BigCrayon is a 501(c)(3)
Where Broken Crayons Still Color
A story of Military Grade determination where giving up is just Unacceptable.
One Navy veteran's tragedy turns into hope for others. Scotty’s brain injuries with PCS impacted neuro-cognitive function of balance, vision, and hearing after surviving a car accident that changed his life forever. Remaining military strong, he learns to read and write again with the help of mobile dictation tools and smartphone cognitive games. Learning to laugh at what he calls his life of "Forest Gump" moments built a spirit of determination for a comeback.
These were positive reinforcement since 2015 after a life changing event with multiple brain injuries.
Song by Christian rock band MercyMe.
Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.
A number of factors contribute to how well people adapt to adversities. Among them are ways in which individuals view and engage with the world the availability and quality of social resources specific coping strategies.
In the US alone, there are about 5 million people living with disabilities caused by TBI.
That accounts for around $48-56 billion is spent annually on direct and indirect costs related to TBI.
After four brain injuries life will never be the same but it pays to have a sense of humor and remaining military grade tough each day helps.
It has taken five years of neuro-cognitive therapy but Scotty is very thankful, grateful, and blessed in hopes to encourage others less fortunate.
It pays to have a sense of humor when forgetting even the simplest of things often stumbling with my words and numbers. For awhile I feel like I’m back in the great game of business, then the next moment it’s what Scotty calls his Forest Gump time.
When all felt hopeless a former NFL doctor measured four brain injuries and Scotty’s Neurologist shared they were impacting his cognitive reasoning, speech, hearing, and balance. The doctors and the family attorney advised them to file for 100% disability right away but that's just not Scotty. Medical bills overtook all major credit cards and the lake side home that they had work so hard for was on the verge of foreclosure. By tapping both retirement plans they managed to keep our lake place.
Before Scotty's accident he was at the top of his career as an award winning senior technical program manager. After the accident he could not read or write very well so when one of his doctors recommended using a miracle mobile dictation tool to capture of his global teamwork methods before they may be gone forever. After years of practice in cognitive therapy, Scotty learned to read and write again by practicing mobile dictation and cognitive games that now offer hope for other Traumatic brain injury survivors. Now five years later, he still practices every day by reading everything on the latest breakthroughs in early detection and treatments offer hope and purpose for other Traumatic brain injury survivors.