Jim's Story
Jim's Story...
On the crash...
It was 1990 and I thought I'd never be involved in a serious traffic accident. I was fool enough to get in the car with my best mate, who I knew was a speedy driver. But we were only two or three miles from home. I have no memory of the accident itself. We were driving past a farm, and my friend was driving too fast. The car went out of control and we must have crashed into a cement fence. The fence-post must have broken and gone through the windscreen, hitting me on the head. The rest is history.
I was 17 years of age.
The emergency ambulance took me to Naas hospital, 15 miles away. A priest was called because they didn't think I was going to survive. But when they realised I may have a chance, they took me to Beaumont Hospital for surgery. The ambulance had a Garda escort. Within 12 hours of the crash, I was in surgery. I was there for many hours.
On 'coming back'...
I was in a coma for about five months, and this is when the epilepsy started. I have no memory of my first seizures as I was still in a coma.
When I eventually came round from the coma, they took me to Dun Laoghaire, to the National Rehabilitation Hospital. When I first came round, I couldn't speak, so my Mum brought in a small alphabet set so I could point out letters to communicate. I also lost my sight in my right eye, due to optical nerve damage. I had to have lots of physiotherapy which helped to get my speech back. I then started having speech therapy too.
I imagined that when I was discharged I would just walk out of the NRH, but that wasn't the case. I was unable to walk for a further few months or maybe a year, I'm not sure.
Then my goal was to get on my feet again. Not once did I think I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. That was a battle in itself. But I kept positive and thinking positive thoughts. I don't need a wheelchair and can walk unaided.
On epilepsy and going out...
The epilepsy I developed as a result of the crash is tough, scary. There are no warning signs when I am about to have seizure. Also I stay conscious throughout the seizure. It's not pleasant at all. It interferes with my social life because if I have plans, and I have a seizure, I'm unable to go.
Also I am unable to go out in large public areas, like a bar. There are too many people and I always feel that people are looking at me because I look different. So the crash has really affected my social life.
On life...
I love looking after my dog, Holly. She is a rough collie. I had a collie before that for 13 years and she was beautiful too, Isabelle. Collies are great companions. I take Holly on long walks, which is great for both of us.
I also attend Headway. I really enjoy going there twice a week, and especially doing the crosswords and making mosaics. I like chatting to the staff and the other clients. All the clients have an acquired brain injury, so we understand what each of us has had to face. The staff are wonderful.
My really good mate, who is a first cousin, was looking for place that helped people with head injuries and Headway appeared number one. So I followed through and contact them to have a meeting. That went well and so forth. That was six years ago.
Headway has helped me a lot. It gives my Mum a break for the day. It also gives me interesting things to do and I also get information from the staff about what is available for people with acquired brain injuries.
On the future...
My ambition is to maybe write a book to make people more aware of brain injury, and to help them accept people affected by acquired brain injury more. People affected by acquired brain injury have been through enough already.
I'd also like to ask young people on the road - cycling, walking, getting a lift on any journey in car - to be careful and think about what they are doing. People shouldn't take for granted that they'll never get a head injury, because it can happen to anyone at anytime.