Another reason I love brain injury camp!

Here's the answer to that burning question from yesterday: Did John remember my name Thursday at brain injury camp?

Yes, he did! Despite the sprinkles and dark skies, it was another beautiful day of me saying "John!" every time he said, "Monica!" … plus "How ya doing?" and the everyday things people talk about.

I sit for a while next to another man I hadn't talked to before. As the noise of the rest of the crowd grows around us, I have to lean closer to hear what he's saying, and it takes a while to understand, but I ask him to repeat because I didn't catch parts of it. I wasn't going to pretend I got it and just say "uh huh."

His injury happened in 1988.

He's 38 years old.

He asks what I do, and I explain how I'm working on the book about coping with brain injuries. He asks if I doing lots of research. It takes me a while to grasp that he was saying "research," with an extra effort to get out the second syllable.

I want to learn more and I ask if he wants to go outside where it was less noisy. This is a man who is slumped in his wheelchair but gets himself around most of the time extending his muscled legs straight in front of him one at a time to move. We get to the door and he gestures for me to go first. I smile and say, "Thank you, sir." He nods at the compliment.

Outside, I lean close again to hear the words of fragmented sentences.

"How … are … you …" I repeat as he says each word. "Affected … by … the …"

Hmm, I really have to test my brain trying to understand that final word. Research? How am I affected by my research?

No, he shakes his head.

Re-something? Then he gathers extra energy to repeat the second syllable, "cess."

"Oh, I get it! How am I affected by the recession?"

He smiles. Victory! I get it!

"My work continues despite the recession. Families face challenges like Alzheimer's, strokes, brain tumors and brain injuries every day whether there's a recession or not. Unfortunately, that need never ends."

He nods in agreement …

I learned a lot at brain injury camp Thursday.

What did you learn?