Happie Heads

  Deb is a medical student from Alberta, Canada. She is currently in her rotational years which means she is working directly with patients nearly every day. About a year ago Deb was driving home from a rotation and was hit head on by another driver. She suffered from a TBI involving diffuse axonal injury, a hemorrhage, and many other things. She also suffered from several (almost countless) broken bones. We talk about her lengthy recovery, knowing how and when to push forward when we are healing, and what it means to know God's will when facing tough ideas like suffering. Enjoy!   Michael 

Deb is a medical student from Alberta, Canada. She is currently in her rotational years which means she is working directly with patients nearly every day. About a year ago Deb was driving home from a rotation and was hit head on by another driver. She suffered from a TBI involving diffuse axonal injury, a hemorrhage, and many other things. She also suffered from several (almost countless) broken bones. We talk about her lengthy recovery, knowing how and when to push forward when we are healing, and what it means to know God’s will when facing tough ideas like suffering. Enjoy!

Jim is currently a MD/PhD student at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He has recently defended his PhD on cerebrospinal fluid physiology or “sleep and its role in cleaning out the brain” as I call it. In addition to his scientific and medical background, Jim is a TBI survivor. One month before starting medical school he crashed his mountain bike while flying down a trail in Utah. He immediately started experiencing a runny nose and lack of proprioception. It turns out he had a skull fracture. Listen in to hear the details! Enjoy!

AJ is a current Las Vegan (couldn’t resist), although he is originally from Bend, Oregon. AJ was struck in the face by a pool filter that essentially exploded while he was attempting to repair it. He spent several weeks in the hospital and rehab. He doesn’t remember much of anything for the first months after the accident, and uses the stories of his wife and family to reconstruct exactly what the recovery process was like for him. I loved talking to AJ for this episode. I hope you enjoy it and pull something from his story and insights.

Jeff has been on the podcast before, and is a functional neurologist at Northwest Functional Neurology in the Portland, OR area. This past spring, he gave a very impressive talk at the Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon about the metabolic and immunologic consequences of TBI. Since nutrition, lifestyle, and the gut/immune interface is so close to my heart, his talk struck a chord. This episode is full of high quality information, and some of the pivotal slides will be posted in the show notes! Following his tips may change your life. Just saying.   Peace! Michael

Mr. Kracke is a one of a kind human being. He has so many hobbies, projects, and accomplishments that I find it difficult to know where to begin and when to end. This said, I will mention a few pertinent aspects of his life. He is a Portland based lawyer who currently works for the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) as the Brain Injury Advocate coordinator after working as a personal Injury defense lawyer for brain injury survivors for nearly two decades. He was one of the few individuals who constructed the nation’s first return to play laws (i.e. Max’s Law and Jenna’s Law). He is passionate about his life, and has both a load of wisdom and knowledge, some of which is passed along in this conversation. If you haven't heard Part 1 this may be a bit confusing. Enjoy!  

Mr. Kracke is a one of a kind human being. He has so many hobbies, projects, and accomplishments that I find it difficult to know where to begin and when to end. This said, I will mention a few pertinent aspects of his life. He is a Portland based lawyer who currently works for the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) as the Brain Injury Advocate coordinator after working as a personal Injury defense lawyer for brain injury survivors for nearly two decades. He was one of the few individuals who constructed the nation’s first return to play laws (i.e. Max’s Law and Jenna’s Law). He is passionate about his life, and has both a load of wisdom and knowledge, some of which is passed along in this conversation. Enjoy!   His story beings at 6:13

Lorita may have the most complicated case I have seen. Fifteen years ago she was struck in the occipital bone of her skull by a heavy backpack that was swung like a medieval flail, and then immediately soccer kicked in the temple. She has been dealing with the repercussions of this every since. Some of these struggles are her gastroparesis which makes it very difficult to eat well or her complex regional pain syndrome. We talk about a lot of her solutions to her issues including cranial sacral therapy, cold laser therapy, and even hyperbaric chambers. We even chat about our friends at Northwest Functional Neurology. Since 2008 she has been running a camping, rafting, and hiking trip for survivors and their families, and she offers it for only 25$. She is an incredible person, and I know you will get a lot out of this episode.   If you want to learn more about her camp, raft, hike event and/or support it here are some links: GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/hope-for-healing-through-new-treatment Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OregonBrainInjuryCampingRaftingHikingTrip/

