Michelle Karam - Brain Injury Survivor
Can you share about the brain injury event itself?
On May 11, 2014, I fell down the stairs of my family home.
What kind of rehabilitation therapies or treatment have been most helpful through the process of recovery?
The therapists who tailored my sessions to how I was doing on any given day were the most beneficial to me as a survivor. I felt I learned more from these therapists.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you or your loved one has faced during recovery?
The biggest challenge has been dealing with overwhelming sensory issues and waking up each day not knowing how I will feel. I try my best to take care of myself while also learning about the "new me" and how to navigate life now.
One major challenge is transportation. I need rides to many places because I don’t feel safe driving. When I attempt to drive, my visual and vestibular symptoms intensify, leaving me exhausted and nauseous.
What role has support from family, friends, or community played in your journey?
I'm fortunate to have an extremely loving and supportive family who have been there for me every single day.
What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of this journey?
That there's more than one meaning of the word lucky.
In the first five years after my TBI, I would get so frustrated when people told me how lucky I was. Every time I heard it, I thought they had no idea what the word meant. Lucky meant winning the lottery, not waking up in a body and brain that no longer felt like mine.
Then, five years into my journey, I read Gloria Estefan’s story about surviving a spinal cord injury in a Pennsylvania blizzard (article here). That was when the light bulb finally went on for me.
Her accident happened in freezing conditions, and that extreme cold helped keep the swelling in her spine in check, ultimately improving her rehabilitation outcome. If she had been anywhere else in the world that night, her recovery might have looked very different.
That’s when I realized—luck isn’t just about winning. Sometimes, it’s about the circumstances that align in your favor when you least expect it.
When I finally sat down and reflected on the series of events that occurred the night I suffered my TBI, I realized the many factors that came into play in my treatment and care post TBI. I really am a lucky human being.
What does "hope" mean to you?
Hope means holding on to the truth that further recovery is always possible.
If you could share one encouraging message with another survivor or family, what would it be?
Repetition is the key to learning. Just because you tried doing something once and didn't get your desired result, keep trying until you get the result that you want.
