Lost & Found - A Survivor's Guide for Reconstructing Life after a Brain Injury
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 1:18PM
By: Barbara J Webster
For people who have suffered from brain injuries, continuing to live a normal life is not easy. Barbara Webster, the author of Lost & Found—A Survivor’s Guide for Reconstructing Life after a Brain Injury, found herself in a frustrating situation where she “couldn’t do anything mentally that she used to do so effortlessly” after a car accident in 1991. The loss of memory and the weak ability to organize are common things to brain injury survivors, says Barbara. However, instead of simply hating herself for her lost abilities, Barbara has overcome the changes and written a detailed guidebook based on her own experience of recovery to help others.
Her book provides a variety of practical strategies to deal with situations in everyday life—from how to make a shopping list to how to read and write better. It is a step-by-step recovery worksheet that all users can apply regardless of the stage in their healing journey. Moreover, Barbara includes her own philosophy of the person and of the world into this book that is insightful and accurate. In order to have a better recovery, Barbara thinks that people should always give themselves positive hints like “I believe in myself” and “I can do it.” By building self-confidence and faith in oneself, the rest of the recovery comes a lot smoother. According to Barbara, the power of the community, including the Brain Injury Association and other support groups, is also very important and influential. This community makes brain injury survivors feel they are not fighting alone in this world and can provide them with more communication and encouragement that their friends and families may not be able to.
Throughout the examples and tips in the book, the bigger message Barbara tries to say is that every human being is unique and has value. Challenges like brain injuries are only part of everyone’s life. They are and can be conquered with strength.
Book review by Kate Xu
Check out the following link for an interview with Barbara Webster courtesy of Lash & Associates, a leading source of brain injury information: http://www.lapublishing.com/blog/2011/barbara-webster-brain-injury-survivor/