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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗜𝗛𝗡

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿

𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘐𝘏𝘕 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥.
 
 
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗜𝗛𝗡
I find that waking up each day after a brain injury can feel like throwing the dice to see what you get. Is it going to be a good TBI day or a difficult TBI day? Some mornings I wake up with panic attacks or very negative thoughts.
 
This past Saturday I woke up at 3 a.m. and didn’t sleep well. I was a mess. I tried using the tools I’ve learned over the years, but I just couldn’t seem to calm myself down. I felt like I was spiraling downward and knew I needed to reach out for help.
 
The first person I thought of who would truly understand what I was going through was Donna, a fellow member of BIHN. She is an angel. She helped me work through my thoughts and gently redirected my day. We did Bible study together and talked for quite a while.
 
Donna and I found a connection through BIHN, and now we speak or text daily just to check in on each other. This is the real power of BIHN meetings. You gain friendship, understanding, and connection with people who truly get what you’re going through. BIHN is a place where we can be our true selves without judgment.
 
I truly believe that as a group we can gain knowledge, friendship, and understanding from one another. It’s a safe space where we can share both our accomplishments and our hardships. These meetings have a powerful impact because we support each other.
 
I’ve also heard David mention the possibility of creating a mentorship program. I think this is a wonderful idea and something that could bring us even closer together as a community of brain injury warriors. Having the ability to connect outside the meetings when we need support—or simply when we need someone who understands—would be a beautiful addition to the BIHN family.
 
And thank you to Donna for being my TBI sister and for everything you bring to my life. You are deeply appreciated and loved.
 
𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲.
 
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𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻
 
Susan Gallant is a Canadian survivor who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in February 2011 after a horseback riding accident that caused extensive facial fractures and a serious head injury. Before her injury, she was a successful real estate agent who thrived in a fast paced, socially connected career. Today Susan lives on a one-hundred-acre farm in rural Ontario, where she raises and shows English Mastiffs. With more than fifteen years of lived experience, she brings insight, compassion, and encouragement to the BIHN community while supporting others on their recovery journeys.

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