Brain Injury Resources
Organizations
Hope after Brain Injury is a non-profit organization devoted to sharing hope with those affected by brain injury by offering counseling, education, and connection to community resources. We are involved with brain injury survivors and their caregivers, along with healthcare professionals, committed to the advancement of brain injury recovery. Visit hopeafterbraininjury.org
Birth Injury Guide
Birth Injury Guide is a comprehensive resource for families coping with a birth trauma. We strive to educate families on many different types of birth injuries, what the symptoms are, how birth injuries are caused, how they can be diagnosed, what the available treatment is, what the prognosis is, and what assistance programs are available to them. BrainInjuryGuide.org
BrainLine
A national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLine includes a series of webcasts, an electronic newsletter, and an extensive outreach campaign in partnership with national organizations concerned about traumatic brain injury. http://www.Brainline.org & http://www.Brainlinemilitary.org
Texas Brain Injury Alliance
Texas Brain Injury Alliance (TexasBIA), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is a Texas-wide community of people with brain injuries, their families, friends and dedicated professionals. TexasBIA is part of a network of state Brain Injury Alliances across the United States and is an affiliate of the national U.S. Brain Injury Alliance (USBIA). http://www.texasbia.org
Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)
The mission of the Brain Injury Association of America is to advance brain injury prevention, research, treatment and education and to improve the quality of life for all people affected by brain injury. The BIAA offers a multitude of educational and informational support. 800-444-6443; biausa.org
Texas Able | A Savings Program for Texans with Disabilities
The Texas Achieving a Better Life Experience (“Texas ABLE®”) Program was established to encourage and assist individuals with disabilities and their families in saving funds to pay for many disability-related expenses critical to maintaining the individuals’ health, independence, and quality of life. The Texas ABLE Program is established and maintained by the Texas Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board with assistance from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. https://www.texasable.org/
Your Texas Benefits
Need help paying rent or utilities? Want to find a food pantry? Visit 211texas.org to find services near you. Learn how Your Texas Benefits can help you. State benefit programs help people with little or no money who are in need. https://yourtexasbenefits.com
Team Luke Hope for Minds
Co-Executive Directors Tim Siegel and Ronda Johnson, based in Austin, Texas, focus on helping pediatric patients of traumatic brain injury and their families. https://www.facebook.com/Team-Luke-Hope-For-Minds-185336835392726/
Cerebral Palsy Group
The organization of the Cerebral Palsy Group is dedicated to improving the overall quality of life for individuals with cerebral palsy. The foundation provides free educational information and support to those who have been affected by cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities. Cerebral Palsy Brain Group: Brain Injury
Cerebral Palsy Guidance
Cerebral Palsy is a neurological affecting muscle coordination. In most cases, cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage that develops while the baby is still in utero or during or shortly after birth. Information about CP and types can be found at: https://www.cerebralpalsyguidance.com/cerebral-palsy/
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC)
The DVBIC provides medical care, an education center, and clinical research to support and strengthen military personnel who have suffered brain injury. dvbic.org
TBI Today
The quarterly published newsletter made available by the Virginia Commonwealth University TBI Model System. Its features include: Model System project updates, profiles of provider agencies and faculty, along with survivor “tips,” FAQs, advice column, events calendar, and a fun activity. model.tbinrc.com/newsletters
Books About TBI
Coping with Traumatic Brain Injury: One Woman’s Journey from Death to Life by Patti Foster; BookJolt, 2013.
In the split second it took for a semi to slam into the back of the SUV Patti Foster was riding in, her world changed. Her life, in fact, almost ended that night. Miraculously, she survived, but her ordeal had just begun. After weeks in a coma, she woke up to an existence she couldn’t comprehend or even begin to understand. As a traumatic brain injury survivor, today she shares her story in the hope it will inspire and help other brain-injury victims, their friends and families. Also available as audiobook.
Where Is the Mango Princess? A Journey Back from Brain Injury by C.E. Crimmins, by Vintage Books, 2001
When her husband Alan is injured in a speedboat accident, Cathy Crimmins reluctantly assumes the role of caregiver and learns to cope with the person he has become. No longer the man who loved obscure Japanese cinema and wry humor, Crimmins’ husband has emerged from the accident a childlike and unpredictable replica of his former self with a short attention span and a penchant for inane cartoons. Where Is the Mango Princess? is a breathtaking account that explores the very nature of personality-and the complexities of the heart.
The Caregiver’s Tale: The True Story Of A Woman, Her Husband Who Fell Off The Roof, And Traumatic Brain Injury by Marie Therese Gass
From the Spousal Caregiver’s point of view, this is the story of the first seven years after severe Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as essays concerning the problems of fixing things or at least letting life operate more smoothly. Humor and pathos, love and frustration, rages and not knowing what to do–all these make up a complete story of Traumatic Brain Injury. Readers say they can’t put this book down.
