I, like many of you in our area, have been following the story of a woman from Ohio who was traveling through our area on her way to NYC when something horrible and unthinkable happened. Some kids threw a rock from an overpass onto the vehicle she was in with her daughter and husband. The large rock came through her windshield and hit her in the head. She has been fighting for her life, in one form or another since. The news of her story has some facts that have made it spread like wildfire, through not only local, but national media. From all accounts, she sounds very special, and like she cares a lot about others. The whole story is sad and tragic. One of the main reasons is that it did not have to happen. Her injury was the direct result of another persons poor choice. This is part of a lot of stories I have heard about Traumatic Brain Injury....one bad decision, and someones life hangs in the balance. By no means is that a majority of TBIs but it certainly is an element of many of them. Last night as I was thinking about what I would post today, which was a review of Taylors weekend, I could not shake the sadness I felt for this family. Those of you who have been kind enough to share this journey in one form or another have a small understanding of what TBI brings to your door. It brings countless hours of questions, what ifs, if onlys, how will our loved one get through this, who will they be, will the survive, and if so for how long, how will we care for them, who will care for them when we are gone, and so much more. TBI steals little things that you may not be aware of....for some it steals a break from life, which is everywhere this time of year, vacation or simple nights out, it steals family time (if your family is far away), it steals your peace of mind, and many days, your joy. TBI steals from you financially, and in terms of financial security. It steals many of your friendships, and other relationships suffer. TBI is a thief and it certainly resembles an unwelcome intruder who comes in unexpectedly and robs you of so many things...but the most brutal thing it does, is steal your loved one. For some the TBI has stolen all of their person, but their physical body. I know of multiple families who only have the shell of their loved one, and their person cannot speak, eat, hardly move, etc. For some it steals parts of their loved one, certain functions, personality etc. The layers and layers of grief and sadness associated with TBI are often endless. It has been wonderful to hear about and see the community rally around this woman, and her family. I truly believe every drop in the bucket of love and hope matters, because so many things drain the it along the way. For this family they are at the very beginning of a journey that has yet to unfold. My heart goes out to them in ways that my words cannot express...one person wrote to us many, many months ago that in terms of Taylor they were hoping for an ending that puts all fairy tales to shame, we are still hoping for that too. And my wish for this family is that that love continues to win, and trump the pain that this can bring. The outcome is so unknown, but along with so many others we are hoping for the best case scenario. In life we have so many real opportunities to show we care about others...lets do that whenever we can. Show love. Give love. And be a part of filling someones bucket, instead of draining it. Love Wins- Nicole
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 10:14:10 +0000
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