Jessy is the first dirt biker that I have had on the podcast. She crashed her bike while riding back in May of 2018. Although this may have caused some injury to the brain, far more damage was done when another biker behind her rode over her head (Jessy was wearing a helmet) with both tires of her bike. Amazingly, Jessy is back on her feet getting after it only 10 months later. In this episode we talk about how her social circles have changed since her accident, how supportive her family has been, and a lot more. I hope you enjoy the episode!   Her story starts at 13:44

Heath Snyder has a lot of things going for him. He has six children who love him to death. He has an ability to articulate himself that many of us survivors desire. But his most valuable gift is a genuine desire to share his experience of fighting through a TBI with the world. When I say he wants to share I truly mean it. He has fought through several concussions including MVA’s, football collisions, being a rodeo cowboy, and his most recent by hitting his head on a cabinet door, blacking out, and then hitting his head on the floor. Our conversation touches on many things, but most importantly we talk about how little credit humans give themselves. He (and I) both believe that we are far more capable than we give ourselves credit for. I hope you enjoy this rich conversation, and pull something good out of it.   If you want to follow him on the gram: @collidedscopes    

Kahyra has had several TBI. In fact, she has had five concussions. In fact, all 5 have been while playing soccer. Some of the concussions are from getting pegged by the ball, and one involved a collision while going up for a header. In one instance, she temporarily lost all vision in one eye, potentially having suffered a torn retina. She grew up playing soccer and has been in love with the sport since her childhood. She even went on to pay for college with an athletic scholarship. In the episode we talk about some of the scary moments after some of her TBI, the diet she uses to minimize her symptoms, and whether or not it is worth it to pursue a dream that involves risking a head injury. Enjoy!   Her story starts at 10:31

Marlana is an incredible girl who is excellent at articulating what it is like to face a TBI and the thoughts that go through one’s mind throughout the recovery process. She crashed her car in Branson, MO three weeks into her senior year of high school while driving buzzed. We talk about how much our own decisions impact the lives of those around us and how even the most devastating chapters in life are full of lessons and opportunities to grow. She is an incredible storyteller. If you are looking for a pick-me-up or a little motivation, this is your episode.   Her story starts at 9:50 min

Jim is a northeastern dude through and through. If his accent doesn’t give it away, his sense of humor will. In 2006, the night before the 4th of July, Jim decided to do some drinking with some friends and then drive home. Unfortunately, on his ride home, he crashed his car and ended up in the hospital for several months, remaining in a “eyes open” comatose state for several weeks as well. The most impactful aspect of his story to me is his ability to battle through the ups and downs of recovery, including battling with alcoholism and the anger bouts after a TBI. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we both did.   He also wrote a book about his recovery, More Than a Speed Bump: Life Before and After a Traumatic Brain Injury. It can be found on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Speed-Bump-Scott/dp/0988537079

Rik is a local Language and Speech Pathologist with a professorship at Pacific University. In addition to teaching, treating TBI survivors, and maintaining a social life, he also runs a bakery! What?! A bakery? Yes, pretty unique. A few years back he won an award at Pacific landing him a substantial amount of funds, which he decided to use towards a bakery in which people with TBI get to bake, clean, and do everything else a baker would do. The bakery is called Sarah Bellums (www.sarahbellumsbakery.org) and is only the second of its kind in the U.S. It serves many purposes including challenging survivors’ abilities to recall guidelines, follow recipes, and use short term memory. It also creates a unique community in which people with TBI can connect with one another. This conversation was really fun, and I hope you all enjoy listening to it.   You should all go check out Sarah Bellums new store at: 7828 SW Capitol Hwy Portland, OR 97219, Hours: Thursday-Sunday 11AM-5PM.

