The day my TBI happened was September 17, 1976 when I was 15. I was returning from a horseback riding trip with a church youth group. I cannot remember the "accident" at all (I guess I am lucky). From what I was told the car I was in rolled twice and I was thrown out of the car ending up some 50 feet away from it. Coming to "rest" with my head hitting a fence post and my right foot behind my head on left shoulder. After two years of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation I was ready to face life.
Being "ready to face life" was one thing I was not. My life consisted getting up in the morning, getting a ride to school, spending the day at school then waiting for my mom to pick me up after school. In the evening, I mainly educated my mind by watching TV. That was my life's routine until I found drugs and alcohol.
My finding of the chemical escape coincided with my receiving of my insurance money. By using the chemicals, I did not have to face whom Scott was. I did not and would not face the life I thought I was ready to face. For the next two years, did I every live the life. After five years of escaping who I was I was lead to a twelve-step program. There I realized that "nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake" and until I could accept who I was I could not be happy.
Now I was "ready to face life on life's terms". I realized that in life if someone has a problem with me it is exactly that, his or her problems not mine. I have had to deal with that in every work place I have been in, outside of rehab. Being either unable to meet the exceptions of my bosses or working with people who think that because I was not in a wheelchair or did not have a white cane I was a "normie".
In November of 1996 I was forced out of the work place. I had believed that attaining employment with the Provincial Government of Saskatchewan, in 1988, I was set for life. I thought I had the security of an occupation I would be at until retirement, was I mistaken. I worked for three different departments within the government and run into problems at all three. The final job I had was with the Securities Commission in Regina. There it was I ran into the most damaging of my job difficulties. In the end, I ceased my employment with the government in August of 1997.
In September of 1997 I pulled up stakes and moved from Regina to Calgary, Alberta. Regina had been my home for all my life, my family lived there and the network of various support people I had built in the 21 years previous. Wanting to pursue an occupation rather than a job. I decided to use my own money to do something I enjoyed. That choice is web page design. Then on November 30th of 1997 I hit a car that ran a red light.
In that accident, I lost unconsciousness for a period of 10 to 15 seconds. The ambulance attendant said that I had received a mild concussion. I did not seek immediate medical help. However, I have been under a Doctor's care since.
Today I feel that I have lost who I was. Today, being on long term disability, I walk around as if I have a mild concussion feeling as if I have reverted to who and where I was in 1976. I know that if I lose the faith and trust in God I lose Scott. The desire to see why God has set me out on this path to make me a better person is what I need to remind myself when times get tough.
If I had to judge which accident has affected me the most I would have to say the one in 1997. Even thought it was the minor of two accidents it has just sent my life for a loop. I am not able to work, lost a lot of the interest I once held in computers. Losing the tools, I once had, such as coping skills, are lost. There are a few good points from the 1997 accident. The first is I can watch reruns of "Whose Line Is It Anyways" and still laugh:). Another point is the fact I am on medicine that helps my dealing with my moods. I know if I ran and hide in alcohol and illegal drugs my life, if I still had one, totally lost.
I thought now would be as good as any time to write an addition to my story.
As mentioned below I have had two brain injuries one in 1976 and the other in 1997. Since the last time I have added to this page I have had a MRI. The results of that test showed I damage to my left frontal lobe. My 1976 accident bruised my brain stem.
For my recovery, this time things are a lot different. Now there is, what I like to call, a network that assists the person who has suffered a brain injury. In 1976 it seems like I was just injured just like anyone else. It was like I went through the OT and PT with everyone else at the rehab center. If this makes sense, I feel some jealously towards the people who suffer a TBI these days. Today the recovery of a TBI patient is more orientated to their recovery. Today in Regina there is the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) unit, a worker at the local Abilities Council (AC) just for people who have a brain injury, a weekly support group with the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association (SBIA) and a post brain injury life-skills program called Career Headways (CH). One girl I know, Renee, who had suffered a TBI last July is at a point today in her recovery where I was at eight or nine years after my first accident.
I take part of each program in one way or another making my recovery somewhat of a smoother ride. I have an ABI worker, Cheryl, which I can talk to when I need to. I take part in some of the activities the worker from the AC, John-Paul, organizes, attend the weekly meetings and other activities (bake sales, camp outs). The last part of my recovery today is working with CH. At one time, I was on the Board of Directors of it and as of today I am the Computer Orientation Volunteer with CH.
Well that is enough from me today. I am sure I will add more in the future. I am waiting to hear from my lawyer. The sooner I hear from him the sooner you will hear from me. Have a good one. Hello there and welcome to my most recent update. It has taken me awhile to get this out. I could give you several excuses why it has taken so long, but the reason boils down to the fact I am lazy. I am on my PC daily. I read the local newspaper, burn cds (good one's) and play slots on my PC daily.
Things for me are simple. I do not work, though I volunteer at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre, which I see as a job (more on this later). My monthly income is (disability) Canadian Pension Plan (CPP). I have two very loving parents. I am still living here in Regina at Huston Heights, which is a subsidized apartment complex for people with a disability.
I have received an insurance settlement concerning my 1997 car accident. The amount, which was lower than I was hoping for, was used to purchase a new 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier (if you read above it tells you about my tardiness). A couple years back I was diagnosed with type two diabetes. My bad eating habits finally caught up with me. Speaking of habits, I have just celebrated my twenty years of abstaining from drinking and drugging. I am also quitting smoking, hopefully soon to be quit.
On to my volunteering at the Wascana. I have heard many people say that they would do their job for free because they love what they are doing. That is what the volunteering means to me. The work I do there, which includes things like going out for lunch, going to doctor appointments and doing in house activities. To me it is a win - win situation. By that, I am there for the people who live at the Wascana and they are there for me. I call it my sense of being. Never before in my life I have been involved in something that I feel so positive about. My worst day volunteering is far better than my best day working.
You can say volunteering is my sense of being. Above I mentioned things for me are simple. I have found out the more things I put on my plate the harder it is for me to finish any one thing. I am happy to be where I am today and that is one of the most important thing in my life!
Thank you for your time!
