Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Last month we shared the story of Jason Stanley, an Auburn University student who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI)when three other men ambushed and maliciously attacked him in an alleyway. Jason lost consciousness after falling and hitting his head on the concrete pavement, yet one of the assailants continued to kick him in the face, according to a witness. The attack left Jason with a spectrum of physical and psychological problems – a fractured skull, severed nerves, loss of hearing, dizziness, anxiety, confusion, anger, depression – all symptoms of a TBI that took doctors days to discover.

Many people who receive a serious brain injury do not know it, which is precisely why Jason’s mother, Carol Stanley, says it’s so important to raise awareness of TBI.

“Most people seem to think ‘oh, it’s just a bump or a cut on the head. Give it a couple of weeks and it will be fine,’” Carol said.

“Wrong,” she added. “You are not the same person you were before the head trauma.”

Carol’s concerns about the seemingly innocuous nature of a “bump on the head” is evidenced by the tragic events surrounding actress Natasha Richardson’s death. Richardson hit her head while skiing in Canada last month, but she talked and behaved normally and refused medical treatment. Hours later, back at her hotel room, she developed a headache and was taken to the hospital, where she arrived in critical condition. Richardson died the following day.

Since news of Richardson’s injury and death, many people have taken those mere bumps on the head a little more seriously, including the parents of one 7-year-old Ohio girl. After getting hit in the head by a baseball, she would have died of the same injury as Richardson had her parents not read the news and recognized the headache their daughter developed.

Just as Natasha Richardson’s story has helped raise awareness of TBI, so have the reports about Jason Stanley that have appeared in local media.

“Since Jason’s story has been in the newspapers, family, friends, etc. have been calling and telling me they had no idea Jason’s injuries were so serious,” Carol Stanley said, explaining that oftentimes people with TBI can look, act, and talk normally.

“That is another reason for TBI awareness,” she said. “Most people don’t know about TBI and what causes them. Nor do they know what the long-term health problems of TBI are. This information can help people. It can help prevent injuries and it can help save lives when someone does receive an injury.”

Carol said that one woman contacted her just hours after one story about Jason ran in the newspaper. The woman’s husband had received two broken legs and brain trauma in a car accident more than a year ago, but still suffers from the same problems as Jason. The woman was frustrated with the care her husband received by doctors who didn’t seem to understand the sometimes subtle nature of a severe head injury.

Another Alabama family whose 17-year-old daughter also sustained severe head injuries in a car accident read Jason’s story in the local paper and wanted to meet Carol so they could learn more about TBI. Sadly, however, their daughter passed away just days after the article ran.

Carol credits UAB neuropsychologist Dr. Thomas Novak with helping her and Jason navigate the complicated labyrinth of TBI. Dr. Novak is nationally recognized for his research involving TBI patients and their recovery.

People who have TBI or know someone who has TBI can find a number of resources by going to UAB’s Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic website.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 24th, 2009 at 12:36 pm and is filed under News, automobile accident, brain injury, safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.