14/10/2025
9 YEAR BRAIN INJURY ANNIVERSARY
Today is a bittersweet day ! 9 years ago today my life changed as I knew it ..... no warning , no preparation ..... just another day going to work as a nurse in a busy pediatric practice. 10-11-2016 is the last day I was able to work in my chosen profession.
I have grown so much in the past years and learned so much about myself and what I can do ! If we always focus on the things we can’t do , we never grow, we never try and most of all we are always angry or resentful.
I have looked at things differently this year and the people I have met and connected with are a huge part of this journey.
Cannabis is a tool in my recovery and I may not ever be able to be a nurse again , but I am helping others in a way that can heal the world one person at a time.
The ripples of kindness we put out ….. come back to us 10 fold. I am grateful for the challenges I have faced ! Without them , I never would have found my gifts and purpose.
I don’t have it all figured out my friends ! Just trying to be a better person today than I was yesterday ! Trying to be the change I want to see in the world. One love ! One plant!
It’s the little things that make me smile!
I sustained a life changing mild traumatic brain injury - although there was nothing mild about it!
I was injured restraining a child for a routine vaccination and was hit significantly in a whiplash type motion that has left me with permanent injuries. I will never be able to practice as a nurse again due to the damage my brain sustained that day.
I began to forage on a new way of life - one I didn’t choose , but one I had to accept.
I now I see how everything in our life is connected - there is a reason for everything..... one can be the victim or the victor. I had my share of feel sorry for myself days , but mindset changes everything. Instead of why is this happening to me ? what is this trying to teach me?
I began to see the for the first time what life was like being a patient ( not a very good one I might add) This system of medicine and onset of doctors , professionals , holistic , therapists , treatments.
Learning what NY State workers compensation is and navigating a system that is not designed to help the injured worker , but rather prove they are not injured. This stress and constantly having to go to different doctors to “prove “ I was injured.
They don’t pay providers very well and so many do not accept worker’s compensation.
The 3.5 year battle with Workers compensation was brutal ..... they fight every single doctor or treatment , bombard the worker with non stop paperwork and IME’s - independent medical exams - these doctors are there to “prove “ your not injured. The stress from that alone was hell!
Spending money out of pocket to get answers , traveling to various states and Canada to find real solutions to get better was my only goal.
Answers finally came after 18 months , only after specialized testing revealed a significant neck injury known as cervical instability. This is very difficult to diagnose and I am so thankful for finding the right providers that led me to understanding why I was not getting better.
Facebook Memories come in handy as I remember where I was over the past 7
9 years..... I see the pain I was in , the confusion , discovering chronic pain at 46 and learning how to handle never feeling good , anxiety and depression set in , dealing with the stigma of an invisible illness , the loss of self and feeling truly hopeless, medications and all the reactions I was having .... at one point I was taking 16 different pills and supplements at a time!
I was having allergic reactions like crazy ! Every new drug I was given had more side effects than the previous one.
I remember the dark place I was in that first Christmas after my injury in 2016.
I remember the pharmaceuticals I was on were so not having a positive impact ! I felt like my mind was gone ! I felt like there was no hope of feeling better!
All the doctors I was seeing said - you should not be still having symptoms for a bump to the head. I felt like I was really going crazy. I was a nurse. Why was I being treated like a drug seeking addict?
Why was it so hard to get a real diagnosis and understand the treatment options.
Learning there is no standard of care for Traumatic Brain Injury, learning 2 people can be injured in similar manners but that doesn’t mean the outcome will be the same . Realizing doctors don’t always have the answers was a huge challenge to accept. Understanding that doctors miss things sometimes too.
Learning the only way to get things done is to learn all one can about the injury one has - be your own advocate ! I can’t say this loud enough.
Facebook support groups helped me so much ! There are amazing resources out there , they are just extremely difficult to find - especially when one doesn’t feel well.
My entire recovery journey changed when I discovered cannabis. It took me being suicidal and a bunch of unique events that showed me cannabis could be an answer.
I finally found hope in something that was never offered as a possible option , something that could replace almost all of the pills I was taking and with NONE of the severe reactions I was having to the pharmaceuticals.
Cannabis gave me hope when nothing else did.
Cannabis saved my life. Cannabis is my medicine .....
Cannabis has given me a purpose. I feel compelled to share the plant with the medical profession in a way that it is embraced as a viable treatment option for TBI and so many other conditions!
The science behind the plant is so amazing and I learn more every single day ! You don’t have to use cannabis to support those who do.
Please be kind ..... some one needs what you have to offer today .... make a difference and share love today!
I am grateful for the struggles because without them, I never would have found my strength!
My brain injury has allowed me to find my passion and to help more people now then I ever did as a nurse ! Thank you plant medicine!
Thank you for sharing this past week with me as I not only share my story, but offer hope to others who maybe struggling in silence!
Please be kind today! You never know who may need your kindness today.