 Jessica is super fun to talk to. She got did not get into an accident, nor did she have a congenital mishap (hydrocephalus or AV malformation). She instead got sick, and the infection got into her central nervous system. This caught me off guard, as I did not know this going into the conversation. What a unique story! And her personality is very fun and honest. Enjoy!

Isaac’s story is unique. Isaac was an alcoholic, and one night he suffered from congestive heart failure which led to an anoxic insult to his central nervous system. Essentially, he died for a bit in his sleep. In this conversation we discuss the lessons he learned from this time, and how he carries himself forward in life now. We obviously also talk about his recovery story. Enjoy.   His story starts at 4:00

Jason is a homie with a great spirit! He was raised in LA next to Dodgers Stadium (as you will hear in the story), and to this day bleeds Dodger blue. He was super fun to talk and a laid back, chill dude much like I try to be. I hope you enjoy our conversation, and laugh at both of our jokes! Enjoy.

Jeff has a story very similar to my own. He was in a car accident in the middle of college, and actually seemed to get back to school quite rapidly. He was also in a coma for several weeks, part of this time including a partial coma in which he appeared awake but was functionally unconscious. He has gone on to do many great things like create a popular blog about life with a TBI, and write a book called Learning How to Live with Yourself After Brain Injury. His blog can be found at www.tbisurvivor.com along with links to his book and several other resources. Jeff is a chill dude, and I believe we vibed quite well in this convo. I hope you enjoy

  On January of 2017 was in a car accident on her way to work in McMinnville, OR. After being life-flighted to the local hospital, she was flown to Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, OR. She was comatose for one week, and contracted double pneumonia twice in her 6 months in ICU. We talk about depression, memory, and pain management. If you battle chronic pain, this is the podcast for you as Maddy is full of insights into pain management.   Her story starts at 14:28

In March of 2016, Dami drove her car into the trailer of a semi truck in Albany, OR at 78mph. You read that right, 78mph. The craziest part is she only broke two bones and one of them was her left ring finger. She was comatose for 2 weeks, and went through months of rehab. Her story is great and addresses the social, physical, and mental ramifications of such an accident.   Her story starts at 8:24

Dr Deshaw has lived an incredible life. His career in chiropractic medicine began in the nineties. After seven years of practice, he realized how insurance laws constrained some of his abilities to practice medicine, and he decided to become a lawyer. So he quit his practice to attend law school, right? No! While operating as one of six total chiropractors in Ireland, he also attended Pepperdine Law School in London. Needless to say he has led an incredibly fast, rich life. Because of his exposure to brain injury in his chiropractic medicine, he decided to center his law practice around helping people with traumatic brain injury. In most of his cases he helps clients confront big insurance and get the money they need for recovery. In addition to practicing law in the TBI world, he also founded Trial Guides LLC. Trial Guides is a legal publishing company that connects the world of traumatic brain injury and law by teaching physicians about pertinent insurance laws and lawyers about traumatic brain injury. Dr Deshaw is certainly one of the most interesting people I have talked to on this podcast. Enjoy.

Karl Moritz (Kajomo) is a trooper. In June of 2010 he was struck head on by a vehicle while cycling on a neighborhood road in Southeast Portland. As if this wasn’t devastating enough, he was dragged 32 feet underneath the car. He was given a 90% chance of being in a vegetable state if he did indeed survive the accident. He spent over 30 days in a Coma and several months in the hospital. Miraculously, a year after his accident, he biked a Century (100 miles). He is incredible. To this day, he cycles Fixed Gear now for cognition and exercise benefits nearly every day and even rode his hand built Track bike to meet up with me. His story is more than inspiring, and the amount he has overcome can only be understood by listening to his story. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as Kajomo and I did.

