DiversityNursing Blog

I find it strangely interesting that this time last year, as I was enduring the beginning of my life with a TBI, I had no idea that March was National Brain Injury Awareness Month. This year I feel compelled to shout it from the rooftops (or the computer screen)! Over the next few weeks, I intend to share with you stories and journeys of those living with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or caring for a loved one who is recovering from one. My hope is to educate those who aren't familiar with TBI, and to help other TBI-ers understand that they are not alone, and that their symptoms are not just "in their head" (pun intended). 

Let me start by offering you some statistics on TBI from BrainTrauma.org:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adults from ages 1 to 44.

 

• Brain injuries are most often caused by motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, or simple falls on the playground, at work or in the home.

 

 

• Every year, approximately 52,000 deaths occur from traumatic brain injury.

 

 

• An estimated 1.5 million head injuries occur every year in the United States emergency rooms. 

 

 

• An estimated 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur each year.

 

 

• At least 5.3 million Americans, 2 percent of the U.S. population, currently live with disabilities resulting from TBI.

 

 

• Moderate & severe head injury (respectively) is associated with a 2.3 and 4.5 times increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

 

 

• Males are about twice as likely as females to experience a TBI.

 

 

• Exposures to blasts are a leading cause of TBI among active duty military personnel in war zones.

 

 

• Veterans' advocates believe that between 10 and 20 percent of Iraq veterans, or 150,000 and 300,000 service members have some level of TBI.

 

 

• 30 percent of soldiers admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center have been diagnosed as having had a TBI.

 

• The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.

There are three levels of traumatic brain injuries: mild, moderate and severe. Don't let these names fool you. A mild TBI is just as serious as a moderate or severe one. The names refer to loss of consciousness and mental alteration as a result of the trauma. In my case, we think I was unconscious for only about a minute or so, therefore classifying me as "mild". But like I said, don't let the name fool you. The resulting damage can be the same for all three -- a TBI does not discriminate. 

A TBI changes you. Literally and figuratively. My personality is different. My energy levels and sleep patterns are foreign to me. The confused woman in the kitchen staring at the oven is someone I am just now starting to understand. The woman who has to write a Post-it note for every single task on her to-do list is no longer the multi-tasker she once was. The woman who used to type at 100 words per minute with zero mistakes now has to take her time and correct many keystroke errors as she goes because her brain gets confused with letters.

I am finally coming to terms with this "new me." It has been just over a year since I fell on the ice, landing full force on my skull. In the beginning I was angry. I was confused. I was in a lot of pain, both physically and emotionally. People didn't understand. Didn't believe me. Couldn't understand my hidden injuries. I didn't have a strong support system, but what I did have was determination! 

Life with an "invisible" injury or illness can be a real challenge. Since I posted my last blog, "Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury," on The Huffington Post last month, I have made an entirely new circle of friends. I created a group on Facebook, affectionately named "The TBI Tribe." This is a safe place where we can hang out, talk, vent frustrations, share in each other's successes, and more importantly, have a place where we all feel like we fit in. I was craving an environment where others understood my struggles and didn't pass judgement. I have found exactly that in this tribe! 

I want to share with you a little bit about one of my new friends, Jennifer L. White from St. Louis, Missouri:

In July of 2000 Jennifer collapsed in her Atlanta, Georgia apartment. She called 911 and told them she was dying. She did, in fact, die in the ambulance on her way to the hospital. Fortunately medics were able to resuscitate her. Doctors determined that she had had a stroke and performed brain surgery to eradicate the brain bleed. She spent 10 days in the ICU followed by several months in a rehab facility. Overnight she went from the vice president of a large marketing firm, to unemployable and on disability. The massive stroke has left Jennifer with cognitive deficiencies, balance issues, and double vision. She jokes that she can, however, make a killer peanut butter sandwich! It's important to have a good sense of humor when dealing with a TBI. Aside from her impairments, Jennifer looks completely healthy and "normal." A few words from Jennifer:

The brain injury has affected me in a variety of ways. Emotionally, I am fragile but working hard to toughen my spirit.  I am much more introspective (I don't know if this is from the actual brain injury or the fact I now have more time to be introspective). Things are just harder for me than most people.   I have to actually think seriously about where I am stepping. 

I define my life in two ways: before and after the stroke.  It has certainly delivered me a tough blow. I have been advised not to have children. I am scared that I am predisposed to have something else happen to me, and I am sorry that I don't find sweetness in the sweet things in life because I am more bitter than I want to be.  But call me crazy... I am glad to be alive. 

I hope that you will join me this month as I share with you more stories and continue to bring awareness to the world about TBI.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

By Chris Serico

Larry Stogner, a retiring news anchor for an ABC affiliate in North Carolina, stunned viewers on Friday when he revealed he has ALS.

"For nearly four decades, I have met you right here, usually at 6," the WTVD anchor said during a Jan. 23 broadcast, as a slideshow of his life and career appeared on a screen behind him. "Boy, we've seen a lot of change over those years, but we have to stop meeting this way. I am sure that in recent months, you've noticed a change in my voice; my speech, slower. Many of you were kind enough to email me ideas about what it might be, or just to show concern, and I truly appreciate that. As it turns out, I have ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease."

