Second Chance to Live

http://secondchancetolive.wordpress.com

Hello Friend,
On the night of August 11, 1967 my dad, mom, brother and myself were in an automobile accident that forever changed our lives. Per my injuries, when the Cadillac hit our Volkswagen Beetle I was catapulted from the back seat. In the process of being thrown forward I fractured my left femur (thigh bone) on my dad’s bucket seat and then made direct contact with the inside of the windshield. Consequently, I sustained an open skull fracture. I remained in a coma for 3 weeks and in traction to set my left femur for 6-7 weeks.

When my skull sustained the fracture at the time of the accident my right frontal lobe — location of the brain that controls executive center function — absorbed the initial brunt of the contact where my skull was fractured. In addition to the damage to my right frontal lobe, I sustained a severe brain contusion — as my brain was jostled about in my skull as well as some damage to my brain stem — attention, arousal, and consciousness, as well as being the gateway of brain function for the body — was also damaged.

Once I regained consciousness, completed traction to set left femur , and placed in a Spica — full body cast — I was transferred to another hospital where I under went brain and skull surgery. Following surgery I was transferred back to the first hospital and then several weeks later to my parents home. I remained in the Spica cast for 4-5 months. After being taken out of the cast I attended several physical therapy appointments. Because neurological rehabilitation was not available in 1967 I had to re-teach myself how to walk, talk, read, write and speak in complete sentences with the encouragement of my family.

In follow-up to my brain and skull surgery and after learning to walk again I had several EEG’s done to determine the extent of damage done to my brain at the time of the accident. I also underwent a battery of cognitive and psychosocial testing to determine how my ability to think and learn as well as my and social function had been impacted by the damage to my brain. The results from these tests were shared with my parents, but not with me. Years later I would find out that the EEG’s and test results indicated that I would probably not be able to succeed beyond high school academically.

Although the data and scientific findings predicted that I would be limited socially and academically, I was able to able to obtain both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. If you are interested in an in depth view of my process, please read my 3 part series, My Journey thus Far.

On February 6, 2007, at the encouragement of a friend I created Second Chance to Live to share my experience, strength and hope. Due to the invisible and unknown nature of my disability — for some 35 years post injury — the impact of my brain injury remained hidden from me. Consequently I had to develop strategies in order to succeed despite the injury to my brain.

The information that I present with in the articles of Second Chance to Live have empowered me to succeed and achieve far beyond all reasonable expectations. The articles that are found with in my Site Map expound upon the principles and strategies that have helped me to succeed. These principles and strategies have been developed over the course of the past 40 years of my life.

The applications illustrated and provided through the articles with in Second Chance to Live provide practical solutions to living life on life’s terms and for finding and then living our destinies. The information presented with in Second Chance to Live are designed to instill hope, give comfort and provide a motivation to succeed in life regardless of how our circumstances may look at the present time.

Second Chance to Live presents information in such a way to encourage, motivate and empower the reader to experience life with zest, meaning and purpose and to not give up because our circumstances are not meant to keep us down, but they are meant to build us up!

Note:

I am available for speaking engagements, conferences and seminars. If you are interested, please leave a comment or a confidential email and I will be in touch with you. Thank you.

All material presented on Second Chance to Live is copyright and cannot be copied, reproduced, or distributed in any way without the express, written consent of Craig J. Phillips, MRC, BA

• Added on: Jan 6th, 2009
• Country: United States
• Language: English

• Author: Craig J. Phillips MRC, BA
• Listed in: Development and Growth
• Tags: motivational speaker motivation empowerment encouragement living life on life's terms learning to thrive