My name is Tom, I sustained my brain injury by falling off a ladder while fixing my roof.
I don’t remember much of the accident, only waking up in the hospital. I was in a coma for a few weeks and I had to relearn how to walk, talk and eat on my own. I spent six months in a recovery facility and eventually transitioned back home.
During my transition to independent living I was welcomed by an outreach worker from the West Kootenay Brain Injury Association. She was very nice and she made sure I had all I needed and helped me get settled. I was very scared to be on my own for the first few nights as I had not done so in over six months. The outreach worker came and checked on my regularly and supported me with getting groceries, banking, food prep, and house hold task. My finances were a mess and I needed help with almost everything. I lived in a very rural area and had trouble with accessing any supports in my community as well I lived in an area were I was being taken advantage of financially and was at risk of physical harm.
Seven months ago WKBIA supported me with relocating to a more populated area to a apartment were I am thriving. I now can access a variety of support services, I am receiving regular medical care, I am attending peer support groups, using transit and WKBIA was able to advocate with the ministry to get me a power scooter to help with my mobility. I am now a happy productive member of my community.
Thank you so much for providing this funding for me to become successful with my recovery.
