Success Stories With Funding From The Brain Injury Alliance

Michelle acquired a traumatic brain injury at the age of twelve, while playing with her cousins. The injury resulted in significant neurological and physical challenges that created a life of fear, anxiety, exclusion and seclusion. As an adult, Michelle moved to Salmon Arm and discovered NOSBIS. Since receiving the encouragement and support through the Support Worker Program, which is funded 100% by the Alliance, Michelle has successfully completed numerous courses at Okanagan College. She is a very active volunteer with NOSBIS, providing regular on-call assistance at our reception desk. Michelle volunteers at NOSBIS’ many fundraising activities and serves on the […]

Darryl Kiseyinewakup (Kiss-in-yee-wake-up) is originally from Big Island Lake, Saskatchewan. In 2018, he heard about the Prince George Brain Injured Group (PG BIG) from a therapist at a healing village in Chilliwack and moved to Prince George looking for answers as to “why he was the way he was” after receiving a blow to his head. Darryl became a regular at BIG, wanting to attend any class he could, so he attended Introduction to Brain Injury. Fascinated by the knowledge he gained, Darryl wanted to learn more so he attended PG BIG’s (6) month Rebuilding after Brain Injury program to […]

Writers abound within the Fraser Valley Brain injury Association (FVBIA) membership so the FVBIA Writer’s Bullpen was created to provide a place for writers with brain injuries to come together to hone their craft and share ideas. In 2017, individual writers began submitting pieces to the FVBIA Newsletter as a means of sharing their thoughts and ideas through the Pay it Forward: Health and Wellness for ABI program, funded in part by the Brain Injury Alliance. Feedback amongst readers was positive and more submissions were requested for future newsletters. Individual writers wanted an opportunity to meet with others sharing an […]

I had a stroke in 2005 and was left with some deficits. At first, I was hesitant and unsure of what to expect when I went to Kootenay Brain Injury Association. I remember at the first meeting the worker went around the table and asked how everyone was doing. I thought to myself, “I’m not sharing to a group of strangers.” After three people shared, I found myself relating to total strangers and joined in conversation. Many years have passed since my first encounter with KBIA and hundreds of meetings and hours of support since. I am considered the mother […]

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 […]

Art Therapy at the Comox Valley Head Injury Society, (CVHIS) has been a big success for many of our program participants. There are several that stand out but one in particular is Ed Odgaard, who has benefited from the Art Therapy program and has now begun a journey related to that success. Ed is a long-time program participant with the Comox Valley Head Injury Society, he has been an active participant in our Wellness, Gardening, Cooking Program and our Art Therapy Program. One of his passions is photography, and since beginning the Art Therapy Program at CVHIS he has been […]

Ken is one of NOSBIS’ most active members. He consistently lends his time to fundraising efforts, participates in groups, and attends almost every event NOSBIS puts on. However, this was not always the case. As a result of his brain injury, Ken has dealt with PTSD, anxiety, depression and short-term memory challenges on a daily basis. At times, his anxiety was so debilitating that Ken would not leave his house for 3-4 days. With the encouragement and help of the Support Worker program at NOSBIS, Ken has been able to feel comfortable enough to venture into the community to grocery […]

Testimonial to the value the Brain Injury Group is providing to the clients at Prince George Regional Correction Centre. This is an observation only as noted by myself, a Correctional Supervisor of Programs on one individual. Client is a 22 year old male repeat offender, repeat periods of incarceration. This individuals past behaviour has been documented as immature, acting out, challenging, demanding and as having many peer issues which has also resulted in his receiving several internal charges and subsequently spending time in Segregation. During his current period of incarceration he made a decision and chose to participate in the […]

The best success story to date for me is that we were able to assist a gentleman who was basically left to decline in health and end up in a care facility. The gentleman was very shaky when he walked, if he walked, could not cook for himself, fell down lots, sleeping 18 hours a day, paranoid and introverted. He had to have home care come in and he would also not leave his apartment because of his anxiety. He also had many medical conditions that assisted to his life being complicated as well as a brain injury. This same […]

It is with great sadness to hear that Vanessa has passed away. A beautiful poem written by one of her peers that was shared at Vanessa’s celebration of life service. For Vanessa For those of us who remain Our hearts are filled with sorrow We feel anger because to us, you were cheated. In our grief we grasp for answers That just aren’t there; Trying to make sense of the senseless To Justify the injustice of losing you Today, we pray that you are at peace We cannot see you, we cannot hear you But you will never be forgotten. […]