Aaron Grossman

I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, ever since I was a young boy. Well, I went to college at Tulane in New Orleans, studied history and education. My intention was to teach high school after graduation. While at Tulane, I took a job working for a big test prep company to get the experience that I would need for the job. Well, one day while working, 10/1/99, I had a really horrible car wreck. My new car was demolished, I was hit by a much bigger and heavier car. My plastic and tinfoil Honda Civic was no match. I had to be cut out of my car with The Jaws Of Life, Medivaced to the nearest trauma center, was quickly put into a trauma center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Lucky for me, they had one of the best and most seasoned trauma teams available! They kept me alive in my coma through a subdural hematoma, a collapsed lung, pneumonia and the ever so unfriendly staph infection, MRSA.
As we all have experienced, my life has changed, drastically. I had to move back in with my father, my superhero father, and he’s been seeing after me ever since. I can take care of myself, feed myself, set up my own doctor appointments, pay all my bills, etc. But, I still need somebody to put a roof over my head. I still can’t initiate, for some reason. This is the reason I’m still working at the same mindless job, cashiering for a big name art supply store, cashiering.
Then, 2020 hit. Like a freight train. Our living situation changed (as many others’ did)…we had to move, quickly, so we bought a house in St Augustine, FL, about six hours north of us. I quarantined for 2 years then went looking for a new job. I applied for the same position working for the same company, but, upon interviewing me, the management was reluctant to hire me. They must have seen me as too disabled. I pursued my application with management and eventually landed the job up here. I’ve been working there ever since.
I know that I am a special, intelligent man. College educated, talented, social, charming. I have a lot to offer! Am I settling for this semi-menial job? Maybe, but, as I’m sure many of my fellow TBI survivors will agree, this newfound “laziness” is just so crippling! Working for a low-demand job is better than not working at all. As I chair each day, I think to myself “Aaron, look at you, you used to be Superman, now, you’re just a cashier”. My neuropsychologist told me not to think like that, instead to concentrate on my awesomeness. We all have it inside!
Well, one day, while speaking to my then therapist, we came up with the idea of starting a TBI support group online since I really didn’t have on locally. I started the group #FloridaTBISurvivorsAndSupporters on Facebook, and opened it up to all of Florida. We’re now up to 177 members! Our team members share their stories, feelings, websites, and share/ask advice. It really gives me a newfound sense of responsibility and purpose!
Now, I know that I’ll never be the “old me”, but, I’m definitely ME! In some ways I see myself as a better Aaron. I’m much less angry than I was before and definitely more empathetic. There’s nothing I can do to change past trauma, but I can now concentrate on future growth! As the filmmaker Roberto Benigni said, “Life Is Beautiful”!