03/05/2026
During Brain Injury Awareness Month, we’re sharing stories from some of our patients. After being stuck by a car, college student, Eddie, experienced a traumatic brain injury and was told he would not be able to return to college for several years. But he did not give up. When he arrived at TIRR Memorial Hermann for rehabilitation, his priority was to return to college the following semester.
A key part of Eddie’s treatment was participating in The Challenge Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann, an outpatient treatment program that provides services focused on community integration skills to help brain injury and stroke survivors maximize their potential and transition to independent living, school, work or other activities.
“I was able to work with speech and occupational therapists to re-learn and recover some skills to help with my memory, organization and multitasking, which are important skills for the Rice University engineering program. They helped me be realistic with my goals as I wanted to take a full course load when I returned.”
To help Eddie reach his goal, his care team tailored treatment to his needs by incorporating activities he would need to return to college such as developing and giving a presentation and playing strategy games to help with critical thinking and executive function.
Now, Eddie is back at Rice University majoring in chemical and biomedical engineering and is on track to graduate this year.
“There is always hope,” he says. “I was able to persevere with the help of so many people, especially at TIRR Memorial Hermann. I am eternally grateful for the care I received at TIRR and I cannot overstate how important and valuable this work is.”
