reshaping his identity journey. Beyond the author himself,
the narrative features an unexpected array of characters including triplet
toddlers, legal scholars, and the infamous "Unabomber."
More than a memoir, this remarkably layered work engages the identity question through a smorgasbord of distinct but ingeniously connected themes of trauma, family, and faith. To discover how these elements weave together, you'll have to explore the pages yourself. Fathauer has taken a leap of faith by publishing a book that, quite literally, puts his darkest moments on public display. Yet he does so with the confidence that this open-book vulnerability will illuminate a deeply personal and transformative light for his readers as it has for himself.
