Member-only story
You Seem Fine
Say that again with brain damage.
No really… if you’ve ever responded to someone’s complaints about their invisible illness with “but you seem fine!” then I’d like you to mentally walk a mile in their shoes… or mine. Hi I’m Alex and I live with a traumatic brain injury. Six years ago I woke up on the floor of the quick-service restaurant I worked in, confused as to what had happened and unaware my life had changed forever.
The next day when I woke up in my bed, I couldn’t speak. Back then I was in the habit of bursting out of bed every morning to practice Wing Chun and sing a song or three. That morning, I could barely move and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I was so scared I tried to call out to my housemates, but I couldn’t speak.
I managed to sit up in bed and spent the next hour working out the ability to say my name. Alex. I said it over and over again, and then Alex Tucker… m-my n-name is Alex Tucker.
I called my doctor’s office and scheduled an appointment for the next day. I can’t remember much about the next twenty-four hours, but I do remember that I got lost taking the bus across town, and wound up arriving at the appointment sweaty and late as a result. When I got in to see the doctor I tried to explain what had happened.
