Happie Heads

Deb is a medical student from Alberta, Canada. She is currently in her rotational years which means she is working directly with patients nearly every day. About a year ago Deb was driving home from a rotation and was hit head on by another driver. She suffered from a TBI involving diffuse axonal injury, a hemorrhage, and many other things. She also suffered from several (almost countless) broken bones. We talk about her lengthy recovery, knowing how and when to push forward when we are healing, and what it means to know God's will when facing tough ideas like suffering. Enjoy!

Michael

Jim is currently a MD/PhD student at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He has recently defended his PhD on cerebrospinal fluid physiology or "sleep and its role in cleaning out the brain" as I call it. In addition to his scientific and medical background, Jim is a TBI survivor. One month before starting medical school he crashed his mountain bike while flying down a trail in Utah. He immediately started experiencing a runny nose and lack of proprioception. It turns out he had a skull fracture. Listen in to hear the details! Enjoy!

AJ is a current Las Vegan (couldn't resist), although he is originally from Bend, Oregon. AJ was struck in the face by a pool filter that essentially exploded while he was attempting to repair it. He spent several weeks in the hospital and rehab. He doesn't remember much of anything for the first months after the accident, and uses the stories of his wife and family to reconstruct exactly what the recovery process was like for him. I loved talking to AJ for this episode. I hope you enjoy it and pull something from his story and insights.

Jeff has been on the podcast before, and is a functional neurologist at Northwest Functional Neurology in the Portland, OR area. This past spring, he gave a very impressive talk at the Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon about the metabolic and immunologic consequences of TBI. Since nutrition, lifestyle, and the gut/immune interface is so close to my heart, his talk struck a chord. This episode is full of high quality information, and some of the pivotal slides will be posted in the show notes! Following his tips may change your life. Just saying.

Peace!

Michael

Mr. Kracke is a one of a kind human being. He has so many hobbies, projects, and accomplishments that I find it difficult to know where to begin and when to end. This said, I will mention a few pertinent aspects of his life. He is a Portland based lawyer who currently works for the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) as the Brain Injury Advocate coordinator after working as a personal Injury defense lawyer for brain injury survivors for nearly two decades. He was one of the few individuals who constructed the nation's first return to play laws (i.e. Max's Law and Jenna's Law). He is passionate about his life, and has both a load of wisdom and knowledge, some of which is passed along in this conversation. If you haven't heard Part 1 this may be a bit confusing. Enjoy!

Mr. Kracke is a one of a kind human being. He has so many hobbies, projects, and accomplishments that I find it difficult to know where to begin and when to end. This said, I will mention a few pertinent aspects of his life. He is a Portland based lawyer who currently works for the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) as the Brain Injury Advocate coordinator after working as a personal Injury defense lawyer for brain injury survivors for nearly two decades. He was one of the few individuals who constructed the nation's first return to play laws (i.e. Max's Law and Jenna's Law). He is passionate about his life, and has both a load of wisdom and knowledge, some of which is passed along in this conversation. Enjoy!

His story beings at 6:13

Lorita may have the most complicated case I have seen. Fifteen years ago she was struck in the occipital bone of her skull by a heavy backpack that was swung like a medieval flail, and then immediately soccer kicked in the temple. She has been dealing with the repercussions of this every since. Some of these struggles are her gastroparesis which makes it very difficult to eat well or her complex regional pain syndrome. We talk about a lot of her solutions to her issues including cranial sacral therapy, cold laser therapy, and even hyperbaric chambers. We even chat about our friends at Northwest Functional Neurology. Since 2008 she has been running a camping, rafting, and hiking trip for survivors and their families, and she offers it for only 25$. She is an incredible person, and I know you will get a lot out of this episode.

If you want to learn more about her camp, raft, hike event and/or support it here are some links:

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/hope-for-healing-through-new-treatment

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OregonBrainInjuryCampingRaftingHikingTrip/

Jessy is the first dirt biker that I have had on the podcast. She crashed her bike while riding back in May of 2018. Although this may have caused some injury to the brain, far more damage was done when another biker behind her rode over her head (Jessy was wearing a helmet) with both tires of her bike. Amazingly, Jessy is back on her feet getting after it only 10 months later. In this episode we talk about how her social circles have changed since her accident, how supportive her family has been, and a lot more. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Her story starts at 13:44

Heath Snyder has a lot of things going for him. He has six children who love him to death. He has an ability to articulate himself that many of us survivors desire. But his most valuable gift is a genuine desire to share his experience of fighting through a TBI with the world. When I say he wants to share I truly mean it. He has fought through several concussions including MVA's, football collisions, being a rodeo cowboy, and his most recent by hitting his head on a cabinet door, blacking out, and then hitting his head on the floor. Our conversation touches on many things, but most importantly we talk about how little credit humans give themselves. He (and I) both believe that we are far more capable than we give ourselves credit for. I hope you enjoy this rich conversation, and pull something good out of it.

If you want to follow him on the gram: @collidedscopes

Kahyra has had several TBI. In fact, she has had five concussions. In fact, all 5 have been while playing soccer. Some of the concussions are from getting pegged by the ball, and one involved a collision while going up for a header. In one instance, she temporarily lost all vision in one eye, potentially having suffered a torn retina. She grew up playing soccer and has been in love with the sport since her childhood. She even went on to pay for college with an athletic scholarship. In the episode we talk about some of the scary moments after some of her TBI, the diet she uses to minimize her symptoms, and whether or not it is worth it to pursue a dream that involves risking a head injury. Enjoy!

Her story starts at 10:31