When your body fails… try again!
Jen with her personal trainer
Workin’ on that arm sculpt!!
You’re lying in a hospital bed, you can’t move your arms and legs, and you can’t speak. You can’t even move your tongue. Presently, a stranger wheels you off to a strange machine making loud noises. You feel yourself coming in and out of consciousness; you hear your mom’s voice, your brother’s laugh, but you can’t seem to turn your head to look at them…
This and more horrors are what the first days may feel like with a brain injury. It will likely be one of the scariest experiences of your life. But this is not the end of the story!!! Jen has been living with a brain injury for 10 years now, and most people told us that the greatest changes will happen in the first year. While this is true, it’s ALSO true that your brain continues to evolve and change every single day, and changes that seem small in the moment turn into big leaps over the years.
When Jen left the hospital, she was:
Unable to make transfers without a lift
Ingesting food via feeding tube
Unable to make facial expressions
Experiencing extreme spasticity
With daily exercise and therapies, including support from PSWs, personal trainers, physiotherapists, massage therapists, speech / voice / swallowing therapists, acupuncture and others, she can now:
Complete a transfer with one Personal Support Worker (PSW)
Eat pureed and soft foods, including some of her favourites (like pizza, cookies, and even the occasional glass of wine!)
Smile and laugh just like her old self
Move her arms and legs with better control
Our biggest learning has been that with repetition., change comes. Regular physical activity plus therapies on a daily basis are absolutely key to your success! Get in touch to learn more about Jen’s program and how it has changed over the years, what types of therapies have been most successful, and what Jen expects in the future. The earlier you can build your own personalized program, the better outcomes you will achieve. Get in touch to learn more!
