I've definitely decided that I must be making up for not going to camp as a kid by being camp crazy as an alleged adult …
I remember not being interested in leaving my comfortable only-child bed when I was a kid to be around a bunch of noisy
kids in a cabin or tent in the middle of somewhere. I admit that I was a
loner in many ways by choice. I did sleep over at friends' houses
occasionally or have them at my house, but going away to camp, nah, that
wasn't me. I'd also get terribly homesick.
However, I did
venture out into the world in late high school by attending a week-long
writer's workshop at St. Joseph's College in northern Indiana. Met some
other cool kids outside of Anderson, IN, and bonded with one in
particular, a crazy girl named Lisa who lived in Ohio. We corresponded
for years until we lost touch. Hmm, will have to look her up on Facebook
…
And then I also had a whim to go into law enforcement and
went to a camp sponsored by the Indiana State Police. I followed that by
a week-long high school journalism workshop at nearby Ball State
University. Geez, I was such a serious kid!
None of those took
me into the woods and the places of the heart I venture these days. I'm
not into fishing or climbing rock walls, but I love to take photos of
individuals who cherish the moments of these special experiences, human
beings who face the everyday and emotional challenges of coping with
brain-related injuries, illnesses and diseases.
It's just me
and my camera and the woods and a few mosquitoes with about 150 of my
new friends at Camp Cranium for children with traumatic or acquired brain injuries this week in the inspiring setting of Camp Victory in
Millville, Pennsylvania …
Dear Mom, and Dad and Diane,
This is my postcard from camp …
Love, your daughter,
Monica
I've been absent from this blog for waaaaaay too long. I've posted a lot on Facebook and am now getting back into the habit of making sure I do the same on this blog, while digging deeper into my passion, Turning Empathy into Action.
An online discussion group topic on traumatic brain injury had me typing in the middle of the night …
This reaffirms what I learn from TBI survivors and caregivers as I'm
focusing on creating upcoming books and related materials on coping with
the emotional and everyday challenges of TBI. It affects not
only the person with TBI but everyone around them. This is true with
virtually all brain-related injuries, illnesses and diseases. I've
learned this from my writing on Alzheimer's and being a caregiver for my
father-in-law a few years ago, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's,
which we learned after his passing was actually vascular dementia.
I've attended about 50 Retreat & Refresh Stroke Camps as a
volunteer — where I am this weekend in Illinois. I've been attending
some TBI camps in the last few years and will go to at least five this
year, including a children's TBI camp this coming week in PA.
I've heard just about everything as I lead survivor or caregiver
discussion groups at Stroke Camp and interact with survivors and
caregivers in other ways around the country … from the hopes to the
frustrations, from the lack of public understanding to the intense
social isolation, from pure love to the joys of the simplest things in
life. The same is true for those affected by TBI.
We often hear
and speak about the "new normal" after a brain "event." Most people
don't get that that "new normal" is constantly redefined as the brain
reconstructs or adjusts itself every second. And there is a great deal
of impatience and misunderstanding about fatigue, often viewed as
laziness or a way to command sympathy. I've witnessed the intense pain
and tears of so many survivors whose families belittle or ignore them or
focus only on their INabilities or DISabilities.
Though
medication alleviates many of the challenges I face with the depression
I've lived with for many years, I understand that my brain gets tired
more easily, and my body does, too. God bless my husband for
understanding that there are days when I just need to sleep or "chill"
or I'm not going to be MY best … which is the "best" for him and
everyone I love …
Brain injuries, illnesses and diseases ARE a human tragedy, and each of
us has a chance to rewrite that script for better understanding and
compassion. Communication is the biggest key to promoting that
connection … survivors and caregivers and families talking, listening,
observing and learning from each other the challenges each face in
coping with the changes. That connection is a powerful force in healing
bodies, brains and relationships.
Nearly everybody fears what
they cannot control or fully understand, and the human brain is the one
of the scariest unknowns in the universe. Even "normal" people have bad
days when their brains are simply tired or are trying to process too
much. We are surprised when the person who always has a steady positive
attitude snaps at us. Alas, each of us is human …
Thanks for setting my brain "on fire" enough to write this in the
middle of the night …
