Once an optimist who was full of energy, natural talent and endless ability, Lois feared her new reality. Faced with many health challenges, cognitive deficits, and social adjustments due to the brain injury she sustained, Lois worried that she would always be an embarrassment or a burden to her family.

No longer capable of holding a job and unable to manage the responsibilities of being a wife, mother or homemaker, Lois felt her live no longer had purpose or value and her family would be better off without her. But that was not how Lois' family felt.

Not only did her family continue to love her, they depended on her and they believed in her, despite the multiple times she disappointed them and let them down. Because they did not give-up on her, she could not give up. There is no greater motivation to overcome adversity than the desire to be the best you can be for someone you love.

Lois shares her personal experiences of how the RIPPLE EFFECT of her brain injury affected her relationships with her husband, children, extended family, longtime friends and new relationships.

Program Outcomes and Benefits -

Lois speaks from personal experience. She provides life-changing insights and hard-earned wisdom that will:

• bridge the gap of misunderstanding, so survivors understand the perspectives of care-giver/family member/professional and vise-versa
• improve communication of family members/care-givers/professionals with survivors, when they become aware of the language that shuts down the survivor
• provide insights and tips to improve relationships between survivors and family/care-givers/professionals
• relate the power of acknowledging the "feelings"
• remind the survivor to look past their own loss and recognize the losses of others who were affected by their brain injury
• create awareness and understanding of resentments from family members
• remind the survivor to be respectful, cooperative and appreciative of those who help them
• establish the importance of intimacy in maintaining healthy relationships and guidelines to make it a priority
• remind the family/care-givers to set limits of what you are willing or able to do to help the survivior - don't allow them to consume your entire life
• help survivors recognize that they are not the best judge of what they are capable of doing and often think they are capable of doing more than they can
• set up a system of two people called "trusts" that the survivor agrees to listen to, when both "trusts" are in agreement for something that is in the best interest of the survivor, even when the survivor disagrees
• help family/care-givers/professionals to recognize that survivors are capable of doing more than they think is possible, and to allow survivors the opportunity to try new things and fail - the tendency is to protect the survivor from the disappointment of failing 
• help the survivor to believe that it is possible for others to love and accept them just the way they are - it is hardest for a survivor to love himself/herself
• help the survivor understand and accept that most people will never truly understand the challenges living with a brain injury
• teach survivors clever ways to educate others about their limitations and challenges
• foster self-acceptance of limitations for survivors, and encourage a willingness for them to ask for and accept help
• suggest activities that provide a sense of accomplishment and make life meaningful
• provide evidence that it is possible for persons affected by brain injury to live a happy, meaningful life

Program Length: 60-75 minutes
Target Audience: Mixed - Brain Injury Survivors, Family Members, Care-Givers, Professionals