Hannah Anderson - Brain Injury Survivor
Can you share about the brain injury event itself?
November 12, 2007, is a day I will never remember, yet never forget. On that day I was driving 3 of my friends to my grandparents house. A pickup truck had his blinker on as if he was going to turn into where I was pulling out of. I pulled out thinking he was turning, but he wasn't turning until the next approach. He T-boned me right in the drivers door. My car had no side airbags, and since I was driving, I was hurt the worst. God sent me a guardian angel that day. The paramedics who stopped on the scene didn't think I'd make it to the hospital, but the man God sent told the paramedics I was young, I had a very faint pulse and to send me to the nearest hospital. Our local fire and rescue squad used the jaws of life to rescue me from my car.
How did you feel during the first days, weeks, or months after the injury?
The first few weeks in the hospital I was in a coma, so I don't remember any of that. My first thing I can remember is a few days before I left the hospital, three months after my accident.
What kind of rehabilitation therapies or treatment have been most helpful through the process of recovery?
I did PT, OT, Speech therapy, vision therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). They all played a significant role in my recovery. I remember HBOT the best because I did that years after injury and that's what got rid of my daily headaches and a majority of my brain fog.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you or your loved one has faced during recovery?
Loss of friends, figuring out a pace I could live life and the loss of most of independence.
How has your life changed since the brain injury?
Before my TBI, I was very active in my community and school activities. After my TBI, I had to have full time tutors, worked in the special Ed room and had to drop all of my extracurriculars. I also had to (and still have to) have many brain breaks throughout the day.
What role has support from family, friends, or community played in your journey?
Growing up in a small town the entire town was watching out for me. I could not have done this without the support from my entire family.
Have there been any moments of breakthrough or unexpected positives along the way?
I noticed my biggest improvement after I did HBOT. Throughout my brain injury journey I've had support with college and my job from a company called Community Options. Community Options provides me with a job coach who comes to my job to help me out weekly.
What has surprised you about this journey with brain injury?
That every injury is different and how little others know about brain injury.
What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of this journey?
That TBI is a lifelong condition, and it affects every aspect of life.
What does "hope" mean to you?
Jeremiah 29:11 states that the Lord will give us a future and hope. I had hope that I would be able to go to college, God provided a way. I had hope that I would work someday, God provided me with a job. My hope is in the Lord.
