TBI – To Be Injured
Carol Gieg, licensed clinical social worker, has always thrived on helping other people solve problems. Little did she know that she’d soon be facing serious problems of her own. After dropping her husband off at work, she went on a bike ride. As someone who enjoyed hiking and staying active, it was a routine day.
Suddenly, she was thrown from her bike and suffered a traumatic brain injury and seizures. The car that hit her sped away, leaving Carol lying by the side of the road, bleeding from the head and unconscious. It is uncertain who made the call, but Carol arrived at the hospital and the neurosurgeon operated immediately.
Her story follows from neurosurgery to rehabilitation and a return to work within three months after the surgery. She worked for 10 more years before she retired.
She hopes to encourage others who have had a brain injury (traumatic brain, injury, stroke, etc.) not to surrender to predictions of what their lives will be like. So many people learn to live a life hindered by others’ expectations of what they can accomplish after being injured. She found that doing certain things after surgery allowed neurons in her brain to “renetwork,“ i.e. to create different neural pathways which can accommodate for some of what has been lost.
The book also includes a discussion of regeneration of neurons, all of which are based on current research offered in the introduction to the book. Carol offers specific steps she developed to help an injured person in their recovery and resurrect their fulfilling life.
Many others could tell similar stories. Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury. In fact, a traumatic brain injury is often fatal in children and young adults, according to the Brain Injury Research Institute. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI every year in the USA [3]. Aug 22, 2024
Those lucky enough to survive a brain injury face many challenges, some more than others. Whether you’re coping with an injury yourself or have a loved one seeking to discover a new normal, you’ll be informed and inspired by the story of surviving and thriving after a brain injury.
SUMMARY
Carol Gieg, a licensed clinical social worker, has always thrived on helping other people solve problems. Little did she know that she'd be facing serious problems of her own. After dropping her husband off at work, she went on a bike ride. As someone who enjoyed hiking and staying active, it was a routine day. She was thrown from her bike and suffered a traumatic brain injury and seizures. By the time she arrived at the hospital, her brain was bleeding, and it was unclear if she'd survive.
Many others could tell similar stories. Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury. In fact, a traumatic brain injury occurs every fifteen seconds and is the number one cause of death in children and young adults, according to the Brain Injury Research Institute. Those lucky enough to survive a brain injury face many challenges - some more than others. Whether you're coping with an injury yourself or have a loved one seeking to discover a new normal, you'll be informed and inspired by this story of surviving and thriving after a brain injury.