CHAPTER 1
Ready, Set, Go
On September 7, 2005, I experienced a life-changing event.I am not a born-again Christian per se, but I have beengiven a second chance at this game called life. On that day, I wasinvolved in a severe automobile collision when a car struck themotorcycle I was driving. I suffered numerous physical injuries,including seven broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, a bruised liver,a torn bowel, fourth cranial nerve damage, (hence the doublevision), and a bilateral pneumothorax, or two punctured lungs;however, the most dramatic and life-altering injury was the closed-headtraumatic brain injury (TBI) I received. I was unconsciousat the scene, so my number on the Glasgow Coma Scale from 3to 15 was simply a 3. (See the neuropsychological paraphrase inthe Appendix A.)
When looking at the severity of my injury, my mother-in-law,a board-certified doctor in urgent care, jokingly commented, "Byscoring that low, one simply shows up for the test, but no one ishome." Therefore, when one is a 3 on the Glasgow Coma Scale,one is simply alive! I was not breathing at the scene, but somehowI was still fighting or being safeguarded in a way. However havingan off duty paramedic at the accident site on other business andhim establishing an airway for me, enhances the reason for mysurvival! This again focuses me towards sharing this info withothers so they can find real direction in their life as it was thisinjury that started my life over again! In the early stages of myrecovery, I sent an e-mail to a select group of individuals whoseperspectives on my abilities and character gave me better clarityregarding the reality of who I was and how I acted.
Unfortunately my brain, like the hard drive of a computer,became fragmented, with all of the data disbursed throughoutit. In an attempt to rebuild the neural pathways that had becomemisdirected, I sent out the following email request to beginrebuilding the life that was taken away from me. I did this withhopes to adapt to the barriers & obstacles now placed before me.
"Just a quick note as I'm attempting to make a list of thingsother people like or find interesting in me. In an attempt tocreate a positive self-image, I will use this list whenever I'mfeeling down or whenever I hear critical voices in my headleading me down the negative path. Unfortunately theaccident I was involved in leaves me little characteristicsof myself that are self-assuring to me. I need to find myselfbefore and I find balance with others in my life.
I sent this list to those I want to hear from that representthe best-balanced group I had. Rest assured, I use theblind carbon copy BCC format so your e-mail addresswill not be forwarded.
Wayne
PS. I could ask each of you this question but having apaper copy of your comments gives me something to reflecton in times of need."
To my enlightenment, the responses I received were veryfulfilling, and even to this day, I reflect on them whenmoments of weakness arrive. This practice has helped me onmy journey as a brain injury survivor. In comparison to whatmy neurosurgeon indicated, injuries like this on outgoing andextroverted personalities such as mine, prove very challengingfor those individuals to handle. Unfortunately, that comparisonis difficult for these individuals to realize, and they mustdevelop new ways of life to achieve their desired outcomes. Inmy early discussions with the vocational counselor at the NovaScotia Rehabilitation Hospital, he gave me a new term to use.In my discussions with him, I often said that I now had to"react to certain situations." It was then that he said, "Insteadof the word react, use the word adapt. Instead of reacting toa situation, adapt and find a new way to formulate the endresult." This way of thinking provides a proactive approachto attaining the desired outcome, instead of a reaction tosomething that is outside of your control. Approaching life thisway provides you with personal ownership and accountabilityfor your actions, and it's more productive than reacting tothings outside of your influence. As a result of this revelation,the website www.always-adapt.com was born!
Several weeks into my recovery, I became aware of my situationand faced the reality of my injury. According to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention,
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public healthproblem in the United States. Each year, traumaticbrain injuries contribute to a substantial number ofdeaths and cases of permanent disability. Recent datashows that, on average, approximately 1.7 millionpeople sustain a traumatic brain injury annually.(http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/)
In my case, I too share this disability level. Fortunately for me,mine is a disability that has improved considerably over time. Itis this improvement that feeds the hope I have and the energy Iwould like to share with others by writing this book. Before webegin, you need to have an understanding of a few definitions.People like Anthony Robbins and Jim Rhone provide others withthe motivation to pursue a goal.
Recently I took a trip to Toronto, Ontario, to see Dr. WayneDyer at the "I Can Do It!" conference, and he revealed that heconsiders himself an inspirational speaker, not a motivationalone. It is my hope that by providing this information, I too canhelp people achieve their goals—not through motivation orinspiration but through determination. People can be motivatedor inspired to follow a path, but if they are not determined toachieve what they choose to do, they will fall short of thedesired...