Miracle for Jen by Linda Barrick; Tyndale House Publisher’s, Inc., 2012
Facing a devastating brain injury from a car crash, 15-year-old Jen was not expected to survive. Doctors warned her parents that if she regained consciousness, she’d be screaming in confusion. But instead—though she didn’t recognize her family—she did remember every Scripture and praise song she’d hidden in her heart. An awe-inspiring testimony!Also available as audiobook.
Confronting Traumatic Brain Injury: Devastation, Hope, and Healing by William Winslade; Yale University Press, 1998.
William Winslade presents facts about traumatic brain injury; information about its financial and emotional costs to individuals, families, and society; and key ethical and policy issues. This book explains what TBI is, how it is caused, and what can be done to treat, cope with, and prevent it.
Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath by Michael Paul Mason; published by Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux; 2009.
Mason takes you to the darker side of the brain using strange but true stories from those with brain damage. An exploration of the brain and its mysteries underlies each story. On the road with Mason, we encounter survivors of brain injuries as they struggle to map and make sense of the new worlds they inhabit.
Head Injury: The Facts (Second Edition) by Dorothy Gronwall, Philip Wrightson, and Peter Waddell; Oxford University Press, 1998.
These three New Zealand doctors have written an extensive guide for survivors, families and care-givers of brain-injury survivors. They include effects, recovery stages, procedures and techniques, as well as long-term management and rehabilitation adjustments.
Head Injury: The Facts: A Guide for Families and Caregivers (The Facts Series) by Dorothy Gronwall, Philip Wrightson, and Peter Waddell; Jan 2, 1992
I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility by Trisha Meili; Scribner, 2003.
Meili tells us who she was before the attack — a young Wall Street professional with a promising future — and who she has become: a woman who learned how to read, write, walk, talk, and love again…and turn horrifying violence and certain death into extraordinary healing and victorious life.
Over My Head: A Doctor’s Own Story of Head Injury from the Inside Looking Out by Claudia Osborn; Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2000
“One woman comes to terms with the loss of her identity and the courageous steps (and hilarious missteps) she takes while learning to rebuild her life” following a traumatic brain injury.
Rights Come to Mind: Brain Injury, Ethics, and the Struggle for Consciousness 1st Edition by Joseph J Fins; Cambridge University Press, 2016.
Drawing upon over fifty in-depth family interviews, the history of severe brain injury from Quinlan to Schiavo, and his participation in landmark clinical trials, such as the first use of deep brain stimulation in the minimally conscious state, Joseph J. Fins captures the paradox of medical and societal neglect even as advances in neuroscience suggest new ways to mend the broken brain…Fins places society’s obligations to patients with severe injury within the historical legacy of the civil and disability rights movements, offering a stirring synthesis of public policy and physician advocacy.
The Vow: The True Events that Inspired the Movie by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter and Dana Wilkerson; B&H Books, 2012.
Weeks after a horrific car crash, Krickitt Carpenter wakes up from a coma to discover a husband she no longer recognizes. But Kim sticks with her during her long recovery, giving them time to fall in love all over again. Not because he’s a hero but because he made a vow.
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.; Plume Publishing, 2009
On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven- year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life-all within four hours-Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was completely lost. It would take her eight years to fully recover.
Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love by Katherine and Jay Wolf; Zondervan, 2016.
In 2008, first-time parents Katherine and Jay were living their dream. But suddenly their happy life was derailed when Katherine suffered a near-fatal stroke that left her with double vision, difficulty speaking, and a paralyzed arm. Was this what God had planned for her life? Her answer may surprise you as you read her courageous account!
Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury Finding the Road Back to Normal by Amy Zellmer; CreateSpace Publishing, 2015.
In February 2014 Amy Zellmer slipped on a patch of ice and fell, forcibly landing on the back of her skull. The impact briefly knocked her out, and when she started to get up, she immediately knew something was very wrong. Amy had suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and was about to start a journey unlike anything she had ever experienced. Her life had changed in literally a blink of the eye.
Hope for the Journey: A 52-Week Spiritual Journal by Patti Foster, Redemption Press, 2016.
There is hope for the journey when fears barges in and screams, “Why? What do I do? Who do I talk to?” When the unexpected happens, lives are changed in an instant!
As adversity erupts in your life, Hope can appear on the scene in all shapes and sizes at just the right time. It has no limits, knows no boundaries. For each day of the week (you’ll have the weekend off!), dive into that week’s devotional and take another step toward life…and experience a personal taste of hope for YOUR journey!
Navigating Through a Strange Land: A Book for Brain Tumor Patients and Their Families by Tricia Ann Roloff; Indigo Press, 1995
Navigating Through a Strange Land: A Book for Brain Tumor Patients and Their Families is a book that includes both professional guidance and the moving personal stories of patients and family members. It is edited by Tricia Ann Roloff, former editor and program associate with the National Brain Tumor Foundation, and also a one-time patient.
