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Joined 2 years ago
Cake day: June 30th, 2023
  • Zdvarko@lemmy.worldtoPeertube@lemmy.world•Bike Helmets: Stupid Hat or Essential Protection?
    5·
    3 months ago

    Back in November 2020 I was in a car accident and suffered a TBI followed by 2 weeks in an induced coma, 10 hour surgery for facial reconstruction and a month in rehabilitation.

    Whilst in rehab, I meet many people from varying ages and genders that appeared on the surface to be completely normal functional people. What couldn’t be seen or recognised unless made aware was the impact of their TBI, symptoms that I have dealt with for over 20 years; tangential behaviours, fluctuating emotions, intolerance for the smallest inconveniences, and deep fatigue that comes on way too early after a mental and/or physically difficult day.

    These are the easy side effects.

    For the obvious effects of a TBI, these were clearly seen in Matt; a 19 year old boy that was, for the rest of his short life, stapped to a special wheelchair so he could be mechanically stood upright to look people in the eye. He couldn’t talk, he made sounds that seemed to be communicating but weren’t however, you got the sense he was being a smart ass when he followed up his incoherent noises with his beautiful smile. Matt couldnt fully understand you, or feed himself, or go toilet without the aid of nurses, tell his parents he loved them or ever do anything remotely "normal"ever again.

    All this because he wasn’t wearing a cycle helmet.