Acquired brain injury: survivor tells of challenges and struggles while rehabilitating

ABC news Adelaide

August 20,2015

Each time Adam Houston meets new people, he waits for their usual response — a puzzled look, a slump of shoulders and a slowing of speech as they realise he has an acquired brain injury.

It has been 11 years since Mr Houston crashed his trail bike into a tree, but the response never changes, and the moment still stings.

Mr Houston has spent the time since his accident, in August 2004, trying to reclaim the life he once lived.

"I used to try and pack as much in as I could," Mr Houston said.

"If I was to die now, I would be happy as I have lived a good life."

Mr Houston was 29-years-old when the trail bike he was riding off-road, lost control and crashed into a tree.

He does not remember much of the time due to retrograde-amnesia which has stripped most of his memories from 10 years before and around the accident.

"I was reborn and I had to start all over again — that's how I have to look at it," Mr Houston said as he described life after his injury.

"I've got to leave that life behind and try and take on a new version of my life."

An Army reservist and self-employed electrician, Mr Houston said he had been very competent in all aspects of his life before his accident.

"I always used to seek out challenges and try to better myself ... and this is just another one of those challenges, but this one is enormous," he said.

'Everything is a struggle'

When you speak to Mr Houston about his recovery, it quickly becomes obvious that for him, it is not a matter of if, but when, he will regain his previous abilities.

In the years since his accident, he has had to teach his brain to reconnect with his body.

He has learned to speak and walk again and is currently participating in the Flinders University Community Re-entry Program.

"As good as it is to look where you have come from, when you have so far to go, as I feel I do, the challenges I had back then seem insignificant now," Mr Houston said.

Simple tasks he used to breeze through are now fatiguing and take great concentration.

"I have been able to claw some things back, like driving and a few other things, but they still don't feel the same," Mr Houston said.

"Everything is a struggle these days."

It is the unseen aspect of Mr Houston's condition which he finds the most difficult to express.

On the outside, he is a tall, strong 40-year-old man but on the inside, he is uncertain and nervous.

He struggles to keep up with the general pace of day-to-day life and often becomes lost in his own thoughts due to the damage caused to his brain function.

"When I first went back to work, I used to work in supported employment and I used to get worn-out halfway through the day and have to have a sleep," he said.

"I could do a job for half-an-hour and then just vague out and stare off into the distance.

"It is not until now that I have been able to get that endurance back.

"Just being there and being awake at that time is a big enough challenge."

Mr Houston said he found it hard to explain to people that he was bit being lazy or unwilling to work.

Social stigma hurtful for patients

"It's not until you actually stop, and you have a conversation with somebody, that they tell that something is just not right," Mr Houston said.

He described the telltale signs of a puzzled look and the over-pronunciation of words as they attempt to adjust to his injury.

"Suddenly their expectations drop," he said of the reaction he regularly sees.

"You sort of get used to it, and as you improve yourself, things get better for you," he said.

"I don't think that I am that different to everybody else.

"I want better, I want to be able to achieve, I want to live life."

Co-ordinator of the Community Re-entry Program Sandi Sando, said the main aim of the program was to help people with an acquired brain injury transition back into the community.

Ms Sando facilitates workshops to develop personal skills, movement, cognitive skills, creativity and social interaction.

"It's something that is meaningful and beneficial for [patients] and something that they can work on," she said of the courses on offer.

"It's a continual work in progress."

The program also links participants with service providers to help them find additional programs that may help in their recovery.

University students studying in the areas of rehabilitation are also invited to participate as part of their affiliated learning program.

"From an educational point of view, and an awareness point of view, that is a fantastic advantage — not only for the students, but it also gives the members an opportunity to mix in this environment," Ms Sando said.

It is a support network which is very important for Mr Houston's goal of getting back to where he was pre-accident.

"My parents and those close to me find it hard to understand," he said.

"They just want me to realise my capabilities now and try and get the best life that I can now — but I want what I used to have and that is where my drive comes from."