Living with a Brain Tumor: Dr Peter Black’s Guide to Taking Control of Your Treatment, by Peter Black, MD, PhD, FACS; Holt Paperbacks – Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2006
Each year, 100,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with a brain tumor. With his new book, Dr. Peter Black fills a gap in the lay readership, providing an accessible medical resource for adult patients and their families. Dr. Black, who has operated on more than 3,000 patients with brain tumors, is uniquely qualified to discuss both clinical treatment of and research into brain tumors.
This invaluable resource tells patients everything they need to know to understand and address their diagnosis, in a four-part structure:
- “What is a Brain Tumor?” provides straightforward information about how brain tumors are diagnosed, the different types of tumors and how they develop, and where to go for treatment.
- “Coping with Shock” addresses the emotional impact of the diagnosis on the patient and their family, offering specific advice on support groups and how to managing work and finances during your treatment.
- “Treatment options” outlines the complex array of available treatments in a sequential, logical, and thorough manner, enabling readers to make informed decisions.
- “Recovery” describes how to deal with the aftermath, addressing issues ranging from physical scars to speech and occupational therapy.
Dr. Black believes that more than half of brain tumor cases can be resolved with relatively minor side effects or none at all. Equipped with this informative book, patients and their family and friends can learn how to fight brain tumors effectively, putting them on the path to wellness.
In An Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing, by Lee and Bob Woodruff; Random House, 2007.
ABCs World News Tonight co-anchor Bob Woodruff and his wife share the never-before-told story about the attack in Iraq that left Bob seriously injured. This honest, frank account is a love story of two people and how they have recovered and renewed their lives.
Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly; Thorndike Pr, 2011
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, arrived in the world spotlight under the worst of circumstances. On January 8, 2011, while meeting with her constituents in Tucson, Arizona, Gabby was the victim of an assassination attempt that left six people dead, and thirteen wounded. Gabby was shot in the head; doctors called her survival “ miraculous.” Now, as Gabby’s health continues to show improvement, this book provides an unflinching look at the overwhelming challenges of brain injury, the painstaking process of learning to communicate again, and the responsibilities that fall to a loving spouse who wants the best possible treatment.
Coping with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide to Living with the Challenge Associated with Concussion/Brain Injury, by Diane Roberts Stoler, Ed.D. and Barbara Albers Hill, published by New York: Penguin Group, 1998.
Endorsed by the leading professional experts in the field of brain injury, Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, is a must-have guide for managing life in the aftermath of a concussion.
Often presenting itself after a head trauma, concussion– or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)– can cause anxiety, chronic migraines, depression, memory, and sleep problems that can last for years, referred to as post-concussion syndrome (PCS). Easy-to-read and informative, this book is an invaluable resource for understanding concussion, post concussion syndrome (PCS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as overcoming the challenges associated with these conditions.
Concussion Recovery: Rebuilding the Injured Brain by Colleen Butler; CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2012.
As stated by Harry Zarins, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Canada, Concussion Recovery is an extremely practical guide, which is written from first-hand experience. The book is a compendium of information, techniques, and insight, which the author, Colleen Butler, has compiled from her own journey to understand brain injury and to find her path to recovery. Colleen’s extensive experience in helping those who are coping with the challenges of brain injury has led her to develop innovative solutions to give hope and speed the recovery of survivors. Readers will greatly benefit from the empathetic, compassionate approach of the book, its humour and the information it offers. Uplifting, honest and straightforward, Concussion Recovery will empower survivors to take control of their recovery journey and to be patient with themselves as they rebuild their lives.
Brain Rules for Aging Well by Dr John Medina; Pear Press, 2017.
How come I can never find my keys? Why don’t I sleep as well as I used to? Why do my friends keep repeating the same stories? What can I do to keep my brain sharp? In Brain Rules for Aging Well, Dr. Medina gives you the facts about memory, sleep, food, happiness, gullibility, and more – along with the prescription to age well – in his signature engaging style.
In his New York Times best seller Brain Rules, Medina showed us how our brains really work—and why we ought to redesign our workplaces and schools to match. In Brain Rules for Baby, he gave parents the brain science they need to know to raise happy, smart, moral kids. Now, in Brain Rules for Aging Well, Medina shares how you can make the most of the years you have left. In a book destined to be a classic on aging, Medina’s fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into the science.
Finding Normal: An Uninvited Change, An Unexpected Outcome by Jeff Huxford; Morgan James Faith, 2018.
In May of 2012, Jeff Huxford M.D. was in a near-fatal car accident, escaping death but suffering a severe traumatic brain injury. This devastating event led Jeff on a journey to a new life and a true purpose.
After the brain injury took away his ability to practice medicine, Jeff learned a multitude of wonderful truths about God and he found his value and purpose rooted in Christ. In Finding Normal , Jeff tells of the truths that changed his heart and moved him away from his previous life of “lukewarm Christianity” towards an authentic faith and true relationship with Jesus.
