Toni’s Story – Giving Back (VBIS)

The night of her birthday in 2009, Toni’s life changed forever. She had just moved into a new house and was looking forward to looking after her son, hanging out with him at the park and taking care of him. She laid down in bed with a huge headache. After getting into bed she doesn’t remember what happened for the next few months.

Toni had an aneurysm in the brain stem, unable to breathe for herself Toni was put on a ventilator and her wife was told to prepare for the worst. Luckily for everyone who knows Toni, she is a fighter – her vital signs began to improve and after extensive surgery and time in ICU Toni began to recover. After her surgeries Toni had to relearn everything again. She describes it as like being a baby, she had to learn to walk, talk and eat again.

The first couple of years after her surgery Toni had to try to find her way and figure out who she was. She describes how there “was a lot of work trying to survive”. Her doctor suggested she come Victoria Brain Injury Society where she was able to meet with a Case Manager who helped her understand and make sense of what she was going through. She began to take courses with VBIS and attended the peer support group.

She is now volunteering with Victoria Brain Injury Society, helping support other brain injury survivors to figure out their way and adapt to their new life. Toni says she hopes to be able to “impact someone’s life the way VBIS has impacted mine, because yeah we have a brain injury but that doesn’t mean we can’t feel good.”