My Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Recovery Journey
Below is a timeline of the major events that have taken place since May 20, 2023 when the trajectory of my life was drastically changed due to a careless driver crashing into my car, causing a severe Traumatic Brain Injury and polytrauma. After 97 days in a coma and a total of 207 days in hospitals and a rehabilitation center, I was released back into the wild to continue my recovery journey.
One Year Anniversary
Click here to watch an interview my Dad did with me about where I am, one year into my recovery journey from a severe TBI and polytrauma.
“Over The Ridge” debuts at Massey Theatre
In 2020, The Fugitives premiered “Ridge”, a musical storytelling show that examined the WW1 Canadian soldier experience during the Battle of Vimy. It was named a top 10 Globe & Mail Arts Event of the year, and spawned the JUNO nominated album Trench Songs. In “Over the Ridge”, The Fugitives collaborate with choreographer Jacob Williams to expand this narrative through dance. Developed in partnership with the Massey Theatre Society, with help from Ballet BC and Arts Umbrella, “Over the Ridge” adds original contemporary dance to the storytelling and music, resulting in a kinetic ride through history that delves our strong connection to the past, and passionately argues against the exploitation of young lives.
TBI – Terrible Beautiful Incident debuts at Take Form 2024
You can see the highlight reel here. This was the other piece Jacob created right after he was released from GF Strong Rehabilitation Center. The three dancers who were injured in the car accident with him dance in this piece as well as other members of his dance family.
Tech Week for two shows!
Life was a little too crazy as Jacob prepped for his Take Form piece and put the finishing touches on the choreography for “Over the Ridge” – and he had his regular appointments for rehabilitation that he kept up with as well.
Between January and April
So many appointments each week and a lot of hard work by Jacob. He has a great team that is working with him and he is determined to return to dance. In the meantime he is working hard on choreographing for two different pieces: Take Form is a platform for emerging choreographers and dancers within Ballet BC to demonstrate their creative skills after being given carte-blanche to produce their works. This showcase of work provides a platform to test their ideas with the full support of a company infrastructure.
The second piece is one that Jacob began long before the accident and was able to return to finish out choreography for “Over the Ridge” – which debuted on April 13th (scroll up to that date to learn more).
First appointment with Physical Therapy
Although Hand Therapy is PT, this was Jacob’s first official appointment with Kathy Gordon, his Primary Physical Therapist at Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Clinic Physiotherapy. Kathy has worked with Ballet BC for years, knows Jacob personally, and is a great resource. She collaborates with the Occupational Therapist as well as the MD (Dr. Bovard) to ensure Jacob is getting the appropriate treatments.
Outpatient therapies begin with OT and PT
We started with Occupational Therapy and Hand Therapy (specifically focused on his left arm and wrist) this week as well as visits to an Neuro Opthamologist to “see” what could be sorted out with his vision (the accident caused his vision to degrade on his left side).
Steve, Jacob and Jordan head back up
With Christmas break over, it was time to leave Vancouver, Washington, and head back to Vancouver, BC to get settled back in and ready for the next chapter: Outpatient Therapy
Christmas Break in Vancouver, WA
Heidi and Jacob drove down from Vancouver, BC for Christmas break. She moved all her stuff out of the 2nd bedroom in BC and drove Jacob down for the holiday. Jordan flew down
Jacob is discharged from G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Center!
What an exciting day when he got to say goodbye to the great staff at GFS. Next stop – home for Christmas and then Outpatient Therapy will begin with the New Year.
See Caring Bridge site
For now, if you desire, you can go to the Caring Bridge site to see all that transpired between the day of the accident and his discharge from GF Strong. Eventually, I will fill in the key dates into this timeline.