I'm going to tell you a bit about myself. I had two Traumatic Brain Injurys(TBIs)The first one was 7/4/83. It happened like this an aquaintance an I decided to celebrate the fourth of July by going to the stock car races in Willow,Alaska. After the races were over we decided to go to Hope, Alaska (150 miles in the opposite direction) and buy some more fireworks. He also had some friends there we visited. We were following these friends down a dusty road doing about 50, he was driving and I was a passenger without a seat belt.
My only memories of that day was driving down that dusty road and him turning around to argue with me not to shoot bottle rockets out the window. He was so animate about it, that he was acting as if we were standing
still.
The next thing I remember was waking up 2 days later in Providence Hospital.
I remembered I had just had the cast taken off of my hand because I had crushed it in the forklift at work. I was visually impaired and had hemipareses,(paralysis that only affected the right side of my body). After I spent 3 weeks in the hospital with lots of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy I went back to work after being off a month to the warehouse. After they told me I could no longer perform my duties, that required balance and coordination. I then took on odd jobs doing janitorial and restaraunt work.
I was working as prepcook/dishwasher at the time I applied for Housekeeping at Providence Hospital, where I had been a patient almost a year previously. Its now called Providence Alaska Medical Center.
I was immediately hired to work on the night shift. I had worked there about 12 years when I had gotten off work for the weekend and decided it would be a good time to install the home base CB antenna I bought. It was icey out, but nevertheless I got my ladder out and leaned it against my 2 story house.
Thats another instant where I dont remember much after that. I came to about three weeks later from what I remembered on the Rehabilitation Unit at Providence. From what I was told I had been to ER, ICU, PCU and I had a wonderful ambulance ride that I dont remember. They told me they brought me in on a code blue (not breathing).
After I was discharged from Providence they flew me down to CCR (Continuing Cognitive Rehabilitation)in Puyallup, Washington. I dont remember much about the first couple weeks I was there. After about 3 months I returned to Anchorage, Alaska to return to work at Providence.
I was lifting a stack of chairs for a function the next day, when all of a sudden it started hurting when I moved my right leg. I went to the doctor, then came alot of Physical Therapy and MRIs. I was diagnosed with a ruptured disk. After the Physical Therapy had run its ground and I didnt improve much, the doctor decided to do surgery.
Providence combined the time I was out with my back surgery and my TBI and sent me a letter announcing I no longer work there because I had exceeded the 1 year medical leave act. So since then I've been on disability and volunteering at various places along with part time jobs here and there.
Right now I'm in the process of looking for work.
Well thats about it for me.
Please leave me an Email where there's an option to do so at the left hand side of the page under My Info and under my name.
God Bless and
Take Care!!