Joe has done a lot so far in his life. Here are a few examples. He is a certified Performance Enhancement Specialist and Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He has also been trained at the CHEK institute (which is extremely difficult) as a Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach. He also cofounded Spartan Coaching, the first ever certification for obstacle race training. He also gave a TED talk at TEDxLugano in 2016. These are just examples, Joe has done so much more. His TBI came in his youth after a gust of wind tipped over a basketball hoop onto his head, giving him a nice, healthy TBI. We discuss nutrition, training, and simply how to treat your body better after a TBI. I dug this conversation, and I hope you do too. His story starts at 7:34

Matthew Kampfe is the owner of Kampfe Independent Living Center in Gladstone, OR. This episode is thus more centered around his lifelong experience helping BI survivors. His parents started helping BI survivors in their home decades ago, and now it has grown into the incredible living center it is today. He has some greats tips not just for survivors but their family/support systems as well. Enjoy! His story starts at 6:40 

These two Functional Neurologists have changed the way I think about brain injury. I used to think that if you are symptom free, it means that you are good to go. They showed me how powerful compensation can be, but how devastating it can be when one’s compensations fail. We talk about what conventional TBI therapy lacks, what it is good at, and how Functional Neurologists can work with traditional MD’s and DO’s. If you want to learn about an alternative treatment modality that could treat the root of your problems and not just make you an excellent compensator, listen to this conversation! Enjoy.

Don is a very accomplished man. He has nearly countless training in psychological training. Of course, all of the credentials in the world are useless if they are not applied. Donald has been practicing for decades now, and have been treating people with brain injury since the late nineties. He and his wife work together in Portland, and we discuss some of the commonalities between his clients that recover “completely” and those that do not. Enjoy!

In part two of this episode, Marih and I discuss some of the characteristics and qualities that Marih sees as common amongst survivors and other resilient people in her life. If the first episode were the stories of her injuries, this second part covers some of the actions Marih took after taking ownership of her injury. I loved this conversation, and I hope you do as well. Story starts right away!

In this two-part episode, I talk to Marih Alyn-Claire. Much like episode 31 with Kendra, Marih’s life is stamped full of MANY unique situations and injuries. These include unpredicted strokes, days of lost memory, and so much more. Her first TBI was during a car accident as a small child in the 1950’s in Portland. We discuss what her injury taught her and how she used it to make herself stronger. Her story starts at 9:28

Randy Samuelson is tough dude. He was raised in Ashland, OR (that is the southern part). His first encounter with brain injury involved playing college football at Oregon State University back in the good old days when a brain injury was something one just “walked off.” He later suffered an injury while working in a log mill. I hope you enjoy out talk as much as I did! His story starts at 6:40

Kendra is a woman of many trades. Honestly, it would be hard to sum up all of her capabilities. In addition to being a certified occupational therapist, she currently owns and runs a health clinic in which she can practice some of her other skills such as Bowenwork, Raiki, and Essential Oil Therapy. She may have the most engaging series of brain injuries I have ever heard, including suffering a neck injury after having a piece of asphalt thrown at her during riots in her Grand Rapids, Michigan. Enjoy! Her story starts at 3:20

This is an action packed episode since we recorded outside near the Portland Airport. This means I had to do a bit more editing than normal, but we made it through it unscathed. Clayton lives about 50 miles south of Tillamook a small costal town here in Oregon. He has suffered several brain injuries over the years with the most severe and recent one being a car accident in which his vehicle was crushed by some timber that came untied from a nearby logging truck. His story is incredible. Jeri is a retired lawyer who is from Creswell, OR, just outside of Eugene. Several years ago she was involved in a serious car accident not as the driver but as the passenger. She discusses accepting her accident, and the subsequent changes in her life and legal practice. Both of these individuals are full of wisdom and I hope you gain a lot as much from this conversation as I did. Their stories start at 8:20

Jacob Plasker is a functional neurologist operating out of Bend, Oregon (that’s smack dab in the center). As an infant, he rolled off the edge of bed, landing on his head, and leaving him temporarily paralyzed. After adjustments from his father, the majority of his motor ability returned. To this day, Jacob has hemiparesis (partial paralysis) in one side of his body, but he is still able to operate in his chiropractic practice at a high level. We talk about his life growing up with hemiparesis, and what tips he has for BI survivors after seeing many in his clinic. His story start at 7:30

