My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

I am living with a traumatic brain injury due to an almost fatal skiing accident. The injury is both a privilege and curse. I am privileged, as I am lucky to be alive. The injury has also humbled me and helped me to understand the value life. However, the curse is that my life has changed forever in many ways due to the injury. I will not dwell on the curse in this blog, as the blessing of being humbled and more self-aware far exceeds the curse. I have met some amazing people who were not as fortunate as I have been but are still thriving and pushing to heal and improve their lives. So on with the blog. In the next chapter I will describe the accident.

Introducing Richard Pankhurst

Hi,

My name is Richard Pankhurst. I am Australian by birth but live now in in the US. I have lived in a few places across the US but have lived in Austin, Texas for almost 20 years.

In March of 2017, I suffered an almost fatal traumatic brain injury as the result of a ski accident. Despite the severity of the accident, a combination of quick and skilled intervention and providence preserved my life.

Why am I writing this blog?

I am writing this blog to share my experiences and the knowledge that I have gathered to help support and inform those who have a TBI, their families and care givers.

I hope to cover the following topics:

• My story and personal experiences coping with TBI
• My recovery and the treatments and medications I have tried
• Some of the research into TBI and TBI recovery that has worked for me
• Profiles and stories about key people I have met along the way

This blog will evolve over time and grow with my story and experiences and, hopefully, the requests of you, the reader.

I am looking forward to writing and sharing my thoughts and please post your comments and thoughts along the way.