Just makes us think about what’s important in life. Good Luck for your future.

Definitely can see this as a movie script !!!

And no worries, you’d be surprised how much I appreciate intelligent and sensible students able to carry on an adult conversation. It’s more rare, at least in my geeky circles, than you’d think. I truly appreciate all the help you’ve been this year. (Even if your ears terrify me, lol!)

Don’t be a stranger after you get out. I don’t “graduate” for another 19 years… ;o)

Brandon

the top of my head went through the front windshield, I was the passenger. The glass stopped short of scalping me thank goodness, but, I had lost all the hair atop.

…broken arm in three places (metal plate 12 screws)
…fractured hip socket (an odd injury I deal with everyday)
…broken nose, stitches galore and 4 broken ribs…

Meanwhile…I woke first upon entering the trauma center after the ambulance ride…according to rescue workers I was loud and clear for the ride- I just do not remember. A Chaplin was praying over me and I am not Catholic. Then a male nurse came up and told the Chaplin to please leave, now that i was awake they needed to talk to me. I did not remember who I was with or what happened, I didn’t remember the year but knew the President, I knew my mother work phone number but not my home phone number… All of the aforementioned came back before I checked out during the 12 days… other things have never come back. Initially people did not understand that they would have to tell me why/how/where/when landed me in this shape! that was frustrating.

It seemed like I had forgotten how to do everything almost. I was very depressed, I had a different perspective on everything. Today I am well, lucky and working…degree in art, an 11 year old and a great guy. . .a fortunate life, a leg and arm…I can walk!

It’s been over 15 years but this day still affects me…sometimes good and sometimes bad. I enjoyed your story and by the way I found it because a loved one recently had to have a spinal tap…I then remembered how my parents said I had one during the accident and I wondered why- today.

Um, it appears that with my punk rock chic look back then, they must have assumed there were drugs pumping through my veins as well- there wasn’t…

very lucky that day…lots of factor beyond my control and the rescue workers control allowed me to live… the accident happened out int he country, no medical teams in my small hometown…

I lived, in short, because A) a friends mother left work early due to being ill, she had a CB in her van B) there was a minor accident on the closest highway- that ambulance left he scene to get me before I bled out (I was happy to learn I received my mother’s blood and not a strangers but people donate blood!).

best to you and your family.

So anyway, it was both the best, and worst, thing that has ever happened to us.

That was REALLY interesting when it came time several years later to get a mortgage for a house…

That’s a hell of a story you’ve got right there, Shawn. Glad you’re back together. The world would be less funny and fun if you hadn’t made it out.

And you’re right about the wife thing. The only time I passed out (from dehydration) it was my wife’s voice that brought me back out.

That’s because you do.

Thanks for the kind comments here as well, everyone. I feel like I owe you all cookies or something.

I can’t even imagine losing my entire memory. While there are things I’d like to forget in my all too short life on this planet, there are things that one holds dear like a old teddybear.

Jim does have a point though, our experiences make us who we are, somewhere down the line, your brain must still remember some things, because in the short time I’ve read your blog and have “known” you from the Whatever, you’re one hell of a guy.

I can’t decide if you’re incredibly lucky, or incredibly unlucky, but either way, you have a wonderful wife, but must have a significant store of your own strength, to come through this with your sense of humor in tact.

I’m glad you came through as you did, and hopefully that filled your quota of bad things for this life.

Or was it more like Henry, that Harrison Ford movie? Were you an evil lawyer before the accident?

I’m kidding, Shawn, but if you can still laugh, then you haven’t lost anything.

What brought this up, sugar? Are you OK?

Memory is such a strange thing. It must feel truly odd to have so many gaps.

If you don’t mind my asking, what was your profession before the accident? Were you in IT then too, or was that entirely new ground for you when you did your self-study?

Maybe I’m way off but from either perspective hers or yours it makes for good story telling.

I’m glad you’re healthy and happy now.

I suffered a mild traumatic brain injury and lost about 90% of my memory. I could recall some things and people for no reason and then others were completely erased from my memory. The best example of this is that I have two friends, one (Andy) that I’d known for 12 years and another (Craig) that I had known for 14 years. I met Andy through Craig and we all ran the same circles. After the wreck I could remember everything about Craig but nothing about Andy. When a memory would involve both of them I could remember only one. The doctor’s ascribed it as someone threw darts at a dart board. Where they hit is what I remembered.

The medical care I received was topnotch thanks to my work’s PEO (Professional Employment Orgnaization). They went above and beyond the call of duty to get me better. The doctors told me that I had sixteen months (though in truth it was probably more like twelve to sxiteen) to get my memories back. The best way was through triggers. Spending time around people I forgot, doing things I used to like, etc. I still have a lot of holes but for the most part I’m like you and back to being normal though I still have very mild headaches.

Fortunately, for both of us by the sound of it, we had our loving wives and families. Without the love of my own wife I doubt I would have made it through it.

The memory thing is funny though because I have the same thing. I call them fabricated memories. People tell you stories so many times you begin to remember then as though you’re telling the stories.

Enough about me though. I just wanted to pop in and add to what my friend had said. I hope those that haven’t gone through something like this never have to and for those that have I wish them the best and please remember that things do get better.

Best of luck Shawn! I’m honestly relieved and happy to hear that you are doing better.

I have a friend who had a car accident a lot like yours. He said the memory loss was a lot like someone threw darts into his past to see which parts he would get to remember. He had a lot of short-term memory problems for a long time afterward, too, but has largely recovered now.

I hope you switched car insurance companies. o.O