My hardest challenge...

TMI on my TBI....

On July 18, while traveling to a work meeting on the PA turnpike I was rear-ended by a semi truck whose airbrakes failed and as such continued to hit me over and over until he came to a complete stop, the driver admitted to 4 impacts in the police report. Even though I had my seatbelt on, the repeated impacts caused me to hit my head back and forth in what felt like a dozen times, I twisted my ankle slamming on the brakes so hard to prevent hitting the car in front of me. My right side was bruised from slamming against my passengers seat and I had to wait for the rescue unit to get me out of the car because the steering column collapsed on my legs. I was taken to the ER and had cat scans saw my PCP the next day. I was scheduled to compete in Ragnar and my doctor and I were assessing the level of the concussion which we BOTH thought seemed mild. The story I have yet to tell was that when I was at Ragnar, I got disoriented and had to be evacuated from the top of the mountain by the medical team, but that was just the start of it. I was told it was fortunate that what happened did where it did because if it happened when I was hope alone, nobody would have found me. It took several days for the symptoms to set in and did not present themselves until I got back and saw my doctor again on 7/23 at which time my cognitive functions were dramatically decreased, I could not tell you what day it was, I could not tell you my phone number, I was quite literally a shell of the person I was the day before. Each day got worse and worse for the next week and a half. I was referred to Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital and the Neuro Center. 

My life now is filled with 6-8 appointments a week at BMR, for Vestibular Therapy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Concussion Education, Psychotherapy (because I cannot wrap my head around WHY this has happened to me) Physician appointments, Neurologist appointments. I am classified as a "fall risk" and technically should not be alone in my own home, but my independent nature is not taking that news very well. 

I begged and pleaded with my doctor to allow me to work part time, because as a consultant I have no short-term disability, no paid time off, no vacation time: basically if I don't work I don't get paid. My doctor was VERY opposed to it but with arm-twisting allowed me to go back to work part-part time (3 hours day/3 days/week, only working from home)...I went into the office because that was all my client would go for and it was horrendous! Those 2 days took me 5 days to recover from, and recovery feels like a migraine with a hangover and the worst nausea and motion sickness ever - all in one, fun huh? I also have positional vertigo because the crystals in my inner ear became dislodged in the impact of the accident and I get dizzy just going from a sitting to standing position. And it used to be Fireball that did that! 


So, all this brings me to this campaign which is the absolute hardest thing I have EVER....and I mean E-V-E-R had to do....and I was targeting completing 4 Ragnars this year. Many people do not know, but I was out of work earlier this year because I had a fight with my previous employer over a gender-bias issue and during that time went through my emergency savings and had just gotten back to work and had not replenished my savings. I cannot work for the foreseeable future but am working towards getting back as soon as I can, but the reality is, that is not as soon as the bills are coming in. Because I am single, and have no spouse or partner to share the bills with....and Buddha and Sid are refusing to chip in....I am alone, and reaching out for help.  

FAQ's for the Critics (because I've had these Q's already)

* what about insurance? 
> Yes, there is a car insurance suit, it seems the commercial truck who hit me is uninsured (my attorney is on it) and luckily my car insurance covers uninsured motorist, but any suit, claims, funds, etc are at least 1.5 - 2 years away. 

* are you just going to sit around on your butt?
> anyone who knows me should know, hell to the f'ing NO! I am trying to get any work I can handle but traumatic brain injuries (TBI's) are a really tough thing to understand because you "look" normal, I've been so lucky to have friends who have been understanding to give me what I canhandle, some babysitting , etc

*what are you going to do with the money from this campaign? 
> I absolutely promise, this will only be used for basic living expenses, I have scaled back my life considerably! I do not go out....evidenced by the fact I cannot drive more than 30 minutes (my own rule, and within my comfort zone) and have given up on all my activities and creature comforts. Also, as I plan to get back to work as soon  as possible and realize there might be funds left over, I am cognizant that there must be other single people out there who are in similar situations, if I get back to work and can sustain myself, my goal is to work with the Neuro Center at BMRH to find someone who is in  similar situation and pay it forward