Ride On: Adventures in Traumatic Brain Injury

In 2011, a motorcycle accident left Greg Nordfelt with a traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones. When he rejoined the world after eleven days in and out of a coma and nearly a month of memory loss, Greg found himself radically changed. Formerly an athletic adrenaline-junkie and successful banking executive, he could no longer walk, speak, read, or write. As he worked earnestly to relearn these fundamental human skills, his wife, Laura, was getting a crash-course training in her new role as Greg’s full-time caregiver. To complicate matters, while Laura was overwhelmed with grief, worry, and post-traumatic stress, Greg was having a very different experience. No one knew it, but a near-death experience had landed him into a state of euphoria, where no negativity or pain could penetrate his blissful “safe place.” The story follows Greg and Laura through the gruesome accident and its long-term aftermath as they work to rebuild their lives and nurture their marriage. Along the journey, they meet with hardships, isolation, and pain—but they also find unexpected turns, surprising gifts, and a new sense of community with others whose lives have been affected by traumatic brain injury.