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, walk, and eat again, and came home.
As a result of my brain injury, I lost my hearing in one ear and I have permanent nerve damage on my right side that gives me continuous pain and numbness in my leg. My memory is completely shot, and the flooding and fatigue keeps me away from social events and people in general. I can go from zero to sixty with my temper now, which doesn’t help things much either, but the people who know me don’t take it personally.
I found a career that worked for me as a greenskeeper for a golf club for 10 years, until I just couldn’t take how it was aggravating my brain injury effects anymore. I went on a permanent disability pension, but still worked part time mowing and weed-whacking privately on Vancouver Island. I moved to Terrace to be close to my elderly mom after my dad passed away. I live quite a ways out of town where it’s quiet and no people around, and drive into town when I need to.
I hadn’t worked since I got to Terrace, so I relied heavily on my pension to pay the bills. At a visit to the doctor, I could have sworn I heard him say that he didn’t think I needed to be on my pension anymore. That knocked me for a loop! The doctor connected me to the Northern Brain Injury Association in Terrace, and I told Tekah, the Case Manager, my problem. If they cut me off, I thought, I won’t be able to survive so I may as well pack it in.
I wasn’t sleeping or eating. I was really stressed out and anxious about getting cut off, and not knowing why. However, Tekah was able to help me get it straightened out. My brain sometimes plays tricks on me where what I think I hear isn’t really said at all. After that I could relax and think about working again.
I just hate sitting around the house doing nothing, and I really need the money too. NBIA helped me with a plan to start mowing and weed whacking for people again. Tekah connected me with another agency that does yard maintenance for seniors, who now uses me as a referral, and we put out some flyers and calling cards around town as well.
I am getting more calls for lawn mowing now, and have a few regular customers. It keeps me busy and productive, and the extra money helps too. I am going to the NBIA Survivor Support Group in Terrace which gets me out and around people who understand my brain injury. I also carry around one of NBIA’s identification cards for brain injury survivors in case I need it to communicate that I have a brain injury that affects my moods and memory.
I experienced a lot of loss because of my brain injury, but I am doing the best I can with what I have, and take it one day at a time. NBIA has really been a great help so far, and I’m glad that Terrace has this service here.
Note from the NBIA: Kelly’s story had a positive outcome directly because of funding from the Brain Injury Alliance, which helps to fiscally support the Northern Brain Injury Association’s regional services.
