Bill Spain

I sustained a twisted/bruised brainstem after being thrown out of a car after a auto accident in March of 1984. I “woke up” 2 months later in a hospital bed confused, distraught, and unable to move on the left side of my body. I remember vividly seeing my mom there and asking her what had happened. She informed me that I had been in a car accident and I had been in the hospital for 2 months. Later she told me that it was the 3rd time I’d asked her which is a strange thing about a coma, it’s not like you just wake up as if from a deep sleep.

I was in the rehab hospital another full month, then went home June 15 weighing 142 lbs. I took my first unassisted steps that afternoon. It was exhilerating, yet terrifying. My left leg weighed what seemed like 50 pounds of dead weight and all the individual parts were “working” as one and in a severly degraded state.

After a couple of months of practice and therapy, I returned to college, walker in tow. In July of 1985, my neck was giving me problems, so my orthopaedic surgeon determined he should go in and check it out. He found 2 vertebrae that had been fractured, but not visible on the x-rays. Compounded with my continual physical therapy, it was a painful time, but it built an unshakable resilience in me.

The Lord has blessed me with a very loving and supportive family, friends, neighbors, and church members that lifted me up the entire time. I got married in 1988 to my loving wife who was and has been incredibly supportive and patient.

I eventually graduated college 2 years later. My first job post college was as a housekeeping supervisor at the hospital 3 doors down from where I completed my physical rehab and part of the same hospital complex. The job involved excessive walking and the 3 years I spent there helped my gait incredibly. At the end of the 2nd year, I had the opportunity to supervise at my former rehab facility. It was great to work with most of the nurses that took care of me and I enjoyed listening to their stories.

I’ve had many jobs since, but each one helped me to improve an specific part of my affected motor skills, from walking to typing to learning IT skills. I’ve mentored many people with brain injury/strokes and I always begin by telling them that it’s not an injury for the faint of heart, because it’s unimaginably difficult. But with the proper support structure, faith that God has His purposes that I’ll never understand and cares about me, and the grit to push through, it’s not a death sentence for most. There are those more severe cases and I don’t wish to minimize them in any way. Just believe, access all the resources available from your neurologist and the Brain Injury Association and press on!