Keeping Hope

Many of my blogs share the hardships and difficulties of living with a brain injury. In this post, I would like to focus on the positive, since concentrating on Veronica’s losses is something I did not do even back then. There was so much positive to me not long after Veronica came out of a coma and off life support, two weeks after entering the hospital. When I am in contact with others it seems some concentrate so much on losses. Honestly, once Veronica had been on the rehab floor for about a week, three weeks after injury, and she was still in a vegetative state, something life-changing, attitude changing, happened.  We received a phone call from her doctor, saying that Veronica may never become self-sufficient. I swore up and down, out loud and loudly, “This doctor is not God, and he doesn’t get to decide!” That is when I handed everything, my life, over to God and was given a completely different outlook. Like many, we were told that Veronica may remain in a vegetative state and that we needed to find a nursing home for her. Fortunately, that state did not last long enough for us to actually do that. I did not concentrate on all the things Veronica could no longer do. I focused on all the things she could do. Every move of Veronica’s finger, a slight few seconds of eye contact, the ability to show a thumbs up at the appropriate time. We celebrated even the smallest accomplishments because all the little things together turned into something much larger.  Even when Veronica began sticking her tongue out was considered something great and useful. It helped her build strength to swallow and speak. It was thought she may never speak again. All the attempts Veronica made to talk that none of us understood, and she finally spoke in a whisper after over two months and began walking on a walker with the help of a physical therapist shortly after that. I had a few moments of deep sorrow and many tears when I thought of the future Veronica would likely never have, but I didn’t remain there. I thought, “How wonderful it is she is alive.” The only thing I ever asked God for was for her to live in any condition He chose. To this day I often notice myself listening so hard to Veronica’s voice, as different as it is from the way it used to be. That, I really missed. She thinks I am silly when I tell her so; but you never realize how important something is to you until you don’t know if it is something you will ever get to experience again. I think about things like this even 16 years after her injury. I sometimes get frustrated by something Veronica doesn’t do the way I may have. Then I immediately think, “Wow, how fortunate Veronica has the ability to try.” That brings me to tears with gratefulness sometimes. Veronica and I spend hours communicating as we spend our days together. We realize and talk about the losses Veronica has experienced in her life. But after that, every time, we talk about the many good things in our lives and sometimes literally cry happy tears that our lives have been so blessed with family and love.  We do realize there are so many people that don’t have what we have, and we do not take our lives for granted. And we take time to pray for the strength and courage of others that are sadly in a different place than we are in.

Every day from day one in the ICU, the doctors told us, “Veronica may never get better than today.” Doctors tell you the worst-case scenario. But the truth is, they know so little about the human spirit and nothing about God’s plan for us. Keep hope is the strong message I am trying to send. Always keep hope.

If you would like to learn more about our journey through the first 12 years of our recovery, please read my book titled,

A Miracle a Day, One Day at a Time: Hope After Traumatic Brain Injury

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/a-miracle-a-day-one-day-at-a-time

If you are interested in checking my book out and want to purchase it, press the link above.

I know not everyone believes in God, and I am by no means pushing my beliefs on anyone. All I know is God carried me when I could not carry myself. He was the strength I never would have had by myself.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. Like, follow, and subscribe. If you subscribe, you will receive an email every time I post a new blog. Please leave comments and let me know how I’m doing.

Have a week full of hope and blessings.