Happie Heads

Jacob Plasker is a functional neurologist operating out of Bend, Oregon (that's smack dab in the center). As an infant, he rolled off the edge of bed, landing on his head, and leaving him temporarily paralyzed. After adjustments from his father, the majority of his motor ability returned. To this day, Jacob has hemiparesis (partial paralysis) in one side of his body, but he is still able to operate in his chiropractic practice at a high level. We talk about his life growing up with hemiparesis, and what tips he has for BI survivors after seeing many in his clinic.

His story start at 7:30

I have known Luke for a few months now from support groups, on the max, and walking from the max to and from support groups. From these experiences, I can tell you that he is one of the most honest people I know, which is hard to find these days. He is from Forest Grove, OR, and has a passion for storytelling. He spends quite a bit of his free time writing his own stories and developing characters that mirror his favorite childhood stories, but with a cool, unique twist. At the age of 5, he was in a car accident in which the airbags gave him quite the TBI. After much time rehabbing, and with the love and support of family and friends, he now is working towards his bachelor degree and working part time. He is a good man, and quite an inspiration. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Michael

His story starts at 6:50

Rick Pape is a central Oregonian near the town of Redmond. One day while working outside on his deck, he spontaneously blacked out. After blacking out he fell against the deck railing which gave out. As he fell his body flipped putting him on his head. Like most of us, his recovery was not smooth or "textbook." We talk about how his perspective has changed because of his fall and how it has changed his outlook on life.

His story starts at 8:29.

Cory is the man. He is very much laid back like myself, which always makes me feel extra relaxed when recording. His TBI is unique in that he did not hit his head. You may say, "Michael, how can this be? A traumatic brain injury implies trauma, I thought that means some sort of impact." Funny you ask, because I just got done looking this up. Trauma simply implies a sudden onset of a physical injury. This being said, Cory had a physical injury indeed. While riding a tractor at work it turned over on him and crushed his torso, cutting off blood flow to his brain. This is called an anoxic brain injury. Nowadays, he lives in Portland, where he fills his days with many interesting hobbies, including coaching basketball at PSU on the weekends. I dug talking to him, and I hope you enjoy listening in!

His story starts at 4:57

Nicki Sinner is a real charmer. She is witty, spirited, and mostly importantly speaks her mind. During her senior year of high school she was involved in a car accident in St. Helens, OR. Her accident occurred during a wet, rainy afternoon when she was headed to have dinner at her boyfriend's house. Like I always say, these accidents happen at the most unexpected times. She now lives on her own (along with her cat) in Portland, OR. I really enjoyed hearing her story and perspectives, and I know you will too!

Her story starts at 13:05

Meet Laura Linda! In 2015, she was T-boned by another car while on her way to work. One of the coolest things about her story is that she was pretty lucid during the entire event. She even remembers conversation she had with the paramedics who drove her to the hospital. In addition to her TBI, she had several non-displaced fractures, but was remarkably stable after the accident and discharged the same day as her accident. In our conversation we cover her road to recovery and physical symptoms, but we also talk about the psychological aspects of recovery. How can we learn to accept our new life after brain injury, and how can gratitude lead best to this acceptance? These and many more are the topics we explore in the conversation.

Enjoy! Her story begins at 4:10.

If you have a brain injury and you live in the Portland Metro Area (Oregon and Maine), you need to meet Pat Murray. She has been in the game since '01 when she received her first TBI. Like many of us, the most banal of circumstances led to a fall that changed her life forever. But also like those of us keener to dramaturgy, was involved in a car accident in 2013. This also contributed to her TBI symptoms. Pat never sat down and gave up, even when she was struggling to consolidate her memories, she was seeking out ways to get involved in the TBI community in Portland and to improve the system for others. Listen and Enjoy!

Her Story begins at 5:30

Cavin is the man. And I mean that in the legit way not the School of Rock way. In 2011, he fell from 20 feet from a rooftop water tower, immediately losing consciousness, and suffering a diffuse axonal injury. Initially he was in pretty bad shape, without the ability to eat or breath on his own. After meeting with a functional neurologist, he was inspired to change his diet in order to address some of his symptoms. As it turns out, it completely changed his life. He quickly took a deep dive into the world of functional medicine, in order to find other solutions to his problems. Long story short, he soon become a well-known name in the field of nutrition post brain injury. He currently runs his own blog and podcast called Adventures in Brain Injury (http://adventuresinbraininjury.com/). If you are in any way concerned with nutritional mechanisms to ameliorate your TBI symptoms, this is the podcast to listen to. He also has his own book called How to Feed a Brain. You can find it on Amazon or at the website above. This episode was a treasure-trove of knowledge, so I know you will get a lot out of it. You might want to get a piece a scratch paper and notes to write stuff down.

His story starts at 5:11

Enjoy!

Brandon was involved in a car accident on the evening of July 3rd, 2007, in which he, and two other passengers were hit from behind from another driver. Upon examination at OHSU, he was given a less than 5% chance of surviving through the night. Of course, Brandon is a warrior. He did not die. In fact, he is still a very charming, theatrical man. In this episode, we talk about all of the crazy things he did in his rehab, and some of the activities he still does to cheer up during tough times. Our interview was a lot of fun, and I know you will enjoy it too!

His story starts at 10:10

Joan and John are a delight. Witty, rambunctious, and sincere are just a few adjectives I could use to describe them. Nearly 20 years ago, they were hit by a drunk driver in Utah while on a business trip. Her recovery, like most, was not without its roadblocks and breakthroughs. Sometimes she needed the help of others, but sometimes she needed the liberty to regain her self-sufficiency. Their story details the working through a brain injury as a couple, but more broadly, as a team. Many times, I find the rate and quality of one's recovery is positively correlated with the ability of one's support to work together cohesively as a team. In this episode, we touch on what a good team consists of.

If you want to know more about Joan, buy her biography written by Kelly Sharp. It is found on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Make-Toast-Kelly-Sharp/dp/1634909224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518994446&sr=8-1&keywords=learning+to+make+toast.

Enjoy!

Her story starts at 9:14