Welcome to my New Life after Brain Injury Blog. I chose that title because, for many of us, brain injury causes major life changes. In 1998, my husband Alan suffered a heart attack and cardiac arrest that led to a severe anoxic brain injury. We hoped and prayed for a First Choice Recovery. That meant complete physical recovery and restoration to the person he was before. Unfortunately, heart disease and extensive brain injury cancelled out that option. But here's the good news. We triumphed in a different and equally valuable way. Alan forged what I call a Best Choice Recovery when we made the most of all rehabilitation opportunities and discovered new ways of loving, contributing to the world, making meaning, and having fun.

Our story shows that it is possible for a person with a brain injury to improve for years with the right treatment. It is possible for a marriage to transform and thrive even with catastrophic illness.

The purpose of New Life after Brain Injury is to share some of the ingredients of Alan's Best Choice Recovery. I also invite you to contribute what you've learned on the journey to your own recovery. Survivors, family caregivers, and medical professionals have so much to teach and learn from each other. We know about strategies, attitudes, coping skills, mistakes we've made, humor, resilience, and resources. Believe me, we are experts on resilience, even if we sometimes struggle to take the next step forward.