VIP: Beating Traumatic Brain Injury

It was Superbowl Sunday of 2007, and Karen Cadle of Jackson, Miss., was lighting a stack of firewood in her fireplace to stay warm on a chilly winter night. Little did Karen know that the logs had been sprayed with cyanide poisoning a few hours earlier. Nor did she ever guess that lighting the match would cause a traumatic brain injury and change her life irrevocably. But within minutes of starting the fire, Karen could tell that something was seriously wrong.

Twenty minutes later, I could tell I was having a severe allergic reaction, Karen recalls. The next day, I went to the doctor with a high fever and raw throat and sinuses.

As it turned out, the toxic fumes that Karen inhaled damaged her sinuses, throat, lungs and brain, completely wiping out her short-term memory and logic function.

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Before, I was a high-functioning, high IQ, senior-level executive. I was proficient at math and logic, Karen says. The accident shut it all down.

No longer able to perform at an optimal level, Karen was forced to give up her 23-year career in the hospitality industry. This was one of the most challenging parts for me, she says. My career was, in many ways, my life.

In the aftermath of her traumatic brain injury, Karen grappled with feelings of loneliness, powerlessness and frustration as she struggled to accept her new identity. I wasnt able to verbally communicateI couldnt read for a prolonged period. Anything I wanted to express wouldnt come out right, Karen says. For years, it highly impacted my ability to communicate and to do and remember things.

Since her accident, Karen has seen slight improvements in her cognitive functioning. But shes still coming to terms with her loss of independence. Thats been hard for me, she admits. I rely a lot on help from others and need assistance on basic tasks. Im still learning to live with all of the limitations I have now.

Since then, Ive found ways to adapt, Karen says. My brain just cant process verbal input and reading like it used to, so Ive learned to rely on visual imagery rather than words. For example, rather than writing up grocery lists, Karen will put an item on the kitchen counter when she runs out of it to remind herself to buy more.

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VIP: Beating Traumatic Brain Injury