John Ryle Engstrom

My name is John Ryle Engstrom, or JR. I was originally born in the Philippines, on the island of Lapu-Lapu, which is located next to the larger island of Cebu. I later moved to California following the death of my biological father and my mother’s remarriage to an American.

As a young teenager, I eventually moved to Nevada. At the age of 17, in 2019, I suffered a severe motorcycle accident while riding a 2008 Kawasaki ZX-6R 600cc motorcycle. The accident resulted in a left-hemisphere traumatic brain injury and left me hospitalized and dependent on a wheelchair and walker. I required extensive occupational and physical therapy in both the United States and the Philippines over the following years.

I began becoming more conscious and aware of the world around me in early 2020, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. My return to awareness and the beginning of my long-term recovery therefore occurred during an unusually disruptive period in the world. I was simultaneously trying to relearn how to function physically and adapt to life after a severe brain injury. For approximately two years, I experienced significant mobility limitations. I continue to live with disability-related limitations, but my physical capabilities have changed dramatically since the accident.

The clinicians and therapists who worked with me in both countries witnessed the determination I demonstrated throughout my rehabilitation. I was especially motivated by physical therapy because I wanted to regain as much of my previous physical ability as possible. Before my injury, I had already been interested in bodybuilding and physical development. During my recovery, rebuilding my physique became one of my personal goals and gave me something tangible to work toward. Rather than viewing exercise only as a way to change my appearance, I began viewing physical activity as an important part of rebuilding my independence, strength, confidence, and overall life.

My experiences with physical therapy also motivated me to learn more about rehabilitation. I became interested in understanding the practices being used by my therapists and eventually attempted to study physical therapy at a college on the island, LCIC. At the time, I felt that the people around me did not always view exercise and physical rehabilitation in the broader way that I eventually came to understand them. I am not suggesting that exercise was unknown as part of TBI rehabilitation; rather, my personal experience was that its broader potential was not always emphasized or understood in the educational environment I encountered at that time.

My recovery was also accompanied by significant academic setbacks. I failed at LCIC twice and experienced additional academic failures after returning to Henderson, Nevada. These setbacks were difficult, particularly because my injury had affected my ability to function academically. However, they did not eliminate my desire to continue improving myself or to become an inspirational figure for people who may experience a similar injury or disability.

One of the most important lessons I have taken from my recovery is that progress does not always happen quickly or in a straight line. My recovery required years of rehabilitation, consistency, adaptation, and persistence. Physical therapy gave me an initial foundation, while meaningful personal goals gave me reasons to continue pushing forward.

Ultimately, I want to become someone who demonstrates the potential of consistency, determination, and having meaningful goals during recovery. Bodybuilding does not have to be the goal, and it certainly does not have to be the goal for everyone recovering from a brain injury. For me, however, rebuilding my physique became a goal that helped me work toward greater physical capability and independence while giving me something meaningful to pursue. My story is therefore not about claiming that one treatment or one activity caused my recovery. It is about demonstrating what can happen when a person continues working toward meaningful goals despite a severe injury, prolonged disability, academic setbacks, and years of rehabilitation. I hope that my experience can encourage other people recovering from traumatic brain injuries or other serious injuries to continue working toward whatever goals are meaningful to them