Happie Heads

Skateboarding accident

In the summer of 2014, in his last year of college Steve was struck by a cyclist from behind while jogging across a bridge in Charleston, South Carolina. His injuries included: a subdural hematoma, a fractured skull, fractured vertebrae, and of course, a TBI. Upon arriving at the hospital, he was placed in a medically induced coma for several days. He lost his memory for the first few weeks, but slowly began to remember things. Initially, he struggled physically and mentally with the new challenges in his life but has continued to grow through it all. A year ago, Steve began to experience absence seizures, which has been challenging, so we discuss the how he has and is dealing with these. His perspective on everything is refreshing, and I know you will enjoy this conversation. P.S. He was a midfielder on the US paralympic national team (pretty cool) Michael  

At the age of 16 in Old Forge, Pennsylvania Jean was in a car accident. She seemed to be recovering well until she began to have generalized seizures a year after her accident. Fortunately, she was able to see a neurologist and try out several anti-seizure medications until her seizures remitted. She was generally symptom free until this February of 2022 (48 years later) she experienced a second TBI when an overhead tent frame collapsed on her head.  This time, the symptoms set in quickly and forcefully and continued until very recently, when she has experienced immense improvement in her symptoms. We discuss all of this and more in the episode.  Enjoy! Michael

In this episode we have the return of one of our first guests, Leia Tyrrell. Since our first conversation at the end of 2016, Leia has had several more TBI. We discuss the physical and psychological ramifications of these TBI, and many of the broader ideas that many TBI survivors think about on a daily basis. I hope you all enjoy!

One day, while Lydia was playing catch with her nephew she turned around to pick something up, an incoming throw from her nephew struck her in the back of her left ear. Immediately she was completely disoriented, and went into a state of shock. She never would have imagined she just suffered a TBI that would have lasting impacts on her day-to-day life. We discuss her journey navigating her life after a TBI including parenting, working, and carrying on with the hobbies she enjoys.  We also talk about how she advocated for herself, and the cyclical nature of recovering from a TBI.  Enjoy!

In the summer of 2014, Jack was fresh out of high school and getting started on a fast track to become a paramedic firefighter. He was six weeks into the program when he headed toward home for a surprise visit. He was about halfway when he was struck head on by a drunk driver on Mt hood. He was in a five day coma, suffered a shattered face, radius, two amputated fingers on his right hand, lost vision in one eye, and his sense of smell. He was great to chat with. I hope you enjoy! Check a beautiful video detailing the story of his accident here: https://youtu.be/2y7_yYmy2P8

In January of 2014 Lori had her tonsils removed, a routine surgery for most folks. While recovering at home, she had a severe reaction to the antibiotics and pain medications she was on and was found in her home by her boyfriend unresponsive. She was severely hypoxic and dehydrated, requiring interosseous hydration. At the trauma center in Duluth, MN, she was in a coma for 3 days and the ICU for 10. Miraculously, upon leaving she proved to be able to cook for herself so that hospital let her go home alone. She suffered from many symptoms afterward including an abnormally low desire to be around people, even her closest loved ones. Nearly 8 years later, a massive blood clot was found in her right leg and upon imagining a schwannoma was discovered in surrounding her right femoral nerve. The schwannoma brought on much pain, and Lori found herself anxious, depressed, and wheelchair bound. This didn't stop her from being her own advocate as finding a rehab program at the Mayo Clinic where she went from using a wheelchair to walking with a cane in just 5 days. Now she doesn't use any assistance devices to get around. She is truly a powerful, inspiring woman, and she shares the mindset and tools she has used to get to where she is today. Enjoy!   Lori is happy to talk to anyone that needs someone to chat with. Her email is: laedstrom@yahoo.com   Michael

Robyn is from a small town in southern Minnesota. One day, on a skiing trip way up north in the state she crashed full speed into a tree, and her head struck a rock when she made contact with the ground. She was sent to a local hospital and eventually life-flighted to Duluth where she received lifesaving surgery (including a craniectomy) and was in a coma for several days.  Her surgeon told her family she wouldn't live. Less than two months later, she was leaving inpatient rehab and heading home. But recovery was not smooth and many challenges arose. We talk about her mindset throughout recovery and the tools she uses to ensure that she thrives today. I hope you enjoy this great conversation and are as encouraged by it as I was.   Michael

Ilona lives in the wild and open state of Montana and is passionate about environmentalism, literature, and sharing her passions with others. In 2012, she experienced her first TBI at the age of 55. In 2017, she walked into the overhang of a camper and briefly loss consciousness. This led to many symptoms including an altered visual perception of space. Because of this, she continued to hit her head about once per month for the next several years. Due to these repeated TBIs, her symptoms began to interfere with nearly every aspect of her life. Today, she is at a very good place with a routine that has allows her how to maintain the progress she has made.  We discuss all these including the treatment that turned her life around! Enjoy

  Deb is a medical student from Alberta, Canada. She is currently in her rotational years which means she is working directly with patients nearly every day. About a year ago Deb was driving home from a rotation and was hit head on by another driver. She suffered from a TBI involving diffuse axonal injury, a hemorrhage, and many other things. She also suffered from several (almost countless) broken bones. We talk about her lengthy recovery, knowing how and when to push forward when we are healing, and what it means to know God's will when facing tough ideas like suffering. Enjoy!   Michael 

Jim is currently a MD/PhD student at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He has recently defended his PhD on cerebrospinal fluid physiology or "sleep and its role in cleaning out the brain" as I call it. In addition to his scientific and medical background, Jim is a TBI survivor. One month before starting medical school he crashed his mountain bike while flying down a trail in Utah. He immediately started experiencing a runny nose and lack of proprioception. It turns out he had a skull fracture. Listen in to hear the details! Enjoy!

