Cynthia Harrison

I am the mother of a survivor, Brandon, who is 40 years post-injury, and a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D). I have been involved in brain injury rehabilitation for over 20 years professionally.

Our journey began in October of 1985, when my son was hit by a pick-up truck. The driver had been drinking. The accident report indicated excessive speed and alcohol-related. He was flown to the nearest trauma hospital. He had suffered global brain damage. He was in a coma. He is considered an OG as he was one of the first to survive such a severe trauma to the brain. When I say his entire brain was involved, this includes every lobe, the brain stem, and the cerebellum. The doctors did not expect him to survive. He remained in the hospital setting through December. He suffered many secondary setbacks, including a stroke. He was transferred to a rehabilitation center on the hospital grounds before he could respond to any stimuli. He slowly began to track with his eyes and move his fingers on one hand. He was released after about 6 months of rehab. He was in diapers.

I advocated strongly for more therapy and necessary surgeries to repair his limbs. He was out of diapers after about one month at home. Over the next several years, he made progress that no one imagined possible. He was sent to a rehab that specialized in post-acute treatment. It was there that he made the most progress, and I was introduced to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and brain remapping. He had schools create TBI programs through his journey.

After many years, I became a doctoral-level behavior analyst to help others through this amazing science. He still has a severe brain injury, and at 50, he is slowly losing skills. Doctors cannot predict his future because there are no studies to guide them. Again, he and others like him, who were injured in the 80s and prior, are helping to pave the way. We continue to look for new treatments and therapies that will give him what he needs in this life and reduce the results, such as the ataxia, left behind from original and secondary injuries he sustained so many years ago. I have published a book titled “Cultivating Pearls: A Mother’s Journey through Trauma.” This book was written with the sincere hope that through our experiences, others can be helped in their journey and know they are not alone.