I have known Luke for a few months now from support groups, on the max, and walking from the max to and from support groups. From these experiences, I can tell you that he is one of the most honest people I know, which is hard to find these days. He is from Forest Grove, OR, and has a passion for storytelling. He spends quite a bit of his free time writing his own stories and developing characters that mirror his favorite childhood stories, but with a cool, unique twist. At the age of 5, he was in a car accident in which the airbags gave him quite the TBI. After much time rehabbing, and with the love and support of family and friends, he now is working towards his bachelor degree and working part time. He is a good man, and quite an inspiration. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Michael His story starts at 6:50

Rick Pape is a central Oregonian near the town of Redmond. One day while working outside on his deck, he spontaneously blacked out. After blacking out he fell against the deck railing which gave out. As he fell his body flipped putting him on his head. Like most of us, his recovery was not smooth or "textbook." We talk about how his perspective has changed because of his fall and how it has changed his outlook on life. His story starts at 8:29.

Cory is the man. He is very much laid back like myself, which always makes me feel extra relaxed when recording. His TBI is unique in that he did not hit his head. You may say, “Michael, how can this be? A traumatic brain injury implies trauma, I thought that means some sort of impact.” Funny you ask, because I just got done looking this up. Trauma simply implies a sudden onset of a physical injury. This being said, Cory had a physical injury indeed. While riding a tractor at work it turned over on him and crushed his torso, cutting off blood flow to his brain. This is called an anoxic brain injury. Nowadays, he lives in Portland, where he fills his days with many interesting hobbies, including coaching basketball at PSU on the weekends. I dug talking to him, and I hope you enjoy listening in! His story starts at 4:57

Nicki Sinner is a real charmer. She is witty, spirited, and mostly importantly speaks her mind. During her senior year of high school she was involved in a car accident in St. Helens, OR. Her accident occurred during a wet, rainy afternoon when she was headed to have dinner at her boyfriend’s house. Like I always say, these accidents happen at the most unexpected times. She now lives on her own (along with her cat) in Portland, OR. I really enjoyed hearing her story and perspectives, and I know you will too! Her story starts at 13:05

Meet Laura Linda! In 2015, she was T-boned by another car while on her way to work. One of the coolest things about her story is that she was pretty lucid during the entire event. She even remembers conversation she had with the paramedics who drove her to the hospital. In addition to her TBI, she had several non-displaced fractures, but was remarkably stable after the accident and discharged the same day as her accident. In our conversation we cover her road to recovery and physical symptoms, but we also talk about the psychological aspects of recovery. How can we learn to accept our new life after brain injury, and how can gratitude lead best to this acceptance? These and many more are the topics we explore in the conversation.   Enjoy! Her story begins at 4:10.

If you have a brain injury and you live in the Portland Metro Area (Oregon and Maine), you need to meet Pat Murray. She has been in the game since ’01 when she received her first TBI. Like many of us, the most banal of circumstances led to a fall that changed her life forever. But also like those of us keener to dramaturgy, was involved in a car accident in 2013. This also contributed to her TBI symptoms. Pat never sat down and gave up, even when she was struggling to consolidate her memories, she was seeking out ways to get involved in the TBI community in Portland and to improve the system for others. Listen and Enjoy!   Her Story begins at 5:30

Cavin is the man. And I mean that in the legit way not the School of Rock way. In 2011, he fell from 20 feet from a rooftop water tower, immediately losing consciousness, and suffering a diffuse axonal injury. Initially he was in pretty bad shape, without the ability to eat or breath on his own. After meeting with a functional neurologist, he was inspired to change his diet in order to address some of his symptoms. As it turns out, it completely changed his life. He quickly took a deep dive into the world of functional medicine, in order to find other solutions to his problems. Long story short, he soon become a well-known name in the field of nutrition post brain injury. He currently runs his own blog and podcast called Adventures in Brain Injury (http://adventuresinbraininjury.com/). If you are in any way concerned with nutritional mechanisms to ameliorate your TBI symptoms, this is the podcast to listen to. He also has his own book called How to Feed a Brain. You can find it on Amazon or at the website above. This episode was a treasure-trove of knowledge, so I know you will get a lot out of it. You might want to get a piece a scratch paper and notes to write stuff down. His story starts at 5:11 Enjoy!

