The Power of Positive

Today’s article on the surface may not seem to be related to Internet Marketing or Achieving Your Goal, but the message is very relevant. First, my thoughts and prayers are with Natasha Richardson’s family & friends today. Her tragic accident and death slapped me in the face with memories of just how horrific TBI (traumatic brain injury) can be for the victim and the victim’s family.

Four years and four months ago, I paid little attention to TBI; it wasn’t relevant in my life. Then tragically, one of my brothers was in a snow mobile accident in December 2004 and suffered a TBI. Through nothing short of a miracle, a top-notch rehab team, and his sheer determination, he did survive. That’s not to say that he is “the same brother” that I had known for 45 years. You see we lost the person we had known all those years and in his place gained a “new brother”. His looks are the same, his voice is the same, but his personality, his habits are pretty much opposite what they were prior to this accident. He was in a coma for 19 days at Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY. His physical injuries were numerous but in comparison to the brain injury were indeed minor. Laying lifeless in a coma, they began to heal. What didn’t appear to be healing was his brain. Once he “woke up”, he was in a vegetative state with no recognition, no speech, and only involuntary movements. He was transferred to the TBI Unit at Sunnyview Hospital in Schenectady, NY where he began intensive rehab therapy with a staff (in my opinion) that can be topped by no one. He ever so slowly began the long road back to “reality” literally taking baby steps. He had to learn to talk, eat, feed himself, and walk all over again. He made steady progress and I will always remember the excitement when he took his first step unassisted, brushed his teeth unassisted, and I witnessed the first time he fed himself. These were nothing short of miraculous. He was still disoriented and kept everyone smiling, because he still really didn’t know what had happened or where he was. He did begin to recognize people. The doctors had told us first that he might remain in a vegetative state; the next prognosis was that he would never drive again, never return to a meaningful job, and never live on his own. His time was up, so to speak at the hospital and preparations were being made for him to go into a nursing home for more rehab. It was about this time that he really “remembers”. He was 46 years old and hanging out with the residents there was not the most enjoyable thing to do, so he spent every minute he could in the rehab room going from one machine to the next until he finally didn’t need the wheelchair anymore. From here he went to a group home with other TBI patients and continued to progress, if slowly, in recovery. Close to a year after he left the hospital, he found his first apartment. And the doctors said he “would never”… Next step was getting his driver’s license back. This turned out to be a pretty easy step and he became independent again…The next, but by no means the final step, was returning to work. He was a welder at Anderson Manufacturing prior to his accident. He returned to Anderson in a different position for a few hours a week, the length of time he worked was increased gradually and he is now working three full days a week. After a few months, they asked him if he wanted to go back to welding. Because of some physical limitations he now has, he did turn this down and is quite comfortable in the position he is in now. Shortly after that, they let him know that if he wanted to return full time, he could. He defied the doctor’s grim prognosis for recovery and fights daily towards the return to normal. He is now in a wonderful relationship, has three beautiful grandchildren that he loves to spend time with, and greets each new challenge with a winning attitude.

If you’re looking for more information on traumatic brain injury, a wonderful book infused with just the right amount of wit, rage, and reality that chronicles the tale of a TBI and the recovery process. “Where is the Mango Princess?” by Cathy Crimmins is one of the best that I have read.

Positive attitude, Positive thoughts, Faith, and Belief…That’s what it takes to make it. Make your dreams a reality by changing your way of thinking and success will be yours.