Gray Matters
Brain Injury: The Inside Perspective
by
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Disclosure
I am writing this just for you,
Because I intend to give you a clue,
My poetry comes from my own inner construct,
I give you markings so you can at least draw dot to dot,
I want to personally disclose this to you,
Because I want you to better understand what I speak to,
I’ve been through some life experiences that do awaken,
Well, I’ve had my nagen shaken,
That is a Traumatic Brain Injury,
And I want you to discern what it does to me,
Cerebral bruising, tearing, bleeding & swelling,
Not just mental impairments, there’s much more to be telling,
I’ll translate this into real life,
So you can understand my neurological strife,
I want you to better see,
So you can more competently talk with someone like me,
Perhaps, for me it is quite healing,
For others to have more of this feeling,
I’m not going to be playing the cosmic trickster,
I want to point you to the holistic picture,
I’m going to communicate what I can,
So people with brain injuries you can better understand,
I talk straight from the heart in my chatter,
I say this to you, because GRAY MATTERS!
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About the Book
Intriguing Book of Poetry Published by a Brain Injury Survivor
Gray Matters, Brain Injury: The Inside Perspective is a book filled with poetic insights of a woman who lived through a near-fatal brain injury. Her intimate knowledge and sense of humor can help survivors cope, as well as better understand their injuries and themselves, post-injury. This book gives a personal sense or Inside Perspective of brain injury, thus qualifying readers to better understand what happens to the brain when it's injured, and hence, be better able to understand brain injury survivors.
Brain injury occurs around the world in a variety of circumstances; in sports events, motor-vehicle accidents, falls, terrorist attacks & war (and the list goes on…). According to the International Brain Injury Association, head injury is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Thirty percent of the soldiers that have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan have Traumatic Brain Injuries. More than two percent of the United States' population has sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury, yet even with brain injury being so widespread, it is still hard to identify people living with this “invisible disability.” Ms. Lerner knows that the lack of awareness regarding brain injury makes survivors’ lives quite problematic. After studying Special Education for Brain Injury, Heidi was inspired to teach some of the hard-to-understand issues, in down-home language (i.e. so everyone can understand).
With a creative flair, Heidi informs her readers about brain injury; strikes a chord by sharing personal loss and challenges, as well as successes in rehab. Ms. Lerner gives her readers a sense of what it is like to walk in the shoes of a brain injury survivor.
The chapters of the book cover topics including: Brain Injury, the Symptoms of injury (Sequelae), Rehabilitation, the Brain, Academic Rehab, Natures Touch/Recreational therapy (including tending to plants and the ocean's healing influence) and Brain Injury Peer Support. Gray Matters has helped family members to better understand their loved ones and is an asset to rehab professionals, by giving them a more intimate understanding of Brain Injury.
Gray Matters offers an articulate, introspective and sometimes humorous view of what it is like to suffer a near-fatal blow to the head and live with its complications. The author presents a thorough, subjective viewpoint as well as an objective understanding of brain injury. Gray Matters presents a deeper understanding of the inner-workings of the mind and how in many ways, brain injury effects life as we know it.
About the Author
In 1989, Heidi Lerner sustained a severe Traumatic Brain Injury in a car wreck. The author has lived with a head injury for more than half of her life. Heidi earned her master’s degree, in Special Education, specifically for survivors of Brain Injury, at George Washington University. Ms. Lerner facilitates GrayMatters4U Support Groups at Sharp Hospital in San Diego, California, for people living in the community with brain injuries (the group was on hiatus during the pandemic). She is a Mentor and an Instructional Aide in the school system. Heidi loves the water, is a kayaker, she has a fondness for working with Epiphytes (flowering plants that grow in trees) and takes pleasure in Zydeco music and dancing.