Success Stories With Funding From The Brain Injury Alliance

One day, your life is heading down one path and the next day that path can completely change direction due to an acquired brain injury. That day was November 7, 2007 for two phenomenal women who are now changing the lives of others around them. Vicki Gilberg was a traffic flagger who was looking at investing or buying into the business she worked for in 2007. On the way home from work on November 7, 2007, she rear-ended a bobcat at dusk that had no lights or reflectors at 60 km/hour. She lost consciousness and was taken to hospital by […]

Al taught at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) most of his adult life, instructing students in Computers and Electronics. He retired in 2006, but continued his volunteer work with the Scouts and the World Skills Organization. In 2014, he had a stroke. This left him paralyzed on the left side of his body, limited his speech and took away his ability to do many basic physical tasks. He had to give up volunteer work with youth, as he had done his entire life, and went from being “an active guy for 75, in good shape for my age”, to someone who […]

My name is Matt, I have been living with my brain injury for the past three years. My parents have been the my main support through my recovery. I was a passenger in a work truck heading to the oil patch for another round of work. I was a well tester in training. The driver went through an intersection without looking or stopping, and a truck hit us on the passenger side, totaling the truck. I was flown to hospital, suffering a broken femur, major head injury, cracked hip, broken knee and many other issue. I was transferred to Edmonton […]

Mary Jane is a sixty-four year old registered nurse. In the early morning of September 27th, 2016, she was driving home from her night shift when she fell asleep at the wheel and ended up in a single-car collision, totaling her vehicle and leaving her in shock, but with no apparent injuries. Later that day, Mary Jane visited a walk-in clinic where she had a neck x-ray and was prescribed both a muscle relaxant and an analgesic for whiplash, and sent on her way. At a follow-up appointment with her general practitioner ten days later Mary Jane was diagnosed with […]

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 […]

I fell off my motorcycle back in 1988. I went home instead of to the hospital, blacked out, and fell down the stairs. There was blood coming out of my nose and ears when my friend found me. Instead of taking me to the hospital, he showered me and put me to bed which was a huge mistake. When I couldn’t be woken up, I was taken to the hospital where I stayed for several months. After having a chunk of my skull, a huge blood clot, and part of my brain removed, I had to learn how to talk, […]

Gerry had a career as a Maintenance and repair technician before his brain injury. He was a natural leader who was able to read and interpret blueprints and all aspects of maintenance and yard care and had a successful business of his own. After his brain injury in 2015 he found the self-employment to be very difficult. He found the symptoms like fatigue and memory issues were taking over his abilities. With support, he is learning to cope with his fatigue which is exhibited by reduced processing time and trouble problem solving, storing and retrieving information. He is learning how […]

Dave joined the Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association’s PhotoClub with a simple point and shoot camera. He now works with a Nikon D 7100, is considered to be a semi-pro camera, and has a variety of lenses. His photos can be seen on the FVBIA website. Dave has become a gifted photographer, and donates many of his prints to the various fundraising efforts sponsored by the Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association. He has been featured in Headline and BC Disability magazines. When ‘life gets in the way’, Dave reaches for his camera and heads out on a photoshoot to escape […]

Sean attends every art class the Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association puts on. He has a unique painting style, incorporating vivid color into basic figures. Sean’s mother called to ensure he had a place in the February 2016 class, explaining that Sean had experienced some significant health changes, and has not been happy for quite awhile. She hoped his attendance in the art class would raise his spirits. To the surprise of everyone, Sean chose to do a particularly difficult piece that incorporated perspective work in shades of grays and browns (which he had not done before, and now must […]

A client who works for the Powell River Brain Injury Society Nutrition, Cooking and Gardening Program discovered hidden talent in the kitchen. We talked about value added product ideas, and having a market garden, we were thinking of selling the specialized compost and soil blend we created, and some of the produce. We had such an abundance of peppers, that she tried her hand at creating her own hot pepper sauces. They are so delicious, and so popular, that we are now getting ready to take her sauces to the next stage. We need to create a permanent recipe, make […]