“Life as you knew it may be gone BUT life is not over! You are a miracle, live like one”
Survivors of traumatic brain injuries are unique unto themselves: their strengths and their challenges (physical & cognitive) can be as different from one another as snowflakes. But, commonalities are too often loneliness, depression, artificial limits placed on them by society at large, and the loss and/or disconnection with their lives before their injury. Many studies show that indivduals living with TBIs are much more likely to commit suicide than those without brain injuries.
The BISOI support group (also known as Heads or Tails) was founded in 2016 by two wonderful women and mothers of TBI survivors, Susie Fitt and Rhonda Freeman, with the mission of providing survivors who are in their twenties and thirties with fun event experiences and a growing social network, which is so often severely curtailed following such an injury. The group was also designed to allow the members to take ownership for planning social and educational programming.
In October, as Activate Brain & Body Fitness Indianapolis was preparing to open, I met Susie and Rhonda as they were searching for new opportunities for Heads or Tails. One by one, I had phone conversations with members from the group and/or their parents, and listened to amazing story after amazing story. These conversations made my own experience with a TBI even more poignant, and hopefully I was able to relate and understand their situations more because of it.
Over the past 5 months, nine members from Heads or Tails have joined the Activate family. Coach Johnny and I are absolutely blown away by our relationships with each one. Coach Johnny said, “Working with the brain injury survivors has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Getting to serve each of them every week is a blessing. Each of them have their own unique personalities, and every single one makes every session they are in so much better. They are some of the hardest workers that we have in our facility. Every single one of them always comes in ready to push themselves and their limits. You will rarely find something that they are not willing to try. They want to be pushed. They want to be challenged. They want to improve. It’s such a humbling experience to be a part of. I am so grateful for each of them, and for them allowing me the privilege to coach them.”
Exercise is medicine, and awesome medicine at that! Physical and cognitive results, measured by Activate’s assessment process, are phenomenal! Improved balance, increased strength, gains in muscle mass and range of motion and so many other improvements are growing realities for these members.
But, according to the members themselves, the benefits do not stop with the numbers. In interviews I conducted with our clients from Heads or Tails, common themes are repeated. Words like “team”, “positive energy”, “caring”, “encouraging”, and “uplifting” appear again and again. Perhaps Maria Martino said it best, “I went from hopeless to hopeful. The Activate team is so nice and accepting. Others treat me like less of a person. Here, no one treats me like I have a disability, only with respect and dignity. And, I feel without limits.”