Gray Matters
In the U.S. it occurs every 23 seconds. It’s rarely discussed and when asked, most people say that they know someone who has sustained such an injury. For this article, names have been changed and the situations are composites of true and typical stories.
Tim was a sharp, local attorney with a young family and a promising future. On a sunny Fall day, someone ran a stop sign and hit his new SUV. He sustained a broken leg and what was thought to be a mild concussion. Months later, he healed and returned to work. A few months later, changes occurred. They were subtle at first then they became more blatant. When he was asked a question, he was able to answer but minutes later he had forgotten both the question and the answer. Tim’s speech occasionally slurred and his temper flared at the slightest provocation. Routine work hours now seemed exhausting. His marriage became strained and his children asked, “What’s wrong with Daddy?” Perhaps embarrassed, Tim and his wife, Audrey told no-one until things became intolerable at home and at work.
Maria, a single mom in her twenties had a happy relationship with Warren, a local handyman. Warren was kind to Maria and her children and between Maria’s career as a Physicians Assistant and Warren’s growing business, life was good. After work Warren would come home, grab a beer or two, and greet Maria and the kids, glanced at the newspaper and watch TV. One night the kids became a bit loud and Warren and Maria argued about how to discipline them. Tempers grew and Warren hit Maria on the head with a lamp. Ten years later, with a lot of work, Maria has relearned to dress herself, take her medications independently and even cook. Her children are helpful and for obvious reasons, she is longer with Warren.
Injuries that result from a blow to the head from an external force are called Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Known as “concussion” in its milder, more temporary form, TBI is more simply stated as being hit on the head. While each case is different, many say that such an injury is like being a computer with all files present but those files are in disarray. Eyesight may change, tempers may shorten and tolerance for noise, light and crowds are often reduced. Memory is compromised and a person’s pre-injury “self” is often lost or has changed significantly.
Jeffrey Smoller is Development Director at Making Headway Center for Brain Injury Recovery. It’s his job to bring the TBI story to the public