Horizons of Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery tells the story of severe traumatic brain injury and a complete recovery. The book contains a complete analysis of police records of the crimes that caused the injury. It also contains all medical, surgical and therapy records to document the
before and
after conditions of Martha, the author's injured wife. The injury occurred when a muscle car driven by a young man impaired on marijuana went through a red light and struck the 69-year-old pedestrian.
Severe traumatic brain injury usually requires years of recovery, and Martha's took more than two years. Tom became sole caregiver after her 28 days in the hospital. Neurosurgeons and rehab physicians noted that she presented a "remarkable" recovery. To relieve high intracranial pressure, surgeons removed a hemisphere of Martha's skull--and put it in the freezer. They evacuated a large intracerebral hematoma caused by the contusion where the car struck her right temporal lobe. She wore a blue helmet for five months before neurosurgeons could replace her skull bone that they held in place with titanium plates.
All during this long recovery, God helped Martha. Our Father reassured her. Tom received a poem giving them a promise and him an assignment:
I have done what only I can do; I always do what is best. You must do what only you can do; I leave to you the rest. This set the pattern: Martha--full recovery, and Tom--her caregiver. Many friends and family prayed and helped.
In 2007, Tom ended fifty years of teaching. As a professor and consultant, data analysis buttressed all of his work. He calls himself a "bean counter" or data analyst. Those who know him best say he makes "numbers talk." On May 5th, 2007, as they stepped from the curb into the crosswalk, Tom and his wife Martha's lives were forever changed. Sudden impact from a car and the pavement left Martha with severe traumatic brain injury. For the reader, Tom brings to life--through his expository writing style--his experience as Martha's sole caregiver, and an understanding of their intense journey to recovery from traumatic brain injury. Book Descriptors: Xlibris BID: 84217 Book Title: Horizons of Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery Non-fiction 1. Book Descriptors: Brain injury, Neurosurgery, Therapy, Recovery, Care giving 2. Genre: Story form, but may be read as a Medical Case Study, Prayer throughout 3. Glossary: Traumatic brain injury, Neurosurgery 4. Documentation: Images, Photographs and Records of Medical, Police and Court 5. Index
