AWARENESS MONTH
DAYTON — The hardest part, she said, was not being able to touch or kiss her son for days while he was lying in a hospital bed in intensive care.
But Camilla Johnson has been making up for those necessary restrictions ever since. Now, just four weeks later, the devoted Riverside mom is likely to be stroking her son’s head and offering encouragement whenever he’s within reach.
“Allen never wears a seat belt, but the first thing the officer said was that he was strapped in,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “That and the side air bags probably saved his life.”
The Sinclair Community College student, severely injured as a passenger in a car accident on a rainy February night, represents one of the 1.7 million children and adults in the United States affected by traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) each year. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, more than 3.1 million children and adults live with a lifelong disability as a result of their injuries.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and TBIs are making news for a number of reasons including the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her journey to recovery. and There’s an increase in these types of injuries in student-athletes and in service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. There’s a push for federal and state legislation that would help pay for rehabilitation services and long-term support. And Ohio House Bill 143, introduced in March, would require young athletes with a concussion to be cleared by their doctors before resuming play. The bill also includes education for athletes, families and coaches.
“People are just newly aware of the significance of the number of young athletes sustaining concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries,” said Suzanne Minnich, who has been executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Ohio since 1986. .
“If athletes go back into play before their brains have time to heal, they can sustain another concussion, which can cause more problems and even death,” she said.
Her organization is working with state government to maximize federal matched dollars to support brain injury programs in Ohio.
When Camilla Johnson first asked about the outcome of her son’s brain injury, the answers were unsettling. “They told me everybody is different,” she said. “At first, we didn’t know if he would be a vegetable, be able to move or have a learning disability.”
Dr. Michael Pedoto, medical director of the Miami Valley Hospital Rehabilitation Department, said outcomes can range from mild to severe, and even mild brain injuries can lead to long-term adverse consequences in terms of an individual’s ability to work, return to school, or live independently.
“Some people with mild injury can have post-concussive consequences or symptoms,” he explains. “They may develop dizziness or mood changes or memory problems. So it’s important to follow up if you’re having those kinds of symptoms.”
The prognosis, he said, may be impacted by a variety of factors ranging from age and physical health to the support of caring family and friends.
Jessica Hallum, nurse manager for inpatient rehabilitation at Miami Valley, said the diagnosis is traumatic for the family as well as the patient. Patients may suffer with anxiety, depression and aggression. Caregivers have been shown to have increased incidence of alcohol and drug use and a higher incidence of divorce.
“No one knows what’s going to happen,” Hallum explains.
“What’s also frustrating for patients is that unless their memory is affected, they know who they were before, and that person may be very different from who they are after the brain injury.”
After a month of hard work at the hospital, Allen Johnson returned home on Tuesday to his own bed, a shower and a home-cooked meal.
“He is 100 percent better than when he came in,” said his happy mom, who says the turning point came when “his eyes weren’t looking through you anymore, but were looking at you.”
“When he opened his eyes on my birthday, his dad asked, ‘Do you know who we are?’ ” recalled Camilla. “He nodded his head, and that was the best birthday present of all!”
Like most brain injury patients, Allen’s challenging journey began in the hospital emergency room on the night of the accident, where he was given tests to determine the extent and location of his injury. A gauge was inserted into his skull to monitor pressure. After five days in intensive care, Allen was transferred to the trauma unit and eventually to his own room and began a daily schedule of activities designed to improve his physical and thinking skills.
His rehabilitation team included physical, occupational and respiratory therapists; a speech/language pathologist; and nurses and doctors. Activities ranged from learning to bathe and eat by himself to walking and climbing steps. There were also lots of brain games and reading problems.
“He’s made a huge amount of progress,” said physical therapist Tara Bergman, proudly watching her patient as he walked confidently down the hospital corridors in preparation for his release from the hospital.
“When he came in he was really unsteady, and I had to hold him or he would have been on the ground or walked into a wall. Now he’s running, skipping, jumping and climbing a flight of steps.”
His mom said some concepts, like money, are still hard for her son. He didn’t remember the night of the car accident but did remember his Yorkies, Pistol and Paris.
The road ahead won’t be easy. Allen will regularly return to the hospital for outpatient rehabilitation for months.
But his mom continues to reassure him that all will be well.
“I knew how to fix things when you were little,” she tells him, “and I’ll know how to do it now.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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