Sharing Stories. Offering Hope.
Sharing lived experience to offer hope, perspective, and encouragement to people navigating brain injury, grief, and loss.
More than 50 years ago, a catastrophic brain injury changed the course of my life. In the years that followed, losing people I loved brought different challenges, including learning to live with grief while holding on to the memories that mattered.
Through contributions to the Brain Injury Association of America and Open to Hope, I’m sharing parts of that journey. My hope is that these stories help another survivor, a family member, a caregiver, or someone grieving feel understood and a little less alone.
Featured by the Brain Injury Association of America
Surviving Was Only the Beginning: Growing Up After Brain Injury
I’m grateful to the Brain Injury Association of America for publishing my personal story and for giving survivors a place to share experiences that may offer hope, understanding, and encouragement to others walking a similar road.
More than 50 years after my brain injury, I had the opportunity to reconnect with Dr. Donald J. Dombrowski, one of the people who played an important role in my survival and recovery.
Why I Share
Brain injury doesn’t end when someone leaves the hospital. Recovery can affect identity, family, relationships, confidence, memory, emotions, and the direction of a person’s life.
I share my story because I’ve had more than five decades to understand what recovery really meant.
The Longer Story
My memoir, AFTER SURVIVAL: A Memoir of Choice, Consequence, and the Life That Followed, tells the broader story of the injury, recovery, family, loss, faith, forgiveness, and the decades that followed.
With my younger sister, Michelle.
Open to Hope
Finding Hope After Loss
My life after brain injury also included losses that changed me deeply. Through my work as a contributing writer for Open to Hope, I’m sharing personal reflections on grief, faith, forgiveness, and learning to carry the people we love with us.
My first article, “Finding Peace Without Leaving My Sister Behind,” reflects on losing my younger sister, Michelle, and gradually finding room for memories of her warmth and kindness alongside the pain of her absence.
My hope is that sharing these experiences helps someone navigating their own loss feel a little less alone.
Scheduled for publication December 12, 2026.