Brandon was involved in a car accident on the evening of July 3rd, 2007, in which he, and two other passengers were hit from behind from another driver. Upon examination at OHSU, he was given a less than 5% chance of surviving through the night. Of course, Brandon is a warrior. He did not die. In fact, he is still a very charming, theatrical man. In this episode, we talk about all of the crazy things he did in his rehab, and some of the activities he still does to cheer up during tough times. Our interview was a lot of fun, and I know you will enjoy it too!   His story starts at 10:10

Joan and John are a delight. Witty, rambunctious, and sincere are just a few adjectives I could use to describe them. Nearly 20 years ago, they were hit by a drunk driver in Utah while on a business trip. Her recovery, like most, was not without its roadblocks and breakthroughs. Sometimes she needed the help of others, but sometimes she needed the liberty to regain her self-sufficiency. Their story details the working through a brain injury as a couple, but more broadly, as a team. Many times, I find the rate and quality of one’s recovery is positively correlated with the ability of one’s support to work together cohesively as a team. In this episode, we touch on what a good team consists of.   If you want to know more about Joan, buy her biography written by Kelly Sharp. It is found on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Make-Toast-Kelly-Sharp/dp/1634909224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518994446&sr=8-1&keywords=learning+to+make+toast.   Enjoy! Her story starts at 9:14

Kate Robinson is a brain injury survivor who was involved in a plane accident in her high school years. She experienced retrograde amnesia after the accident occurred. Her story is incredible so I won’t say anything more, besides what she has accomplished since. Kate ended up finishing high school, graduating college with a degree in French, and decided she wanted to help other brain injury survivors. She knew how much counseling helped her and she decided to become one. Today, she is a licensed professional counselor and has her own practice. Her insights are unique, and have unraveled new insight about life after brain injury that I would never have thought of without having met her. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.   Her story begins at 5:36

Cheryl Green, where do I begin…Cheryl is a fellow Portlandianite who has suffered many brain injuries over her journey through life. If you were the manager at a…I don’t know, a UPS store, and she was…I don’t know…passionate about delivering boxes, she might bring in a resume that says she has a Masters of both Fine Arts and Science in Performance As Public Practice and Speech-Language Pathology, respectively. It would also say she makes films and documentaries (www.whoamitostopit.com), and runs StoryMinders, a production company that helps people with brain injuries pull themselves out of isolation and into community (sounds familiar).Of course, she is much more than just this list of accomplishments. She’s fun, upbeat, creative, and a dynamic storyteller. I am most certain you will enjoy her story, tips, and wisdom! Also, if you are more of a reader than a listener, I attached a transcript that was done by Cheryl Green herself. Her story begins at 13:55.

Dr. Johnny Delashaw is a neurosurgeon from up here in the Great Northwest. He was born in a small town in the southwest corner of the state of Washington, then began his journey all around the country, from California to Virginia to Florida, in order to pursue his passion of becoming a neurosurgeon. He has served as chair at hospitals such as Oregon Health and Science Universities, UC Irvine, and Swedish Hospitals up in Seattle. He mostly operates on the brain but also operates quite a bit on the neck. Here, I sit down with him to discuss all sorts of things ranging from “what is a concussion?” to “what is this ApoE genetic marker and what do we make of it?” I really enjoyed meeting him, he is full of wisdom from thousands of hours of surgery and treating hundreds of patients with brain injuries just like us! Listen and enjoy!

Matthew Gosney is a former Navy Seal who was involved in (among other things) an explosion that shattered his jaw (also among other things) requiring that a surgeon put 6 titanium bolts into said jaw. Needless to say, this explosion resulted in a traumatic brain injury for Matthew. Upon returning to college after his deployment to study Mathematics and Physics (he later received an M.S. in Mathematics) he realized things weren’t as sharp upstairs as they once were. Eventually symptoms began to come to light and Matthew began a long search for a fix. Luckily, he eventually came across Dr. Mark Gordon, an endocrinologists who treats TBI’s with neurosteroids (hormones). The treatment was a game changer and brought Matthews brain back to life. Here is his story, tips, and wisdom. Enjoy! His story begins 5:48. He has been on the Joe Rogan Experience here.

