Carol Lake - #5Thoughts Flashback: Sage, Self, and Snowflakes
Carol was crossing the street when she was 18 years old (1978), and was hit by a car. She had two shattered legs, broken pelvis, fractured skull and a severe coma. She was in a coma for 14 days. In traction for her legs for 2 months, they focused on her injured legs but didn't focus on her injured brain. According to Carol, "It just wasn't done at that time." She took one semester off then started college - she could read a book but she didn't understand the words. She almost flunked out of college but slowly she taught herself how to learn again. One step at a time. She earned one bachelors degree, an MBA and MA in international business, and she never gave up. She Never Give up on Her Dreams. After college she moved to San Francisco, and the challenges of corporate America were much different than those in college. She had to figure out how to deal with her injured memory and figure out how to respond on her feet and work in a business. It took her years of struggle, but she finally started writing everything down after it happened, and that helped with her memory issues. She had been a top student in high school prior to my accident, but life was much more challenging after my brain injury. She never gave up, though, and faced and overcame each challenge as it occurred. She got married, she and her husband raised three daughters, and she worked in finance for 40 years. She is now retired and she is a part of Bridging the Gap traumatic brain injury support group for survivors, and has written an anthology of positive stories entitled Recognizing the Hero Within (32 stories, available on Amazon). It started out as a collection of brain injury survivor stories, but she then broadened it to include other stories that would also be good for the general public. She is focusing on giving back and helping others in my retirement. "We are all here to help one another" says Carol. #5 Thoughts Friday - Sage, Self, and Snowflakes For more information you can visit www.biamd.org or call the free helpline at 1-800-221-6443. Disclaimer: This podcast is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement of treatments, individuals, or programs which appear herein. Any external links on the website are provided for the visitor’s convenience; once you click on any of these links you are leaving the BIAMD website. BIAMD has no control over and is not responsible for the nature, content, and availability of those sites.
Canada - english