He's been gone for a week and a day. Grief distorts time. Nine days feels like a month, nine days feels like yesterday.  Time will continue to pass. Last week's memories will become last month's memories. "It's so weird that we'll remember none of these days," I said to Sarah last week. My mom passed in 2019. I have no recall of the weeks following her passing.  I will have no recall of these early days. Grief is God's protective blanket. Thankfully he doesn't yank off the blanket, "Time to wake up!" Not even close. For now, I'll hold the blanket close. Occasionally I'll pee ..read more

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, something I have mixed feelings about. Step outside the brain injury community, and almost no one knows. Sometimes I wonder if those outside our circle really even care, but that's a long story for another time - if ever. I joined the club 13 years, 4 months, and 2 weeks ago. Never did I ask for this to be my fate, yet here we are. I'm just a guy who got t-boned by a car, doing the best I can, and doing what I can to help others. I'm hoping my words here present a teaching moment for those fortunate enough to not live with unseen challenges. To Hu ..read more

      Can I share a good news story with you today? Over the years, I haven’t shared much of my professional life here. I am open and often painfully transparent about being a brain injury survivor. Baring my struggles for well over a decade has helped others to feel less alone.   I am one of the fortunate ones as I have a job. I was full-time self-employed as a web developer at the time of my injury. Had I been working for someone else, I would have been fired during my first post-injury year.    I can say that with 100% certainty. I was a hot mess. &nb ..read more

Our health care system is so broken, perhaps beyond repair. And it's costing people their lives. In early December, I hit a tipping point. My PTSD had progressed to the point of making life unsustainable. After months of literal anguish, I knew it was time to seek professional help again. Just making the decision to get help took Herculean effort. Never, ever did I expect to find the process of finding a qualified provider so difficult. A large Boston-area hospital recently opened a larger medical building here in town. It's a rather large and bustling building. Their website touts expe ..read more

  In case you missed it...   My wife Sarah wrote this article for our December issue of HOPE Magazine. I still find looking at like through her eyes to be very difficult. Brain injury is hard to live with - and I feel that it can often be harder on those we love.    My wife is a beautiful human being, both inside and out. I still struggle in knowing how much our lives have been effected. Rereading her words has brought me to tears - every time.   Here is a bit of insight as to what our lives are like today - through Sarah's eyes.   ~D   # # #&nb ..read more

  In this issue, we bring you stories of resilience and hope to brighten the shorter, winter days. Our contributors, both long-term survivors and newcomers to the brain injury journey, share their experiences with honesty and courage.    Their stories are a testament to the strength and adaptability of the human spirit, offering inspiration and comfort to others who share the same fate.    ====================   ???? ??? ???? ??????? ??????? ???? http://www.tbihopeandinspiration.com/December2023.pdf   ??? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? https://amzn.t ..read more

  Interested in a holiday brain injury tale with just a splash of silliness? In my most recent Brainline Article, I share about a very unique aspect of my relationship with my wife Sarah. Perhaps on of my favorite articles... ever! Happy holidays from us to you! ~D Staying Between the Bumpers after Brain Injury In many respects, Sarah, my wife, and I represent a fairly typical family dealing with brain injury. I am a brain injury survivor, having lived through the unfortunate circumstance of being T-boned by a car while cycling. Sarah, as the spouse of a brain injury survivor, and I nav ..read more

In the quiet time that comes with early Saturday mornings, I often reflect on life. Boo still sleeps, and our three fur babies are all fed and content living their best lives. I'm going to try my best to put into words what's been quietly stirring about for a while now. I guess it's human nature to figure out where we fit in life.  This morning I woke to lots of cranial pressure. Not the overwhelming kind that comes with a change in the weather. Rather just an uncomfortable feeling of pressure.  Now in year fourteen as a survivor, I'm pretty familiar with what I've got. As odd ..read more

"It" happened on November 11, 2010.  If you've experienced trauma, the you know what "it" is - that event that defines before and after, then and now, how it was and how it is. That deep primal understanding that everything changed, that there is no going back to life as it was. Ever. Accident anniversary are wooly beasts. Some come suddenly, out of nowhere.  "Oh, today's the day."  Others creep like a lion in tall grass. You know there's something out there just beyond what you can see that brings an uneasiness.  "So, how you doing on the thirteenth anniversary ..read more

  I have two choices every day. Either to live in the problem, or to live in the solution. Easier said than done, but I do my best - and that's good enough. In this article, I share compensatory strategies that have increased the quality of my life, and while doing so, those close to me have less fear, less worry, less concern. Thank you Brainline. D- My External Brain Many years ago, I was introduced to a phrase that, before my brain injury, had not been part of my vocabulary: “compensatory strategies.” Why? Because prior to my injury, there had been nothing to compensate for. I was a ..read more