Katharina Preu - Brain Injury Survivor
Can you share about the brain injury event itself?
My traumatic brain injury happened on 10/10/2020 when I had a motorcycle accident. I wasn’t breathing when EMS arrived and was hence intubated during the ride to the hospital. At the hospital the intracranial pressure couldn’t not be lowered via burr hole so I was taken in for an emergency craniotomy.
How did you feel during the first days, weeks, or months after the injury?
I do not remember the first weeks, I do, however remember waking up with a tube down my throat and nose and both hands tied to my bed. I was unable to move and in the most extreme pain I have ever been in.
What kind of rehabilitation therapies or treatment have been most helpful through the process of recovery?
Physical therapy and occupational therapy were both very important throughout recovery although PT was the most helpful. For quite some time my family was told I may never walk again, yet here I am, alive and more than walking!
What have been some of the biggest challenges you or your loved one has faced during recovery?
Being told that I would not survive for the first weeks after the accident, basically just waiting for me to pass away.
If there have been setbacks or repeated injuries, describe that journey:
Thankfully it has been a steady uphill climb and a very good recovery.
How has your life changed since the brain injury?
I myself have changed, I often feel like I lost the woman I was before the accident during that accident. I was a straight A student before the TBI and have failed nursing school since.
What role has support from family, friends, or community played in your journey?
My mother was by my side every day, she has carried me through recovery, saved my life and kept me sane (-ish).
Have there been any moments of breakthrough or unexpected positives along the way?
There have been so many, a lot of continued growth and improvement. Learning how to walk again, riding a horse again for the very first time and passing the national registry’s exam to be an EMT again first try were only three of the incredible and miraculous positives.
What has surprised you about this journey with brain injury?
How there seems to be no such thing as “impossible“ when it comes to the brain!
What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of this journey?
That there’s no way to predict outcomes and that while it can be extremely difficult, exhausting and stressful to go through recovery but MORE than worth it.
What does "hope" mean to you?
A feeling of there being a possibility for improvement, for positive change and outcomes.
If you could share one encouraging message with another survivor or family, what would it be?
Your improvements, as tiny and unnoticeable as they may seem to you sometimes, truly are TREMENDOUS and you deserve SO much credit for your hard work and dedication!!
