Nancy suffered a head injury in 1971and another last November. She demonstrates how people recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries must live. Thus rather than a conversation this podcast is a presentation Nancy has prepared for a Service Providers Conference in August…

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) is not new. They are the signature injuries of the current wars. There they are the result of explosive blasts. In civilian life they used to result from auto crashes. Now with the use of seat belts, they commonly result from head injuries occurring in abusive situations or sports.

TBI’s are classified by several scales. The easiest scale ranges from mild, thru moderate to severe. The mildest form is also called a concussion.

After her injury in 1971, Nancy returned to college and earned an MSW. She has won several awards for her work with others recovering from Traumatic Brain injuries.

Over the years she thrived, and struggled and survived. Although she earned an advanced degree, she could not function in the mainstream. She was unaware of her social deficits. She tells how she learned ways to function better in social situations.

Now she is a Disability Life coach. She focuses upon fellow suffers from Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Her conclusions of how to live with her disability can serve us well.

In this interview she shared three lessons she has learned:

1. Choose to work on 1 goal at a time. This way you can put many small steps together into one large triumph.
2. Choose different role models so you can try new things
3. Believe in yourself.

She mentioned a handout: Thoughts to Remember

These are statements that I quietly say to myself all of the time. This first statement is at the core of all those that follow. It is;

1. I believe in me & whatever it takes, eventually I will do it!
2. Failure is Not an Option.
3. Survivors Don’t Quit Trying to improve their lives.
4. Take One Step at a Time
5. Complete each & every task before moving on to another.

She has an upcoming book, “Accept, thrive and survive: a guide for caregivers and survivors”

You can learn more by visiting her website http://www.survivoracceptance.com/

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