Bill Salmons Jr.
Life after Traumatic Brain Injury.

Today's date 3-22-02 11 years 10 months later after a car accident in 1990 that put me in a coma for 19 days.
You will learn some of the things best to my memory what life changing events that will happen based on my experience. The first thing that I can recall waking up in a hospital be, not knowing, who I am or what has happened to me. I was frightened to see me strapped down to the bed.
I couldn't move my right arm or leg but could move toes and fingers very little. There were people coming to see me who I didn't know. Someone who i didn't know was spending alot of time in my room would tell me who they were.
Then I started to see pictures on the walls. When the nurse would feed me I would ask her about those pictures and who was that women spending alot of time in my room. She would shave me, comb my hair, brush my teeth and help me to the restroom.
Soon there after a doctor and the women came into the room thje doctor asked me. Do you know who this women is? I said NO. But I would like to know who she is. So she said, that is your wife Pam. You have been married since 1981 I said Ok.
Pam showed me my mother and father and brothers. I found out later Dad was shaving me too and mom was washing me and combing my hair as well.
I was confused why people couldn't understand what i was saying to them. Then I was told that with the tubes in my throat for feeding and life support has paralyzed one of my vocal cords. With the damage to your brain will cause you to have speech problems, eating, and drinking problems for life.
My family and friends and nurses would help me get into my wheelchair to take me outside to see and feel the things that I couldn't from my bed like the sun and rain. Then they would take me to a cafeteria to meet people and eat junk food. Nurses would teach me how to operate my wheelchair and how to move independently. By this time 50 days has past since the accident. Then I got big news, I get to have weekend Home visits. After a few of them the doctors put me through a driving course with the help of a simulator and passed with flying colors. After 1 year of therapy. It came to me after trying to work for 2 years, I couldn't anymore. But within those 2 years we had 2 wonderful boys, 4 years later my wife divorced me. A fun 7 years, RIGHT!
It get better the next 4 years I lived alone. So I had to restrain myself again.
I started cooking, doing housework and everything that goes with living alone. Working on my car, yard work, upkeep on the house and taking care of my boys when I'm allowed too.
I learned all these things in 3 years by watching people live they're lives and helping myself live mine. I lived in an apartment for about 3 years I had alot of help from my Mom and Dad god love them now I have a house and love every minute of it. One year later things are looking good. As of now I have been working voluntarily with my boys at school 1 day a week.