I was very lucky before I got my TBI in 1983 when I was 13 I had a happy childhood and good memories to reconnect with (a vital part of the recovery process I have since learned from a Neuropsychologist). Thankfully my life already had a purpose since I had taken my oath to do my best for God and The Queen as a sea scout. Remembrance of the past is essential for building a bright future, we must all come to terms with what happened and why it happened so we can live with it and move on.
Road incidents (that is how I got my brain injury while delivering newspapers before school) happen because local councils are corrupt; they think it is more important to save money by skimping on safe roads than providing road safety. North Devon District Council actually said in a letter that there was not the money to improve the road (the B3231 in Croyde) it is less deadly now but it took several fatalities before the council started to pay attention to road safety. Have a look at the road that nearly killed me and do your bit to help SAVE our NHS because the NHS saved me:
google.com/maps/@51.1259739...
I was in a coma for a month at Plymouth Freedom Fields hospital and my survival was a miracle. Recovery is about survival, it's a constant battle to go on. Depression and suicidal thoughts are normal for TBI survivors and with the complete lack of respect and support from the DWP sadly many disabled people have taken their own lives. My survival is only thanks to my family and friends who bear the burden that the government has neglected. I'm very lucky but my wife is suffering and my Russian friends who look after me ought to be given medals for international friendship.
I am still struggling to get this rotten "government" to take road safety seriously but yesterday Jeremy Corbyn made a ver good point about the importance of bus travel. If we all took the bus and got rid of the cars the UK would be a much safer country. Additionally think of all those pounds we waste on petrol from Saudi Arabia and BMW imports from Germany. Instead of wasting our money on silly things we could support our community bus services. With a Decent, Democratic, Royalist (meaning a government that put's the NHS and people first instead of it's self interest) government we could really make some progress for everyone living with Brain Injury.
Driving is dangerous, with a Brain Injury it might be possible to drive but it's more dangerous. Later on in life I had a couple of very lucky escapes when I was at the wheel. Honestly, Iucky escapes. We desperately need a proper integrated bus network and this is the backbone of Our NHS as we need buses to get to GP appointments, visit friends in hospital, get to work and get to the railway station for our holidays.
Everyone wants to enjoy a month in Plymouth, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Brighton, etc. and stop the risk of getting a Brian injury on our deadly roads. The sensible thing to do is sell the cars and travel by bus, train and boat. That's the BRexit!!! for British Rail planned by Jeremy Corbyn and that's my purpose in life. I want a Decent Democratic Royalist government worthy of the name and I want to get back to work at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. I was very lucky after my TBI and I was so lucky I didn't even realise I would be living with TBI all my life.
It's only when you try going to work, getting a degree, coping with supporting the family and dealing with the DWP that you realise it's not a joke. This Traumatic Brain Injury really needs looking after and we depend on our family and friends.
Raising awareness of TBI means realising we can go back to work or school but it will never be the same as before. We think more slowly, so cannot afford to take risks like we used to do. We cannot be expected to risk our lives cycling on the roads. One fall could wipe us out so we need the bus. We need the bus driver to say hello and maybe we also need the bus conductor to help us on board. We need the ticket office in the bus station and the smiling ticket clerks to help us fill in our bus pass forms. We need the bus station cafe to meet our fellow passengers over a coffee. We need to Bring Back British Rail so we can all afford the tickets to the beaches and we need to remember 1944 and 1918 in 2018 so we can go on a Brittany Ferries beach landing party and remember those who truly sacrificed everything so we could enjoy freedom and democracy today.
I'm still not getting any benefits and I'm still living off my friends' generosity. My wife is trying to get her job back at the department of education and I am trying to get my job back at the DDCMS. We could do so much if people would respect us and understand TBI doesn't mean we are useless, we just need to win some respect.
So that's how I am coping with my TBI and it requires me to focus on my purpose and win respect. Thank you very much for reading my story today.
