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You help a lot, even when you help a little. |
Qualcomm
Model Employer in
Support of Survivor
by Lauren Harris
When one hears brain injury, words like “helpless,” and “handicapped” come to mind. It’s a life-changing experience that affects not only the survivor, but also their family, friends, and employer. Personalities changes, family roles switch, and dreams are lost in the rubble.
Sue Townley faced this reality when she awoke
from a three week coma. She and her
husband of only three months were hiking in Arizona along the Colorado River.
Sue slipped off the edge of a hill and tumbled down about 140 feet. A marine
helicopter rescued her. She was flown to U.C.S.D. Hospital where she was
treated for a broken leg, broken jaw, and diagnosed with severe brain injury.
“When I first saw her in the hospital, I didn’t think she would live,” said Ty Stewart, Townley’s manager at Qualcomm. “At that point we did everything we could. Company members frequently visited in the hospital and took food to family members who were there around the clock.” While Sue does not fully remember the visits or the conversations, she believes they played a major role in her recovery by keeping her mind continually working.
It took
Sue a year of intense therapy at Sharp Rehabilitation Hospital before she was
able to go back to part-time work. During that time, Qualcomm held her
position. “Sue is one of those individuals who just has that inner drive to
make things happen, and we knew that,” said Ty. “She’d stated really early in
her rehabilitation that her goal was to get back to work, so we waited for
her.” In doing so, Qualcomm
distinguished itself as a model employer.
Doctors doubted whether she would fully recover from her injury. These comments only made Sue work harder. Sue returned to her job as project manager at Qualcomm, determined to rise to the business standards she had once far exceeded. While she remembered how to operate a computer, she was very slow and had trouble remembering basic information. “Now,” she says, “I am able to laugh when I look at how far I’ve come.”
Ty devised a plan of action that
would allow Sue to ease back into the workforce. He held monthly meetings that included Sue, himself, her
temporary replacement, a member of the finance group, and a computer
programmer. During this time, he created several tasks for her, project
completion dates, and discussed questions related to the job. According to Ty,
Sue went from about a 50% productivity level to that of her other team members.
“Of course, Sue had valleys and
plateaus during her recovery process, but she was very open with us about
this,” said Ty. “Her personality is very positive and accommodating. She acknowledged that she’d had a bad accident
and that there would be some things that weren’t normal relative to how she
used to be. This directness allowed for a very positive work environment.
Having seen her at her worst, I was and am continually amazed at where she is
today.”
“Here at Qualcomm, we’ve always
done everything we can to make any needed accommodations for employees with
disabilities,” said Tim Bresenben, manager of Human Resources at Qualcomm.
“Every person is valued, and we will bend over backwards to help them reach a
level of satisfaction despite their restraints.”
Said Ty, “Until working with a
brain-injured individual first hand, I was completely unaware. I knew Qualcomm
had strong benefits for their employees, but I would have never imagined the
extent to which they bent over backwards for Sue, and other disabled people
that work here.”
Although her life was turned
upside down, Sue feels as though she has changed for the better in many
ways. She said, “Before the accident I
was a workaholic. This incident forced me to take a step back, and really
cherish life.” She, and others like her, demonstrate how a combination of will
power, drive, and the help of family, friends and employers can turn tragedy
into a success story.
The San Diego Brain Injury
Foundation would like to thank and recognize Qualcomm for its support of
individuals and families with disabilities.
