Q: What a role reversal for you, going from a nurse to being caught in the
role of the patient. You have come a long, long way on your path of
recovery. Would you please say a little bit about the course of your own
recover from your brain injury?
A: Of course. Most doctors give you the first five years after the injury to
determine how well you will recover functioning. I don't really agree with
that because my injury was over 14 years ago and I'm still progressing. My
eyesight is better, my organizational skills are better, I've learned how to
adapt better and better to the memory disruptions. I'm always learning and
growing. I'm never going to stop.

Q: Ann, you attend school in a Masters program, volunteer at the AC and are
very active in the community. You already have a very taxing schedule. And
yet I know you have some goals in mind for yourself. What do those goals
involve?
A. Well, originally, my short term goal was to complete the masters program
and to seek employment in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation. Now I have
a new, long term goal. This goal involves obtaining funding through the
grant/proposal process so I can establish an Independent living Center in
the South Bay area her in San Diego. I've started working on it and I've
talked to Bud Sayles, the Executive Director of the AC, who is excited about
working with me on the  project. What I envision is another AC satellite
center like the ones already functioning in north San Diego county and the
Imperial Valley area. The whole idea came about because of a school project.
Through networking and talking to people I realized that there is a real
need for a center like this in the area. The Access Center is the only
Independent Living Center in San Diego and it takes 2 hours to get up here
by bus from the South Bay. I'm hoping that within a few weeks I can do the
proposal and begin to set things up even if we just start out with an office
and a table and a chair. It would be great to take our services down to the
South Bay area. I still have some more school to finish but I am working on
this satellite project too.

Q: Do you have any advice for survivors of brain injury to help them cope
better with their situation?
A: If it is a situation like mine where surgery is being planned you should
do lost of research on what is available for rehabilitation after the
surgery. It is important to involve your family in this effort if you are
luck enough to have family. It is very important to know what services are
available before hand. Not only physical but psychological services also. I
was not offered the psychological services. I needed. When you are injured
like I was it is very common to experience changes in attention,
concentration and memory.

Q: What advice do you have for professionals in this area?
A: Tolerance. If you are not familiar with what a brain injured person can
be like you need to study up on it. Brain injury people are a special group.
If you have someone and their behavior doesn't fit into a particular
category you might check out whether or not they have had a head injury
recently. Taking a thorough history is very important, especially when the
situation involves sudden behavior changes.