Lost In My Mind

The Book
In 1992, Kelly Bouldin Darmofal was involved in an automobile accident that directly resulted in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).  In 2014 (twenty-two years later), Kelly published a book detailing her experiences, entitled Lost in My Mind: Recovering from TBI.

Excerpt from Lost in My Mind (p. x, this section written in 2002):

"As I begin to tell you what traumatic brain injury is like, please understand that I was in an automobile accident over 10 years ago--September 17, 1992, to be exact.  At 10:20 PM, on a Thursday night.  I cannot remember many details, so I must rely on my mother's journals and the letters and notes of doctors and friends.  I do know that my fifteenth birthday came and went five days before the accident, and that I had been in high school for just three weeks..."





Lost in My Mind describes Kelly B. Darmofal's journey from adolescent girl to special education teacher, wife and mother--despite severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).  Spanning three decades, Kelly's journey is unique in its focus on education (or lack thereof) for TBI survivors in America.  Her mother's journals fill gaps from forgotten experiences while providing windows into the mind of a caregiver.  Kelly's humorous, poetic voice, describes a victim's relentless search for success, love, and acceptance--while combating red tape, aphasia, bilateral hand impairment, and memory loss.





“This peek into the real-life trials and triumphs of a young woman who survives a horrific car crash and struggles to regain academic excellence and meaningful social relationships is a worthwhile read for anyone who needs information, inspiration or escape from the isolation so common after traumatic brain injury,” Susan H. Connors- President/CEO, Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA).

The Film
This documentary film will be primarily comprised of interview footage.

The interviews will serve several purposes: 1) To tell the story of Kelly’s recovery, 2) To provide general information about TBI, 3) To examine the current state of education pertaining to students with TBI. 

Each of the interviews will fit into one of those categories.  The specific list of confirmed interviewees is listed below, but others are pending confirmation.  The goals is to interview: family, friends, teachers, doctors, TBI specialists, and other TBI survivors (and their families).

The non-interview segments will include a reenactment of the car accident that serves as a catalyst for the entire story, home videos, family/friends’ photos, a recording of Kelly giving a speech about TBI, and footage of Kelly living her daily life.

Kelly In Her Own Words




I Kelly Bouldin Darmofal, am a teacher, author, wife, motivational speaker and mother to a perfect, three year old son named Alex. Because I suffered a severe closed head injury (traumatic brain injury) in 1992, and endured a lengthy convalescence, I now advocate for the survivors of TBI in America - especially students. I have written a memoir, spanning three decades of recovery entitled, Lost in My Mind: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). My journey is unique in its focus on education (or lack thereof) for TBI survivors in America.

My memoir was published by Modern History Press (MHP) in October, 2014, and has been endorsed by Susan Connors, the President and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA). “I’m Lost in My Mind” was the first sentence I wrote at Brenner Children’s Hospital over twenty years ago at age fifteen. I now look forward to becoming an instructor to those wishing to teach the TBI population. In January of 2016, I will instruct such a course entitled, “TBI – An Overview for Educators” (working title). This innovative class will be the first of its kind offered in a four year, undergraduate liberal arts college or university in America. With millions of students returning to the classroom annually with traumatic brain injuries, such a course is a necessity. Currently, I am completing final edits on another book with Modern History Press entitled, 101 Tips for TBI Survivors.



Prior to publishing Lost in My Mind: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), I had written an article, "Our Teachers Are Not Prepared" (English Journal, 2005), which won a prestigious Edwin M. Hopkins Award from the NCTE, or National Council of Teachers of English. I obtained my Masters in Special Education from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and have taught special education at Forsyth Country Day School and Summit School in Winston-Salem.

  "No teacher in high school or college was trained to work with a student like me," and I was the first TBI-certified student in my high school. The American military and sports organizations are now attempting to address the TBI issue; however, IDEA, or the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, made TBI a certifiable disability category without assuring appropriate teacher training. I lecture on this "black hole" in education whenever possible, and relate my early TBI experiences with hopes of affecting change. I have found canine care and rescue to be both a rewarding and healing hobby. I currently own two rescue mutts - Mitzy and Buddie. 

 

Meet The Team
 

Producer: LaMont L. Johnson 

Director: Gerry Gibson