Mckenzie Colson

When I was 2.5 years old, I fell over the side of our basement stairs and fractured my skull above my left eye. I also sustained a broken femur, and severe bloody nose. I am fortunate to not remember much of the incident because of how young I was, but if you ask anyone in my immediate family they will recall that day with horror. Quite frankly, I am very fortunate to be alive and it wouldn’t be until over two decades later that the severity of those injuries would come to light.

To this day, my left eye droops ever so slightly, and after having an MRI at the age of 25 due to concerns of potential seizure activity, it was confirmed I had a traumatic brain injury. Why it wasn’t addressed all those years ago, I will never truly know. I’ve always had my suspicions due to difficulties in school, emotional dysregulation, and mental illness including major depression, but because I was so young we couldn’t pinpoint anything like behavior changes that would’ve been a clear indicator that something was wrong.

I still managed to graduate college with a bachelor’s of science in veterinary technology, and though I am physically able to do most activities, I am still uncovering more diagnoses well into my twenties.

My story may not be as significant, and I may not be severely impaired because of my TBI, but at the end of the day it is part of me, and who I am as a person. I may process thoughts more slowly, have difficulty speaking at times, struggle with conflict or expressing emotions. But I have done a lot of work in therapy, and continue to make great strides. I am not giving up, and it will not be my struggles that define me…but my victories.