Stogner added that, last summer, he'd participated in an Ice Bucket Challenge video to help raise awareness and money for the cause. "Little did I know, it was about to change my life," he said. "There is no cure. My career in broadcast journalism is coming to an end."

Married with six children, Stogner joined WTVD in 1976. In addition to conducting one-on-one interviews with Barack Obama, John McCain and other prominent political figures, the Air Force veteran reported live from Raleigh-Durham and beyond — including a 2002 assignment in Afghanistan, according to his ABC11 bio.

In the final minute of the broadcast, Stogner called his WTVD position "the best job in the world," and shared plans to take two weeks of vacation with his wife before returning in early February to share "a few final thoughts and a more personal goodbye."

Flanked by four of his WTVD colleagues, he concluded, "And now more than ever, I say to you, for all those 39 years: Thanks for the company. Have a good night."

Source: www.today.com

By Meghan Holohan

For children with food allergies, Halloween usually means they receive far fewer treats than their friends. But this year, their luck may improve if they can spot a teal pumpkin by the doors where they trick-or-treat.

That’s because a new campaign from the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), Teal Pumpkin Project, aims to make Halloween safe for everyone.

“Food allergies are potentially life-threatening. When we are looking at a Halloween celebration, it is really nice to provide something that is safe,” says Veronica LaFemina, spokeswoman for FARE.

LaFemina says that one in 13 children in the United States has a food allergy.

“The Teal Pumpkin Project encourages people to raise awareness of food allergies by providing non-food treats and painting a pumpkin teal … [which] indicates that house has non-food treats,” she says. Teal is the color for food-allergen awareness.

FARE recommends that families hand out stickers, glow-sticks, vampire teeth, bouncy balls, or spider rings instead of candy, which frequently contain allergens.

“What people don’t understand or realize is that the small candy bars that people pass out for Halloween are manufactured differently,” says Beth Demis, whose 4- year-old son Luke is allergic to tree nuts and coconut. “A regular Hershey bar is okay but a smaller one [is not].”

Demis says she learns this kind of information by being a vigilant label reader and participating in groups where people share information about allergens. But people unfamiliar with food allergies often don’t realize that smaller versions of safe candy are dangerous.  

While most parents of children with allergies provide a plan to their children, trick-or-treating remains a chore. FARE recommends that parents fill out an emergency plan with the help of their allergists and make sure they carry all the needed gear, including epinephrine autoinjectors (also known as EpiPens).   

“For Halloween time, they are just like other kids and want to dress up and participate,” says LaFemina. “It can be tough when you have to say ‘no thank you’ and trade away most of your candy because it’s not safe.”

Demis, who lives in Cincinnati, says that her three children abide by a long-standing rule: No one can eat any candy until mom or dad examines it. Luke can swap with his brothers for candy that is safe and it is placed in his own plastic baggie. He knows he can’t touch his brothers’ candy.  

Katherine Eagerton’s 3-year-old son, Caden, is allergic to soy, milk, strawberries, and tomatoes. He knows he should stay away from food that’s red, but he doesn’t quite understand what having a food allergy means. She’s excited that the Teal Pumpkin Project encourages non-food treats so that her son can enjoy Halloween like other children.

“I’m excited to see that it’s actually catching on,” says Eagerton, who lives outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She’s using Facebook to encourage others in the state to offer non-food items this Halloween.

LaFemina says that 4.5 million people viewed the campaign’s first two posts and they have been shared 44,000 times.

Eagerton says that helping kids with food allergies feel included at Halloween will have a tremendous impact.

“These little treats will make such a big difference,” she says. 

Source: www.today.com

ALSA

It may be warm in parts of the country, but some people aren’t drenching themselves in ice or cold water to cool down from elevated temperatures. A new phenomenon has hit the social media circuit – the “Ice Bucket Challenge.”

The challenge involves people getting doused with buckets of ice water on video, posting that video to social media, then nominating others to do the same, all in an effort to raise ALS awareness. Those who refuse to take the challenge are asked to make a donation to the ALS charity of their choice.

Beverly, Mass., resident Pete Frates, started the “Ice Bucket Challenge” with his family on the social sites Facebook and Twitter.  Frates, 29, has lived with ALS since 2012, and he has worked with The ALS Association’s Massachusetts Chapter.  A former Division 1 college athlete with Boston College Baseball, Frates tirelessly spreads awareness of Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

This viral sensation, which has used the hash tag #IceBucketChallenge, has attracted thousands of followers, including Boston Bruins stars Brad Marchand and Torey Krug, who willingly dropped frozen ice on themselves and issued the challenge to others.

“This is a creative way to spread ALS awareness via social media and in communities nationwide,” said Barbara Newhouse, President and CEO of The ALS Association.  “We thank Pete Frates and his family for getting so many people involved in spreading the word about ALS.”

Other examples of the challenge can be viewed on the Team FrateTrain Facebook page.

Source: www.alsa.org