Survivor Stories

A Day Just Like Any Other

On February 26th, 2012, I began my day just like any other. I woke up, got myself a coffee, and I headed off to work at the Jubilee Home as a housekeeper. Once I began my work I started to have weakness in my right side and my speech became a little slurred.

The ambulance was called and I was rushed to the Lloydminster Hospital, and after observations, CT scans, and receiving TPA (a blood clot buster), I had a severe bleed on the right side of my brain.

I was then rushed to the University Hospital in Edmonton where I had a drain inserted into my brain and received a tracheotomy. I spent four weeks in the ICU and one week in the Neurology ward. After five weeks at the U of A I was transferred back to Lloydminster to be closer to my family and to began rehabilitation while I waited to be accepted into a rehab facility.

On April 4th I was sent to Two Hills, Alberta to join the SAGE (Stroke and Geriatric Empowerment) rehabilitation program and I was discharged from there on May 18th, 2012.

I give so much thanks to that team; I don’t think I would be where I am today of it wasn’t for them, and I also need to thank them for getting me involved with LABIS and with the Out-patient Stroke Clinic in Lloydminster.

Never Give Up

I had a motor vehicle accident in December 2002, a car struck me on the driver’s side. I couldn’t move, I was in shock. Like dreaming, I cannot remember. Ever since the accident, my life has changed, what I once love to do.

I forget.

I have a speech problem, when I order something to eat, I write it down or use sign language.

My family supports me, they know about my head injuries. I forget their names, will use sign for their first initial.

I have very bad headaches.

LABIS has helped me lots, how to cook, how to accept my brain injuries. I thank the LABIS participants and staff for their great work.

Dancing at the Pow-wow has helped me; I dance traditional dance, learn how to make regalia (traditional clothes), and meet alot of people. I love dancing, it is good to move.

Finally, be encouraged. Never give up.

Never Say Never

August 10, 2006, is the day my life changed forever.

I was working for an oilfield company, and was at a rig site. When I finished at the site, I drove away in my pick-up truck. The oilfield road joined up with a farm road, but they were separated by trees.

I didn’t see the semi truck that was hauling bales on the farm road.

The front of my truck collided with the front of the semi, and the back of my truck ended up under the rear wheels of the semi’s trailer.

I was taken by ambulance to the nearest city, but they said my head injury was too severe, and sent the ambulance on to the next, much larger, city.

In the emergency room of the hospital, the doctors told my parents they should tube me, and let me expire, because I’d never wake up.

BUT a neurosurgeon was teaching in the city at the university, and happened to be at the hospital, overseeing some students. He came into my room and said, “if he has a clean tox screen, I’ll do whatever I can for him, to save his life.”

The surgeon had just been trained to do a new surgery, and the surgery required alot of medications; it required a clean toxicology test. The test would show if any drugs or alcohol had been in my system in the last three months.

The doctors told the surgeon it would be a waste of time, but the tox screen came back clean, and he went ahead with the surgery. He first had to remove blood from my brain.

I was in a coma for months. The doctors told my parents that I would probably never wake up, but if I did, I would never be able to walk or talk.

One day I woke up, and my grandma was sitting there. She went to tell the nurses I was awake, and they didn’t believe her at first.

I was in the hospital for several more months, doing alot of physiotherapy.

My parents took me home, even though the doctors advised against it – they said it would be too hard.

I continued with physio. They told me I would never be able to walk, so I pushed myself.

They said I pushed myself too hard, but in two years, I was able to walk with a walker.

I kept on fighting. It took two more years before I was able to walk on my own, thanks to pushing myself so hard.

I started attending my local brain injury society. They helped me alot, with my talking, communicating, and social interaction.

I needed alot of help to be around people. I would get really, really angry and hurt over little things.

I’ve been on alot of meds since the accident, including anti-depressants, sleeping meds, painkillers, and many others.

I won’t be able to work ever again, but I try to find volunteer jobs in my community.

If it wasn’t for my family and friends, I never would have gotten this far. They have been through alot of stuff helping me and caring for me.

My Story

I was diagnosed with a brain injury and epilepsy when I was thirteen. The doctors said it was because I’d had too much anasthetic, too often.

My parents didn’t want me to do much, they kept me down. But I did things anyway.

I couldn’t get a job, nobody would hire me because of the epilepsy. I did work on the farm though. I also couldn’t get a driver’s license.

I got married, and had three kids.

Two of my children live close to me, and they help out alot. They give me rides.

One of my sisters helps me out too.

I started attending a brain injury program eight years ago, and I really like it.