Glasgow Scale = 3

I held back parts of the story of my brain injury.

Partly because I was trying to be okay. Not to fake anything for other people, but for myself.

And I am okay now. Almost.

But the truth is this has been really hard.

The Glasgow Coma Scale measures how conscious someone is after a brain injury. The lowest possible score is a 3.

I was a 3.

That means no eye opening, no verbal response, no motor response. It’s the lowest measurable level of responsiveness a living person can have.

My injury was a Diffuse Axonal Injury. It’s one of the most severe forms of traumatic brain injury. Many people don’t survive injuries like that. Mortality estimates are often around 40–70%, and only a small percentage of people recover to high levels of function.

So yes — I say I’m lucky, and I mean that.

Thank god for my mom and step dad, and for the people who got me to the best treatment at @abilitylab

But I am also here because I fought for it.

I worked incredibly hard to rebuild my brain, my body, and my life. My determination has served me.

Last year I ran three 50Ks. I wanted so badly to feel normal again — and I could do that because I had already built that endurance, even while living with MS.

Recovery from a severe brain injury takes years.

I’m not behind.

I’m not doing this for attention.

I’m still healing.

If that makes some people uncomfortable, that’s okay.

I’m living my life.