Brandon Scheid
When I woke up from the coma in the hospital, I really could not grasp the severity of the injuries I had sustained. It wasn’t just my body that was in rough shape, my poor brain was doing its best to keep the lights on. During my athletic career I had sustained a few major injuries, certainly nothing like this, however nothing quite prepared me for the crazy ride I was about to undertake with my TBI. There is a pretty straight forward path to recovery for a broken pelvis and back. However, TBI’s are a whole different beast.
Hi, my name is Brandon Scheid and I suffered a severe TBI resulting from a pretty serious paragliding crash. I wanted to take a little bit of time to shed some light on the crazy, difficult, strange, emotional, and life changing process of recovering from a TBI.
First lets start at the basics. In November of 2023 I was medivaced to OHSU to receive critical treatment for my TBI. I sustained damage to my right frontal, right parietal, and brain stem (PONS). There were several small aneurisms, and from what I understand it was pretty touch and go whether I would survive the coming weeks. Luckily with a ton of help, time, hard work, and tears I was able to make a miraculous recovery.
As I learned there is not “going back” to your old life, or the old you. There is only accepting your new trajectory, making the most of what tools you have, and trying to find a path through the often confusing and frustrating world of TBI. Without the support of my wife, family, and community there is no possible way I would be here right now sharing this tale.
The word that best describes my journey is confusing. There is no straightforward path to recovery, and while your brain is healing nothing quite makes sense. It is frustrating, and difficult, mostly to those you care about. They are the ones sitting in the hospital, they are the ones driving you to all your appointments, they are the ones you take your emotions out on. The worst part about all of it is the injury is not visible, no one really can see what you’re struggling with, and until you have a TBI you’ll really never understand. Everything changes in the blink of an eye, nothing is the same ever again.
However I am here as a testament to the truth that you can get though it. You can get back to somewhat of a “normal” life. You can do the things you love again and you can certainly be grateful you’re on the other side. It takes the right team, the right attitude, a ton of perseverance, some faith, and a whole lot of help. I used every tool at my disposal, ingested any/all information I could get my hands on related to TBI recovery, and even with all of that, 2 years later I am still recovering.
The reason I feel compelled to share my story is to give others hope, that they too can make it through their TBI journey with some success. I know it feels impossible and you want to give up, but just taking one small step a day towards your recovery goals is all you need to focus on. Lots of small steps in the long run add up to make a huge distance. While it may feel super daunting, focus on what you can control, practice daily gratitude, and let go of your desire to quickly get your outcome. It is a journey, one I am super grateful I was put on. It has changed my life, in good and bad ways, but it is my path and I am so lucky to be able to walk it.
No amount of regret can change the past, no amount of worry will change the future, but any amount of gratitude changes the present. I truly believe that TBIs can be overcome, and I am living proof of that belief.