The other day we had a couple program directors come speak to our class. One of the many subjects that they spoke on was that some of these people (people suffering from TBI's) remember who they used to be. On the inside they are exactly who they were before their accident. We also recently went on a field trip to a living facility for people with TBI's. The resident that gave my group a tour took us into a building that looked to be the arts and crafts room. There was a particular man that stood out to me. I felt some sort of connection with him. I guess it was his age that drew me to him. The other men that I met were much older than I am, old enough to be my dad in fact. I also noticed his tattoos. He had tribal tattoos on his arm (I will attach a photo of tribal tattoos for those who are not familiar) Forgive my generalization but every man that I know that has those type of tattoos are tough, manly, physically active men. This man was thin and in a wheelchair. I couldn't help but think about the life that he had before he suffered his TBI. Was he like my friends? Did he enjoy playing sports or going to the gym? I started to wonder if he had a girlfriend before and if she had broken up with him. I wondered if his friends ever came to visit him. It broke my heart to see someone who could have been my friend in a condition like this. Then I realized that I shouldn't feel more empathy/sympathy for him just because we are close in age. Most of the men at this facility had a life before whether they can remember it or not.
I've included a link to an episode of MTV's True Life. This is "True Life: I have a traumatic brain injury." Please watch in it's entirety, it is very moving and informative.
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