More Than a Speed Bump
Since this is MTSB’s first post, perhaps it would be helpful for me to give a brief biographical context for this blog. On July 4th, 2006, at 23 years old I drove drunk, crashing into the woods sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury. I spent 6 weeks in a minimally conscious state in Beth Israel’s ICU followed by 6 more at the amazing Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s main facility (then in Boston). Blessed with an amazingly loving and supportive family, I was able to spend the next two years attending Portsmouth (NH) Regional Hospital’s 4 day per week Neuro-day rehab program. With what I can only attribute to the grace of God, now just over 14 years post-accident, I’m launching the More Than a Speed Bump website while living on my own and working for my family’s 100% cause-based business, RAWZ Natural Pet Food.
After rereading the above paragraph, I fear that it seems as if I’m claiming to possess the secret to moving forward with a successful life after trauma, a TBI in my case. While I truly wish that was the case, I assure you it’s not. My experience from lying unconscious on the ground off to the side of Route 108 in Durham, NH on 7/4/06 to today has been fraught with much struggle and disappointment. Hopefully my disclaimer about my personal struggle assures you that I’m not a marketer looking to cash in on my story with unrealistic promises. At the end of the day, if the MTSB initiative can leave the people I reach feeling their interaction was time well spent, I will chalk that up as a success!
One of the gifts of my accident and recovery journey has been the opportunity I have to share my experience with others. Whether for cautionary or inspirational purposes, all of these speaking engagements remind me of how fortunate I am; I especially enjoy taking questions from younger students. I’ll never forget in one of the questions that 2nd or 3rd grader in Amesbury, MA asked me, “If you can’t run as fast or remember stuff as good as before, how do you have good days anymore?” I don’t necessarily think he understood the depth of his question when it comes to life after acquired disability, but my answer really sheds light on my motivation for MTSB:
“You know how on your report card you have a list of subjects with a grade next to it?” As all the little heads nodded I continued, “Well, I like to think of all the people I meet in a day as giving me a grade. If they feel better after our time together, I get a +; and if they feel worse than before, I get a -. When I go to bed at night I think about my daily list, if I got more +’s than –‘s, it was a good day.”
Ultimately, I hope to provide hope and inspiration to those facing a challenge, not just the brain injury survivor community. I hope readers will gain from my reflections on the experiences I speak about and promise to be rigorously honest in the pursuit of this. Lastly, while I may not lead off each post within MTSB by giving permission to laugh, trust that I expect nothing less and find laughter extremely therapeutic. Oh and in a bit of shameless self-promotion; for more about me, in 2012 I published my memoir “More Than a Speed Bump: Life Before and After Traumatic Brain Injury (https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Speed-Bump-Scott/dp/0988537079). Enjoy…