After three brain injuries over her lifetime, Amina's cognitive ability was impacted in such a way that she was unable to ask for help on her own.   But like many of us, it was hard for her to know how much she had really changed as a person. Poignantly, her young son was the one person was able to show her how much she had changed by asking for his "old" mom back.  It was  an emotional blow and a common hit to our self esteem that is common for those of us with brain injury.   Wisely, Amina had a good lawyer who helped her get access to aides to help her with basic admin ..read more

Bella Paige was a highly competitive show jumper as a younger girl.  And she LOVED it.  The adrenaline rush alone might have been enough to keep her going but she loved the competition, the horses, all of it.  She planned to compete and show horses for the rest of her life.  Sadly, injuries intervened.  In any sport having to do with 1200 pound animals you can bet that injuries will come, and often.  But highly competitive, driven athletes (even young ones) often don't share their pain with others, nor do they ask for help.  So Bella kept competing in spite o ..read more

Emmanuel Tambakakis tells a rich story of how he was injured while working in Greece, trying to get the right shot for a journalism piece. His life has changed in many ways since then; he has had to carve a new pathways personally and professionally. Yet he has not let that define him. He has found help in Buddhism; in how it can help him and in how it helps him share with others ..read more

Sameer Bhide's life was on track.  Family, friends, career, many interests to pursue.  Then one day, out of no where, his brain says, "Stop!" A stroke.  A genetic condition caused his stroke so there wasn't really much he could have done to prevent it.  So now he had to deal with the aftermath.  A month in a medically induced coma left hime a bit bewildered, at a loss as he awoke to a completely new situation, one where he couldn't talk or move most of his body. On the surface it's hard to see it now, but in many ways he was lucky. He had his cognitive function, he had ..read more

When you are faced with an existential crisis, it's hard to see what is right in front of you.  Brain injury and Lime Disease screw with one's sense of self.  Pamela Schmidt was a never-say-never person a superwoman in the flesh.  She still knows she is that person in some ways, but then again, she isn't that person. She's had concussions in her past, like so many of us, but nothing like when a window fell on her head.  That changed everything.  Back in the 90's she was told to keep going, that she was okay.  But she wasn't.  She had to change her approach t ..read more

No one knows the value of love and support from family and friends better than Scott Olson. When he was eight, doctors took out one third of his brain. They said he wouldn't walk, talk or use his arm again. But Scott was undeterred and his family kept telling him that they loved him - his grandmother even snuck hamburgers into the hospital for him. He got back on track to school, walking and talking and living life with gusto and creativity and love. Getting here wasn't easy. His story is one of courage through great adversity where mostly the best advice was just the straight story so as not ..read more

Chris Richards was a successful engineer and led an active life before he strained a muscle in a push-hands tai chi class. Four years later he had to leave work on disability. He tried every doctor he could but they just couldn't figure out a solution. Chris reconnected with a childhood friend who has his own physical challenges and has found the inspiration to reinvent himself. Now Chris has a new job, new motivation, and a new relationship. And, he is even writing a new book called "The Sideline." He has come a long way.A Note On The Life Over Pain Theme Music:Emily Bielagus graciously and g ..read more

One way many people create a life of value as they live with whatever cards they have been dealt is to give back in some way. That is a key reason why most of the people share their stories on this podcast are so generous in doing so. And Paige Speers is a fine example.Paige suffered a pulmonary embolism which left her with an acquired brain injury. She went through the standard rehab and medication protocols as she fought back from this trauma. Those only took her so far. So she looks for more resources, and let me tell you, Paige is very good and find them. Not only did she find functional n ..read more

In 2010 Patrick Laboussiere was hit by a NYC Subway train. His story of survival and reinvention tracks through waking up in the hospital not remembering large chunks of time in his life, or people, through multiple intensive therapies all the way to enrolling in a masters program in corporate communication. He wasn't always in the most positive frame of mind, but he persevered with a supportive team around him and internal fortitude that, perhaps, he didn't know he had.A Note On The Life Over Pain Theme Music:Emily Bielagus graciously and generously composed the lovely theme music for the Lif ..read more

Megan Heiser grew up on a farm, traveled the world, had a career, got married, had a baby. She was a perfectionist. Then things changed, dramatically.  An auto-immune disease caught hold of her and has made her take a completely different approach to life.   Each of us wake up to a new day with some uncertainty, but we generally have a strong sense of what our day will be like.  Unfortunately, that's not true for Megan.  Her disease throws her a curve ball every day. She may wake up with pain, fatigue or a whole host of other bodily errors she'll have to deal with that day ..read more