AB's Story
Dear Doctors, Care Givers, Families, Other TBI Patients and People who are LUCKY NOT to have Brain Injuries.
I have a Brain injury with Frontal Lobe Damage. This is NOT the same as Mental Illness and it is NOT the same thing as having a mental health issue. While Counseling MAY be beneficial, it will NOT cure me the way it will OTHER mental illnesses and here is WHY. This may surprise you. My BRAIN itself is broken. Going to talk therapy is going to help ME as much as if YOU were having... Read More
Amelia’s Story
My name is Amelia Louise Parsons. I was born in Lewes on March 23, 1991. Rural Georgetown was where I called home for 18 years. I graduated from Sussex Technical High School as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Home health was needed among neighbors and family friends, so that is where I started in the health care field. For the past, almost 8 years, I’ve been employed at a local long-term nursing care facility. On February 12th, 2018, I went out to grab food at a local fast food restaurant, a spot that I had been to several times for my lunch breaks. On returning to work, I made a life-threatening mistake... Read More
Amy’s Story
On September 13, 1973 I was probably not sleeping like right now and that would lead to my waking up late. I missed my friends walking to school that morning and I went alone. Mom, who didn't drive, was yelling as I ran down the street to get to school, "Don't take the shortcut!" Me yelling back, "I won't!" Knowing I was lying to her. On that fateful day I was beaten beyond recognition by an 18-year-old as I attempted to take the last shortcut life would ever afford me and my family. I remember a lot of what happened that morning... Read More
Brock’s Story
I'm 35 years old and I have suffered from many head injuries that were usually back to back to each other. The last two were 6 months apart. The first one I was involved in a motorcycle accident and hit my head and broke my orbital. Six months to the day I was hit by a tractor trailer as a pedestrian crossing route 1 in Rehoboth Delaware. I suffered a traumatic brain injury which consisted of six brain bleeds and a large DAI among many other injuries to my brain. I was thrown... Read More
Dani and Amy's Story
My name is Amy Burhop and I am the mother and primary caregiver of a TBI survivor. On July 24, 2012 my daughter, Danielle (Dani- 13 years old), was attempting to cross the road out front of our home in Bridgeville, Delaware when she was struck by a car traveling at 55mph. Dani was flown to Christiana Hospital where she was stabilized and immediately transferred to AI Dupont hospital for children in Wilmington. She sustained several orthopedic injuries such as two broken legs, a broken arm, a shattered pelvis... Read More
Dave’s Story & Artwork
On December 20th, 2017 I went to work despite not feeling that great. I had been overworking as I used to wear a lot of "hats" at my job. I was a manager/chef/banquet manager/line cook/prep cook/caterer... at a very busy restaurant chain in southern Delaware/ Maryland. Upon arriving at work I felt very fatigued, not at all myself, but I decided to brush it off as that is my nature. However, I began to sweat and as a reflex, I went to the restroom to wash my face in an effort to control the heat I was feeling throughout my body and to gather myself and do a body scan. When I tried to... Read More
John and Catherine’s Story
At 1:45 AM on May 19, 2015, we learned that our son had been in a serious car accident on the beltway in Alexandria, Virginia. He was alive, but in a coma due to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). But, after two and half weeks, he began the slow process of waking up again. He spent four more months in a specialist hospital in Baltimore, MD. At the end of September 2015, we brought our 17-year old son home and began our journey into becoming caregivers. Initially, John slept a lot, could not walk, talk, or feed himself. In December 2015, John found his whiteboard on his iPad at Speech Therapy and... Read More
Shannon’s Story
My name is Shannon M. Simons. I am 44 years old, reside in Magnolia, DE. I currently teach at Alexis I. DuPont High School in Wilmington, DE and Delaware Technical Community College. On December 26, 1993, I was involved in a life-changing car accident, due to slippery road conditions, in an area just outside of Shinglehouse, PA, my hometown. I was 18 years old at the time and the driver of the automobile. Upon the impact of the driver side of my car and a tree, neighboring the right side of the highway, I was found unconscious by a nurse traveling by approximately 5-6 minutes following the... Read More
Tyler's Story
Imagine being an active 20-year-old and having your life change suddenly. On June 17, 2017 this is what happened to Tyler Trego from Harrington, Delaware. As Tyler tells the story, “My friend was driving and unfortunately fell asleep behind the wheel, which caused him to veer off the road. I ended up breaking my back in three places as a result of the accident, which left me with a T5 spinal cord injury. I also had a traumatic brain injury (TBI).” Tyler’s mother, Cristi, added that in addition to the injuries above, Tyler also “had a severely broken sternum, collapsed lungs, bleeding on the... Read More
