Books

Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath
By Michael Paul Mason

Head Cases takes us into the dark side of the brain in an astonishing sequence of stories, at once true and strange, from the world of brain damage. Michael Paul Mason is one of an elite group of experts who coordinate care in the complicated aftermath of tragic injuries that can last a lifetime. 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.

In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing
By Lee And Bob Woodruff

In January 2006, Lee and Bob Woodruff seemed to have it all–a happy marriage, four beautiful children, and marvelous careers. Bob had just been named co-anchor of ABC’sWorld News Tonight, but then, while he was embedded with the military in Iraq, an improvised explosive device went off near the tank he was riding in. He and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, were hit, and Bob suffered a traumatic brain injury that nearly killed him.

Over My Head: A Doctor’s Own Story of Head Injury from the Inside Looking Out
Claudia L. Osborn

Chapter one contains a painfully accurate description of a typical day in the life of a tbi survivor.  Locked inside a brain-injured head looking out at a challenging world is the premise of this extraordinary autobiography. Over My Head is an inspiring story of how 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. The author, a 45-year-old doctor and clinical professor of medicine, describes the aftermath of a brain injury eleven years ago which stripped her of her beloved profession. For years she was deprived of her intellectual companionship and the ability to handle the simplest undertakings like shopping for groceries or sorting the mail. Her progression from confusion, dysfunction, and alienation to a full, happy life is told with restraint, great style, and considerable humor.

Brain Injury Survival Kit:
365 Tips, Tools & Tricks to Deal with Cognitive Function Loss
by Sullivan MD, Dr. Cheryle

“Over 1.4 million people sustain a brain injury each year in the United States. Add to that the number of returning veterans with a brain injury and the numbers are staggering. The Brain Injury Survival Kit: 365 Tips, Tools & Tricks to Deal with Cognitive Function Lossaims to give brain injury survivors, their families, and loved ones the strategies they need to improve brain function and quality of life. The book is a compendium of tips, techniques, and life-task shortcuts that author Cheryle Sullivan has compiled from her personal experience. Readers will learn successful approaches to:

• Balancing a checkbook
• Using medication alarms
• Compensating for impaired memory function
• Locating things that have been put away
• Word finding
• Concentration exercises
• Communication tools
• And much more!

From basic principles to unique solutions for saving time and energy, this book is packed with helpful information for those coping with the special challenges of a brain injury. “

Saving Shannon: A Family’s Story of Strength and Devotion

A family comes together in the wake of tragedy in Paul J. Mulhern’s powerful memoir of a love that knows no bounds.

It was a beautiful summer day when three-year-old Shannon was hit by an SUV and thrown forty feet in the air. Despite heroic attempts of medical professionals on the scene and at the hospital, Shannon fell into a coma. With skull fractures and brain swelling and bleeding, Shannon’s prognosis was bleak. But even on the darkest days, her parents believed in Shannon’s smallest victories.

Throughout Shannon’s time in a coma, various hospitals, rehab, and eventual return to normal life, this story of miraculous recovery proves that celebrating step-by-step progress and commitment to healing can bring about the impossible.

Saving Shannon is an uplifting memoir of a family’s collective healing and an illustration of how a family copes with a child’s traumatic brain injury. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware. Available on Amazon here