For Tony…he said it like so many other brain injury people I work with….because he doesn’t show the signs of having a disability people don’t understand, to look at him he looks normal.  “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”.  How true Tony!  I work with as an OTR and understand how depressing it can be to have a TBI.  I am glad to see you have a support system.  Many TBI patients do lose their friends,most people can not handle the unknown.  I hope you have meet new friends through support groups for TBI patients and through your work.  I am happy to hear you are doing something so great with your time!  Not just TBI people but everyone should have a passion, and what a great passion you have found! I will be buying your book  to show my future and current clients what you can do if you really try.

Good luck to you now and in the future…never stop trying to succeed with  your  passions in life.

I haven’t had a TBi, but I do have fibromyalgia and have lost friends because of it. I can be fine for a week and sick for two weeks. Friends have thought that I was using fibromyalgia as an excuse. I can’t plan very far ahead because I am not sure how I’m going to feel at the time. Others have taken it to mean that I just don’t want to be with them. Travis also touched me when he said “don’t judge others”. I, too, can be judgmental. If we all just tried to understand each other, what a great world this would be!!!!

Tony< I to have a TBI, yes it’s hell. Loosing friends, forgeting things and not being able to be who you use to be. I did not hear your story, I got to the show to late. I know I can watch  it here online, but I wanted to write on your board so bad I haven’t yet. I feel like you have overcome your disability, and worked for what you wanted. I do the same, I know,9 years after, go to school, live on my own, ski and surf, and I was just told I can by a home here in West Seattle. I’m living my life to the fullest I can at the moment! I’m going to get your book, it sounds awesome! 

I just saw Tony’s story and the type of brain injury he experienced.  I had an automobile accident almost 3 years ago and my neurological and emotional health continues to suffer.  My head was slammed into the steering wheel then thrown backwards when my seatbelt kept me from being thrown from my car.  I had suffered from epileptic seizures prior to this but the seizures had been controlled by medication up to this point.  I am up to 26 pills a day, I am suffering from depression, anxiety, OCD, ADD, bi-polar, seizures…  I had the most severe seizure to date just two weeks ago.  It took me 5 days to get past the headaches, weakness, and other symptoms.  I lost a job making six-figures when I could no longer function at work.  I haven’t worked  for more than 18 months and yet I’m still experiencing mental issues and seizures worse than ever before.

And if I don’t tell someone – they have NO idea.  Even my own husband has no idea the severity of what is going on.  When I have to think hard about something, it feels as if my head is going to explode.  Sometimes it makes me physically ill to have to think, study something to provide information.  Retaining or absorbing any detail is lost.  

Thanks for the show.

It’s a shame that we cannot access these past episodes without pruchasing them. I work at a nursing home and work afternoon shifts. Some of our ladies like to watch the show and I was really interested to hear all about Tony"s story and looked for it today to watch. I have a son who has gone through some really hard times as of late and I am suspecting an undetected brain injury, from a sports injuriy. Hard to get the full information from this site. Most shows, even the news will let you access episodes for free that you may have missed. Unfortunately for me I will not be able to watch this. Too bad.

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Wow! I felt like you telling our son’s story. He had a skateboard accident in 1998 at the age of 15. He had two brain surgeries, 3 strokes and  the lost use of his left hand. If you met him on the street you would say to yourself “what a good looking healthly young man”. TBI is a hidden disability. He lost friends (some family too). It is so difficult to explain TBI one day they are fine the next not. He has come along way, but we so know what you are talking about when you say “the curtain comes down”.

Trying to get the right kind of help is exhausting. But his father and I keep on going. Does anyone have any suggestions of obtaining SSI? We have been denied several times, and are in appeal now.

My son has been in 2 near fatal accidents and was not expected to live through either one. He had brain injuries in both accidents and he has injured every part of his brain. I was the one who flew both times to be with him. His Dad was able to fly out the first time with me, but he had to come home after a few days. Our son was in the Navy at the time of his accidents and he went on to finish a 5 year stint onboard a submarine. He is now out of the Navy and back home. He stayed with us for a very long time. He finally get a job and work for a while until he decided to go to college.While he was with us he suffered a seizure and was put on meds. for the rest of his life, which he is adamant about taking. He now has an apartment and is going to college. He is not working but he receives money to live on with the G.I. bill. He receives a small disability payment also. I see changes in his personality and some of his friends and family have also seen the changes. Some of his friends that he had before have stayed away and he is very much a loner which worries me a great deal. He has become very argumentative and it is easier to just agree with him and let things go instead of tryiing to correct him. Some of his memories are off or twisted and he will argue with us if we try to correct him. It worries me so much as to what the future may hold, but he is still our son and we will be there for him always.I wish that I could have seen this episode. I learned a lot when my son was in rehab. in CT. but I would like to know more about what to expect long term. I agree with over40mom that it is too bad that we cannot access past episodes. The information could really help a lot of people on many subjects.

This episode will re-air on Monday, June 18th. 

For future reference, any information (including videos of many segments) we have can be found on our Show Synopsis, Related Resources, or Special Thanks pages. Contests, giveaways and recipes can always be found on the daily Show Synopsis page. To locate the one you’re looking for, go to EPISODES at the top of the page and select either Today’s Show, Shows this Week, or Archives for previous shows. Locate the show and click on the picture or title, then select Show Synopsis, Related Resources, and/or Special Thanks to read more about the show segments and to find products mentioned on the show.

First off, I want to tell you all how sorry I am that you had to go through these horrific ordeals. I myself have a brain injury which I received 10 years ago at the age of 16. I almost started to cry when Tony said that a TBI isn’t like a broken leg because it’s SO TRUE. The pain is the same, but isn’t out in the open. I was a popular volleyball, hockey player that spent every Friday night out with friends. The day was like every Thursday, I was out with my boyfriend and friends bowling and on the way home just 1 block from my home, and the Omni that I was a passenger was hit by a tanker milk truck. Going back to high school in a wheel chair and then a walker, wasn’t exactly the kind of attention I wanted as a junior. As adults, we all know how cruel kids can be, true? I’m sure we all have been mean to one or more people in our younger years but looking back at how mean my peers were to me, I wish I would have thought twice about it. A so called friend of mine who I ate lunch with said “I am only her friend because she was in that accident”.  10 years post TBI I have maybe 2 real friends that I had before. I’m not asking for a pity party I just want everyone to know there are others out there who has been there and would love to talk to or help out in any way a person that would like or needs to talk about anything.