AJ is a current Las Vegan (couldn't resist), although he is originally from Bend, Oregon. AJ was struck in the face by a pool filter that essentially exploded while he was attempting to repair it. He spent several weeks in the hospital and rehab. He doesn't remember much of anything for the first months after the accident, and uses the stories of his wife and family to reconstruct exactly what the recovery process was like for him. I loved talking to AJ for this episode. I hope you enjoy it and pull something from his story and insights.

Jeff has been on the podcast before, and is a functional neurologist at Northwest Functional Neurology in the Portland, OR area. This past spring, he gave a very impressive talk at the Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon about the metabolic and immunologic consequences of TBI. Since nutrition, lifestyle, and the gut/immune interface is so close to my heart, his talk struck a chord. This episode is full of high quality information, and some of the pivotal slides will be posted in the show notes! Following his tips may change your life. Just saying.   Peace! Michael

Mr. Kracke is a one of a kind human being. He has so many hobbies, projects, and accomplishments that I find it difficult to know where to begin and when to end. This said, I will mention a few pertinent aspects of his life. He is a Portland based lawyer who currently works for the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) as the Brain Injury Advocate coordinator after working as a personal Injury defense lawyer for brain injury survivors for nearly two decades. He was one of the few individuals who constructed the nation's first return to play laws (i.e. Max's Law and Jenna's Law). He is passionate about his life, and has both a load of wisdom and knowledge, some of which is passed along in this conversation. If you haven't heard Part 1 this may be a bit confusing. Enjoy!  

Mr. Kracke is a one of a kind human being. He has so many hobbies, projects, and accomplishments that I find it difficult to know where to begin and when to end. This said, I will mention a few pertinent aspects of his life. He is a Portland based lawyer who currently works for the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) as the Brain Injury Advocate coordinator after working as a personal Injury defense lawyer for brain injury survivors for nearly two decades. He was one of the few individuals who constructed the nation's first return to play laws (i.e. Max's Law and Jenna's Law). He is passionate about his life, and has both a load of wisdom and knowledge, some of which is passed along in this conversation. Enjoy!   His story beings at 6:13

Lorita may have the most complicated case I have seen. Fifteen years ago she was struck in the occipital bone of her skull by a heavy backpack that was swung like a medieval flail, and then immediately soccer kicked in the temple. She has been dealing with the repercussions of this every since. Some of these struggles are her gastroparesis which makes it very difficult to eat well or her complex regional pain syndrome. We talk about a lot of her solutions to her issues including cranial sacral therapy, cold laser therapy, and even hyperbaric chambers. We even chat about our friends at Northwest Functional Neurology. Since 2008 she has been running a camping, rafting, and hiking trip for survivors and their families, and she offers it for only 25$. She is an incredible person, and I know you will get a lot out of this episode.   If you want to learn more about her camp, raft, hike event and/or support it here are some links: GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/hope-for-healing-through-new-treatment Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OregonBrainInjuryCampingRaftingHikingTrip/

Jessy is the first dirt biker that I have had on the podcast. She crashed her bike while riding back in May of 2018. Although this may have caused some injury to the brain, far more damage was done when another biker behind her rode over her head (Jessy was wearing a helmet) with both tires of her bike. Amazingly, Jessy is back on her feet getting after it only 10 months later. In this episode we talk about how her social circles have changed since her accident, how supportive her family has been, and a lot more. I hope you enjoy the episode!   Her story starts at 13:44

Heath Snyder has a lot of things going for him. He has six children who love him to death. He has an ability to articulate himself that many of us survivors desire. But his most valuable gift is a genuine desire to share his experience of fighting through a TBI with the world. When I say he wants to share I truly mean it. He has fought through several concussions including MVA's, football collisions, being a rodeo cowboy, and his most recent by hitting his head on a cabinet door, blacking out, and then hitting his head on the floor. Our conversation touches on many things, but most importantly we talk about how little credit humans give themselves. He (and I) both believe that we are far more capable than we give ourselves credit for. I hope you enjoy this rich conversation, and pull something good out of it.   If you want to follow him on the gram: @collidedscopes    

Kahyra has had several TBI. In fact, she has had five concussions. In fact, all 5 have been while playing soccer. Some of the concussions are from getting pegged by the ball, and one involved a collision while going up for a header. In one instance, she temporarily lost all vision in one eye, potentially having suffered a torn retina. She grew up playing soccer and has been in love with the sport since her childhood. She even went on to pay for college with an athletic scholarship. In the episode we talk about some of the scary moments after some of her TBI, the diet she uses to minimize her symptoms, and whether or not it is worth it to pursue a dream that involves risking a head injury. Enjoy!   Her story starts at 10:31

Marlana is an incredible girl who is excellent at articulating what it is like to face a TBI and the thoughts that go through one's mind throughout the recovery process. She crashed her car in Branson, MO three weeks into her senior year of high school while driving buzzed. We talk about how much our own decisions impact the lives of those around us and how even the most devastating chapters in life are full of lessons and opportunities to grow. She is an incredible storyteller. If you are looking for a pick-me-up or a little motivation, this is your episode.   Her story starts at 9:50 min