Andrew Marr is a retired Special Forces Green Beret, who retired after just under 10 years of service. Throughout these years, he served as an explosives engineer. Needless to say he was exposed to intense explosions on a regular basis. Unfortunately, Andrew began experiencing concussion symptoms once he returned from combat. Thus, the onset of symptoms was not easily associated with his time in combat. Fortunately, Andrew was introduced to Dr. Mark Gordon who treats TBI’s with neurosteroids (hormones). After treatment from Dr. Gordon, Andrew quickly returned to his old self. In an effort to provide the same relief he received from Dr. Gordon to others, Andrew started the Warriors Angel Foundation with his brother Adam. WAF now provides free treatment to people suffering from TBI symptoms and does so independent of their geographical location. Awesome stuff. He also wrote a book with his brother called Tales From the Blast Factory: A Brain Injured Special Forces Operator Back From the brink. I am currently reading this myself. Check out his foundation at http://waftbi.org. He has also been on the Joe Rogan Experience here and here. Listen and enjoy!

Colin is a homie that I met via the Brain Injury Support Group at Oregon State. He is an LA native who is currently studying business and agriculture at OSU during the school year. In the winter of his senior year of high school he crashed while snowboarding in Tahoe, breaking his collar bone and rockin his noggin. FOUR MONTHS later his concussion symptoms set in. This is the most unique part of his story. As we know, often people will not suffer from symptoms until some time after, and thus often misattribute the headaches, dizziness, etc. to everything but a head injury. His story is about his recovery and path back to college, in a new state with completely new people. His story starts at 5:53.

Dr. Duffield is a Neuropsychology Fellow on the Sports Medicine team at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR. Unlike the usual storytelling with a few tips and words of wisdom, this episode consists of the practical wisdom from Dr. Duffield’s’ years of schooling and clinical experience. We discuss his view on what a “successful” recovery is, and the key steps to reaching it. We also discuss the system he uses with his patients to lead them to recovery. I find this system/flow chart groundbreaking, simple, and a great way to view recovery from a TBI. I have attached an image of the flow chart for you more visual listeners. Enjoy!

Matt is a beast of another kind.  This guy has had 10 concussions. 10!! That is not a typo. I think it goes without saying, but he has acquired an absurd amount of resilience and wherewithal from these experiences.  We all know how impactful a single concussion can be, but 10 is a whole other ball game. He is currently an undergraduate student with the dream of working in the mental health field..  I truly enjoyed chatting with him and I know you guys will enjoy listening.  If you have any feedback for us, tweet at us @happieheads.  Peace! His story starts at: 3:42

This episode is a bit different than the first 10. Instead of the story of one guest, you will get to hear the story of 3! Two of the stories are from high school students. I believe that high school students with concussions are often underrepresented both within and without their schools. I hope these guests (Eliza and Alexis) stories shed a bit more light on the experience of high school with a concussion, and the things that could change for the better. Of course, we also have a college grad (Kristina) with a shocking story that has always leaves me shaking my head. All three guests come from the TBI support group at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR.   Their stories start at 4:36

Todd Jarvis is an associate professor at both Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. He is also the Director of the Institute for Water and Watersheds. In January of 1978, at the age of 19, he fell from multiple levels to the ground while helping a friend build a house (yes, very manly). Even though he landed on his feet, the impact of the ground basically destroyed his body. After many years of adapting to “post-concussion Todd”, he has gained much wisdom and perspective. Not only is his current success encouraging for me and my future, but his unique outlook made me ask myself why I have the goals I do and how I can possibly re-design them to fit “post-concussion Michael”. Please enjoy this one! It holds a special place in my heart and mind. His story starts at 4:15