The Good, the Bad and the Otherwise–By Maddi

Adjusting to Maddi 2.0 is hard, for everyone. That means my friends, my family and myself. Sometimes my days are good, sometimes they're bad, and sometimes they're something in between, just kind of otherwise.

Sometimes, I start reading “Smile on My Forehead” a book written by a woman who also had a TBI named Jennifer Mosher, and I end up in tears. This is not because the story is terribly sad, it is simply because a lot of the experiences she went through, I am going through right now. But other days, I come home smiling and bubbly as ever but sometimes I am just in a melancholy mood.

Despite all the kinds of days I have, they are all hard. They all have fatigue, forgetting and learning. But even on the worst days; I get to see my friends, my family.  I am thankful for how far I have come. Some people may think that just because I am walking and talking, I am fine and just the way I was. This could not be farther from the truth. The long-lasting effects of my brain injury will be my shadow for the rest of my life.

Adjusting is the hardest part. The learning is not over, and it probably never will be. But, the giant metaphorical hill (my hospital stay and all the hard things with it) is behind me. Although this is the case, I think that this part of my journey is the hardest. To what part am I referring?

The mental/emotional part. Everyone says that the teenage years are the hardest, but teenage girl plus TBI equals……………….bad combination.

There are many, many, things that are hard for me. Some are:

• Remembering both short-term and what happened to me
• Following Conversations
• Having to stop participating in certain activities because of headaches
• People expecting the same out of me as before
• Getting my point across
• Not being able to do certain sports like skiing

Despite all the hard things, there are quite a few good things as well. Such as:

• Everything is getting easier over time
• My friends support me & try to help me
• I can still do lots of things
• I have more confidence
• I know I can do hard things
• My family is super supportive

If I was asked to say something supportive or helpful to some one struggling with some difficult
trial, I would say;

“Everyone's got something that they are going through.”

“Everything gets easier over time.”

“Just keep pushing through, it will all be worth it in the end.”