Emilia Clarke is a Survivor!

On Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen is tough as nails and always up for a battle. But perhaps Clarke’s toughest personal battle was when she had brain aneurysms, which included multiple surgeries to save her life. Click the link below to read her personal account of her brain aneurysm experience, including surgery and aphasia:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/emilia-clarke-a-battle-for-my-life-brain-aneurysm-surgery-game-of-thrones

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center! Visit us at: http://tlcrehab.org/

Bret Hart is a Survivor!

Bret “The Hitman” Hart is a wrestling legend.  For years he traveled the globe as one of the biggest stars in the world of wrestling.  But even a tremendous athlete like Hart can have a stroke.  Hart had that stroke in 2001.  He spent three months in a wheelchair and countless hours in rehabilitation.  His hard work paid off in an excellent recovery.  Today he represents the March of Dimes Canada’s Stroke Recovery Program, inspiring other stroke survivors!  Click on the link below to watch a video of Bret Hart speaking about his stroke experience:

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center! Visit us at: http://tlcrehab.org/

Michael Johnson is a Survivor!

Olympic gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson has always kept himself in great shape, even in retirement from his celebrated professional career.  However,  it is possible for even a healthy individual to have a stroke.  Michael Johnson recently suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a “mini stroke”.  Though he has recovered well from the TIA, the experience taught him a valuable lesson about vulnerability and motivated him to educate others regarding the risks for stroke.  Click the link below to read more about Michael Johnson’s stroke experience:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/46798931

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center!  Visit us at: tlcrehab.org

 

Dylan O’Brien is a Survivor

Brain injury does not discriminate.  Even those most famous of Hollywood stars are not immune to being injured.  Maze Runner star Dylan O’Brien suffered a brain injury due to an accident while filming the third Maze Runner film.  He needed many months to recover from his injury before he could return to filming.  The most difficult part for Dylan was the emotional aspect of recovery.  The article below is an interesting read in which Dylan opens up about his experiences surrounding the accident.

http://www.vulture.com/2017/09/dylan-obrien-is-back-from-the-brink.html

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center! Visit us at: http://tlcrehab.org/

 

Joe Biden is a Survivor

As Vice President of the United States under Barack Obama, Joe Biden served 8 years as one of the most important politicians in America.  Prior to holding the Vice Presidency, Biden served several terms as a senator representing the State of Delaware.  It was during his time as a senator that he required surgery for not one, but two brain aneurysms.  The first aneurysm had ruptured, putting him in a life or death situation.  Doctors saved his life and the recovery from his brain surgeries is simply astonishing.  His ability to succeed at the highest levels of government after these aneurysms is truly inspirational.  Below are a few news articles documenting his surgeries:

http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-14/news/mn-42679_1_biden-aide

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/04/us/biden-resting-after-surgery-for-second-brain-aneurysm.html

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center! Visit us at: http://tlcrehab.org/

 

Frankie Muniz and Strokes

Actor Frankie Muniz is best known for his work in the hit TV show Malcolm in the Middle and recently has been competing on Dancing With The Stars.  Few know of a far more private battle that he has been fighting, though.  Muniz estimates that he has suffered as many as 15 mini strokes in recent years.  Doctors have not been able to identify a definitive cause for the multiple stroke events Muniz has suffered, but he does not let this stop him from succeeding in life.  He shares about his strokes and other health issues in the following article:

http://people.com/tv/frankie-muniz-secret-health-battle/

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center! Visit us at: http://tlcrehab.org/

 

Doing It Best

Jahvid Best appeared to be on the road to football stardom.  Drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions, Best possessed blazing speed that was the envy of other running backs.  Unfortunately, his professional football career met a premature end during it’s second year due to the effects of concussions.  Best put forth great effort to get back into the NFL but ultimately doctors ruled against his return.  For many people, this would be the end of the story.  For Jahvid Best though it was the start of something new.

One of the key tasks that brain injury survivors must navigate is assessing their retained abilities so as to identify what they can still do best in spite of their injuries.  Best understood that though his body was not ready to be tackled by 300 lb linemen, he still had his speed.  Best worked tirelessly at his skills on the track.  The hard word paid off.  Best qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where he will be representing the island nation of St. Lucia.  Best demonstrated how to thrive and succeed in spite of an injury!  Though he was not a TLC patient, we certainly think he is a true hero for the brain injury community.  Identifying a survivor’s skills and choosing activities that match those skills is a key part of the rehabilitation process.  For more reading on Jahvid Best’s journey, click on the link below:

 

http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2016/07/16/jahvid-best-olympics-detroit-lions-nfl-football-track-and-field-st-lucia/

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center: http://tlcrehab.org/

 

 

 

Frankie Muniz and Stroke Symptoms

Former Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz recently announced on twitter that he had suffered a second “mini-stroke” not even a full year after he’d endured his first.  Though Muniz is only 27 years old, the staff at TLC have treated individuals who have experienced strokes at even younger ages.   Below is a link to an article about Muniz’s stroke:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/26/frankie-muniz-stroke_n_4345286.html

 

“Mini strokes”, more properly known as Transient Ischemic Attacks, occur when a blood vessel is briefly blocked which stops blood from flowing to part of the brain.  They should always been taken very seriously as they often indicate the potential for a life-threatening larger stroke in the future.  Anyone experiencing potential stroke symptoms should seek immediate medical help.  You should not try to “sleep it off.”  Some of the more common symptoms are:
Facial droop
Loss of or difficulty with speech, which can also include inhibited speech comprehension
Loss of use, weakness or numbness in a limb
Full or partial loss of vision
Sudden, strong headache
Loss of balance, hampered coordination or even the sudden total inability to walk
Remember, the quicker a stroke is treated the better the chance that stroke damage can be minimized.

 

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center: tlcrehab.org

Tony Dorsett

Tony Dorsett was one of the greatest players in football history.  Over the years he began to experience memory loss, mood swings and thoughts of suicide.  He took the initiative to be tested for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is a brain damage experienced secondary to multiple traumas to the brain.  In Dorsett’s case, these traumas occurred as a result of the thousands upon thousands of hits he endured  over the course of his playing career.  Dorsett was found to have signs of CTE.  The link below will bring you to a video in which he discusses his experience learning to cope with the symptoms of brain injury. In addition to providing further detail on Dorsett’s story, the article beneath the video relates the similar experiences of Hall of Fame lineman Joe DeLamielleure and All Pro linebacker Leonard Marshall as they also have experienced brain injury symptoms and received the CTE diagnosis.

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9931754/former-nfl-stars-tony-dorsett-leonard-marshall-joe-delameilleure-show-indicators-cte-resulting-football-concussions

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center: tlcrehab.org

Jackie Chan is a Survivor

Jackie Chan has had a long and successful career acting in action and comedy movies.  His movies involve elaborate stunts and fight scenes.  Unlike other actors and actresses, Jackie does not like to use stuntmen in his place.  His insistence on doing his own stunts puts Jackie in many dangerous situations and has led to numerous injuries.  Few people realize that he once nearly died due to a brain injury suffered from a fall on the set of one of his movies and that as a result he then needed emergency brain surgery.  The link below will bring you to an excerpt from his autobiography in which he discusses his near death experience and subsequent surgery:

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/iamjackiechan/excerpt_aches.html

Learn about brain injury treatment services at the Transitional Learning Center: tlcrehab.org