Taking the Day off of the Fair

Perfect day to take off from the fair!

Sunday (yesterday) was the perfect day for me to take off of the fair. When I awoke, it was 48 degrees and pouring out.
By late afternoon, it had reached 55 degrees and the forecaster said we were experiencing "Lake Effect" Rain. Now I have heard of "lake effect snow" but never L.E. Rain. We were getting about 3" per hour and strong lightening/thunder.

I POSTED THE ABOVE VIDEO AS A REMINDER OF WHAT WE EXPERIENCED.

The fair got to the point of overwhelming because with my brain injuries, I still experience "over-stimulation." It has been an arduous task that is for sure!! I am only there for 2 hours BUT about every 20 minutes, I find myself making way to the office for a quite moment away. I decompress, re-charge and head back out. It's quite interesting how the body and brain work. I show up feeling charged and ready to go....20 minutes in and I am in the office with an exhausted brain. Which is a quick reminder of why I am there. To share my story and make others aware of just how important traffic safety is! If I can just save one person from the terrible pain a crash can cause, it is worth every second!

I have done approximately 213 appearances over the past year. They are usually made up of me in one place speaking to a large group of people. This is definitely a different setting. I quickly become visually over stimated from the constant flow and movement of large crowds. I become over stimulated as well from the auditory aspect(it is very noisy on the fairgrounds). In the end, that is why I decided on a day off. Visual and Auditory over stimulation will make me mentally exhausted, therefore, a few days off is the proper way to re-charge my brain.

It has been an amazing experience and I have heard some truly amazing stories of others who have faced death at the mercy of someone else's BAD CHOICE behind the wheel. People have shed tears while talking to me, I have had a young woman hug me b/c she felt overwhelmed by my story and I have been continually thanked by others for what I have done with my tragedy to save others.

What bothers me the most was one woman's story. I had a woman tell me about her very own experience from back in the early 90's. She & her husband started to rattle off a list of symptoms she has experienced since the crash AND THEY WERE EXACTLY WHAT I WENT TO REHAB/THERAPY FOR!!!! She was told that there was no way to fix her short term memory and that was going to be the way she was for the rest of her life. THAT IS B.S.!!!!!!!! I gave her the name and # of my speech therapist AND I gave this woman tips on what she can do to work with the problems she has. You see, these injuries can NOT be fixed BUT you can learn how to COPE with them. I was taught "coping mechanisms" that saved my life in many ways.

It is so sad that we are such a VISUAL society. If it is not a visual disability, then society feels we do NOT need to address it. Well, you tell me how can we show society the axons that were sheared in my brain?
I have frontal lobe damage that my Nuclear SPECT scan proves.
FRONTAL LOBE DAMAGE includes:
-memory impairment
-poor judgment
-attention deficits
-slow cognitive processing
-poor problem solving
-disorganization
-behavioral impairment
-visual disturbances

BUT if you can't see it, you don't understand it. My heart hurt for this woman b/c I know that pain. She has gone through life without the guidance that she desperately needs. IT is the most helpless feeling for not only her but her family as well. I truly hope she gets the therapy she needs - I told her it will change her life! Promise!

Quality of life is the most important thing and God Bless her on this journey.

God Bless each and everyone of the folks that stopped to speak to me, that shared their very own personal car crash stories and thank you to those of you that sent me e-mail's sharing how you felt. You are what keeps me going. You give me the strength when my brain & I are worn out.
Thank you and God Bless!