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This article was published on June 3rd, 2015
The Charity Headway -East London has come up with the brilliant idea of starting a blog which will help support ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) survivors. The charity aims to provide a portal for people to tell their stories and how they have comes to terms with their injuries.
Headway works with 1000’s of people who have an ABI and they felt that the survivors needed to voice their personal accounts of what their lives were like before, and after to help them and their friends and families understand the difficulties they face.
By providing a platform for people to talk about their injuries and often traumatic experiences, it is hoped it will increase awareness of brain injury.
One man developed a cyst on the brain at 17 and ended up having to have cranial surgery which left him with poor memory and speed of thought. He has not been able to hold down a job since the operation and his thoughts help those around him to understand what he has been through and what he still goes through every day:
“After waking, I knew my memory was quite badly impaired because the first time I went for a wash by myself I was there for hours. Take a wash, wash down, and then – oh. I would suddenly come-to, and do the same thing over and over again.
“I noticed the confabulation as well. Do you know what confabulation is? It’s a false memory, or a modified memory of events.
“When I confabulate, I cannot retrieve memories very well. In trying to retrieve them my brain struggles, then fills in the gaps with probable memories. And it feels very true. It feels emotionally and logically coherent, but it’s often quite a false memory. Confabulation tends to happen if the event I’m trying to recall has a very high emotional component. It doesn’t happen often but when it does it is quite spectacular because it’s quite obvious that something is wrong.
“Having said it doesn’t happen a lot, I don’t exactly know because I might not be aware of it.
“My neurological tests show that I’m fine at reasoning and thinking precisely. The problem lies with my memory, speed of thought and retaining information.
“In the nine years since my brain injury I’ve lost four jobs I wouldn’t say I’m proud of that, but it’s good in a way because it shows that I’ve got resilience.
“I’ve had to relearn a lot of things. I’ve lost confidence in myself and have forgotten a fair amount of things as well. So now I work at home on algorithms and the fundamentals of programming, rather than trying to build a massive piece of software like I once did. I’m re-learning and trying to understand the basics. It’s very pleasurable and it keeps me in touch with what’s happening in the industry.
Our specialist head injury solicitors have particular expertise in identifying the long term effects of brain and head injuries. By working with the medical teams and ancillary experts at the earliest opportunity we are able to ensure that your rehabilitation – both physical and social – is implemented and that both the injured party and their family receive the support they need. We advise clients on the levels of brain injury and head injury compensation appropriate to their circumstances, both in terms of a lump sum and any ongoing financial support that the injured party may require.
It is hugely important to find a specialist head injury solicitor with experience in brain injury cases to ensure that both the victim and their family receive the right support and advice early on in the process.
To speak to one of our specialist team call us now on FREEPHONE 0800 1979 345, or complete our simple enquiry form and we can call you back at a time to suit you.
