Book Resources for Survivors

Coping with Traumatic Brain Injury: One Woman’s Journey from Death to Life

By Patti Foster

In the split second, it took for a semi to slam into the back of the SUV Patti Foster was riding in, her world changed. Her life, in fact, almost ended that night. Miraculously, she survived, but her ordeal had just begun. After weeks in a coma, she woke up to an existence she couldn’t comprehend or even begin to understand. Patti had to re-learn everything, from how to eat to once again being able to recognize and remember the people she loved.

Today, as a traumatic brain injury survivor, Patti knows what this kind of excessive damage can do to a person. So she shares her story in the hope it can help and encourage other TBI victims, their friends, and families. Purchase at pattifoster.com.

Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope

By Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly

Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope provides an unflinching look at the overwhelming challenge of brain injury, the painstaking process of learning to communicate again, and the responsibilities that fall to a loving spouse who wants the best possible treatment for his wife. Told in Mark’s voice and from Gabby’s heart, the book also chronicles the lives that brought these two extraordinary people together – their humor, their ambitions, their sense of duty, their long-distance marriage, and their desire for family. Gabby and Mark made a pledge to tell their account as honestly as possible, and they have done so in riveting detail. Both Gabby and Mark have lived large public lives, but this book takes readers behind many closed doors – from the flight deck of the space shuttle to the cloakrooms of Congress to the hospital wards where Gabby struggled to reclaim herself with the help of formidable medical teams and devoted family and friends.

In An Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing

By Lee and Bob Woodruff

In An Instant is much more than the dual memoir of love and courage. It is an important, wise, and inspiring guide to coping with tragedy – and an extraordinary drama of marriage, family, war, and nation.  In January 2006, the Woodruffs seemed to have it all – a happy marriage and four beautiful children. Lee was a PR executive, and Bob had just been named co-anchor of ABC’s “World News Tonight.” Then, while Bob was embedded with the military in Iraq, an IED killed his cameraman and nearly killed him. In An Instant is the frank and compelling account of how Bob and Lee’s lives came together, were blown apart, and then were miraculously put together again.

Over My Head: A Doctor’s Own Story of Head Injury from the Inside Looking Out

By Claudia Osborn

Locked inside a brain-injured head looking out at a challenging world is the premise of this extraordinary autobiography. Over My Head is an inspiring story of how one woman comes to terms with the loss of her identity and the courageous steps (and hilarious missteps) she takes while learning to rebuild her life. The author, a 45-year-old doctor and clinical professor of medicine, describes the aftermath of a brain injury eleven years ago which stripped her of her beloved profession. For years she was deprived of her intellectual companionship and the ability to handle the simplest undertakings like shopping for groceries or sorting the mail. Her progression from confusion, dysfunction, and alienation to a full, happy life is told with restraint, great style, and considerable humor.

Head Injury: The Facts

By Dorothy Gronwall, Philip Wrightson, and Peter Waddell

Each day, throughout the world, hundreds of people suffer head injuries. These injuries can dramatically and tragically alter the victim’s ability to cope with life. In many countries, after-care of the victim, once the injury is no longer life-threatening, is often inadequate, and all too often families are left to manage as best as they can. This book is written for families who find themselves in this situation. The effects of injury are explained in non-technical terms with practical ways of overcoming these effects, where possible. The book describes the injuries, the stages that the patient will go through, and the procedures and techniques that will be used to chart progress. The book also examines the ways that head trauma can affect families and friends. For the person who will eventually recover sufficiently to do so, there are suggestions on managing the return to work or school most effectively. For those who will never reach this level, there is a section that describes the long-term adjustments that these people and their caregivers need to make. The final section outlines the requirements of a head injury rehabilitation system and gives some suggestions about the steps that individuals can take to ensure that this sort of service is provided in their area. This new edition has been fully updated to reflect the recent advances in medical science, and also new trends in health care and rehabilitation.

Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath

By Michael Paul Mason

Head Cases takes us into the dark side of the brain in an astonishing sequence of stories, at once true and strange, from the world of brain damage. Michael Paul Mason is one of an elite group of experts who coordinate care in the complicated aftermath of tragic injuries that can last a lifetime. On the road with Mason, we encounter survivors of brain injuries as they struggle to map and make sense of the new worlds they inhabit.

I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility

By Trisha Meili

I Am the Central Park Jogger recounts the mesmerizing, inspiring, often wrenching story of human strength and transcendent recovery. Meili tells us who she was before the attack — a young Wall Street professional with a promising future — and who she has become: a woman who learned how to read, write, walk, talk, and love again…and turn horrifying violence and certain death into extraordinary healing and victorious life.

A Life Interrupted: Living with Brain Injury

By Louise Mathewson

A collection of poems chronicling the author’s recovery from a brain damaging car accident, with a list of journaling therapy writing, prompts and other resources she found helpful in transcending trauma.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries: 101 Stories of Hope, Healing, and Hard Work

By Amy Newmark (Author), Dr. Carolyn Roy-Bernstein (Author), Lee Woodruff (Foreward)

Whether you are recovering from a traumatic brain injury or supporting someone with a TBI, this collection of 101 inspiring and encouraging stories by others like you will uplift and encourage you on your healing journey.

With a traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurring every 18.5 seconds in this country – concussions the most common – chances are you have been touched in some way by this experience. TBIs occur due to accidents and sports and are also common in returning soldiers. The personal stories in this book, by TBI survivors and those who love and support them, will help and encourage you and your family on your road to recovery.

Hope for the Journey: A 52-Week Spiritual Journal

By Patti Foster

Each week take another step toward life…and experience a personal taste of hope for your journey! When the unexpected happens, lives are changed in an instant! As traumatic brain injury or any kind of trouble erupts in your life, Hope appears on the scene in all shapes and sizes at just the right time. It has no limits…knows no boundaries. May be purchased at www.PattiFoster.com

Finding Normal

By Jeff Huxford M.D.

In May of 2012, Jeff Huxford M.D. was in a near-fatal car accident, escaping death but suffering a severe traumatic brain injury. This devastating event led Jeff on a journey to a new life and a true purpose.

After the brain injury took away his ability to practice medicine, Jeff learned a multitude of wonderful truths about God and he found his value and purpose rooted in Christ. In Finding Normal, Jeff tells of the truths that changed his heart and moved him away from his previous life of “lukewarm Christianity” towards an authentic faith and true relationship with Jesus.

How To Feed A Brain

By Cavin Balaster

This book teaches you about specific brain-supporting nutrients, how these nutrients affect us, and what we can eat to support our brain function. The author is a survivor of a severe traumatic brain injury that left him comatose with less than a 10% chance of regaining consciousness beyond a vegetative state. In this book, he shares real-life stories of how he used nutrition in his own brain recovery, along with scientific studies and research explaining why and how nutrition makes such a difference in our brain function.