Personal Stories

9 December, 2017 I forget my first memory  I forget the first thing I remember after my brain injury. I forget the last thing I remember before it. One day I was riding my bicycle after work. Later I was in a hospital room at MCV. With casts on. And IV’s. There’s a week in…

The truth of the matter, if you are weak, you are in a good spot. That may sound off, but that plain fact remains, your weakness can be your strength. As a former computer guy, turned, pastor, weakness has often been my resting place. I was going to study software engineering at Auburn. Through a…

On October 3, 2014, 1 week prior to my 41st birthday, a disgruntled former employee of the condominium building I managed came inside and shot me point blank. I had fired the man two months prior and he returned with all intentions of killing me. The bullet went entirely through the right side of my…

In 2006 I was 22 years old, a single parent raising my two children while working part-time and going to Cosmetology school full-time. I was six weeks away from graduation when one morning I woke up with severe pain in my head—absolutely indescribable. I was vomiting and the pain would not stop. Later that evening…

Five years ago I was volunteering as a medic and firefighter for Charles City County in New Kent, VA. While driving a water truck to a house fire in Charles City, I lost control of my truck and flipped. A traumatic brain injury left me in the hospital for seven weeks until I woke up.…

Hello my name is Geoffrey Butler.  From the age 1 through 7, I was a normal kid.  Still at the age of 7, I started to have 4 types of seizures.  The worst type, called a Drop Attack Seizure, it make my whole body weak & makes me fall at any given time.  So I…

Six years ago my strong husband suffered a heart attack. He spent a few days in the hospital and returned home. Within a week he had a cardiac arrest. This episode resulted in an oxygen deprived brain injury. He was in a coma for a week after which he finally responded to commands to wiggle…

My name is Triena Baldwin and I received my brain injury in September 2011.  I was traveling on the interstate going to Richmond, VA.  Traffic had come to a standstill and we were coming to a stop and waiting.  There was a car driving in the opposite direction on the other side of the interstate…

Before my car accident and brain injury, I had a busy and full life. I was an involved father of twin boys and worked professionally as a financial crimes investigator. I have no memories of the day of my injury, but based on witness and doctor accounts, I know that while travelling on highway 288,…

The challenges of a traumatic brain injury can be daunting. My life before my injury was full and busy! I was an elementary school teacher, group exercise instructor, and a mom! While outside at recess with my class, a student accidentally kicked a soccer ball into the back of my head. Although doctors have different…