Meike McDonald

Mitchell Driggers’ Acquired Brain Injury Story
(through the lens of his wife and caregiver)
By: Meike McDonald, Ed.D.
Who we are and life before we met
August 1st of 2020 was the first time we ever laid eyes on each other but didn’t speak. I was having dinner with my mom and her friend, Mitch was sitting at the bar of the restaurant and asked the bartender if she knew me. It was the next day that we ended up at the restaurant from the day before, sat beside each other at the bar, talked and exchanged numbers. Quickly, we became inseparable. Within the first two weeks of being together, Mitch told me it was love at first sight and he loved me. Our story is one of love, trials, strength, perseverance, acceptance, tragedy, and mustard seed faith.
I am a high school math teacher with 20 years experience and a doctorate in Education. In 2020, I finished my teaching contract and moved from living in Morocco, Africa to living with my mom in South Carolina. I had only been back in the United States a month and a half when I met Mitch. As I got to know Mitch, I learned to love an amazing man.
Growing up in South Carolina, Mitch learned to fish, swim, scuba dive, play football, fix vehicles, and began working in his teenage years. He was proud of his job as a hemsaw operator at a steel mill, his house, his commitment to hard work, his knowledge of fixing almost anything, his extensive friends list, his love for the outdoors, his knowledge and skill at fishing, his family, and his passion to help others in need. I rarely saw him nap or sleep on his days off. Mitch enjoyed grilling, visiting friends and family, riding motorcycles during nice weather, doing lawn work and fixing anything around the house. There wasn’t anything not to love about Mitch.
Mitch and I got married via notary public, October 2, 2023, six and a half weeks before his motorcycle vs. car accident on November 17, 2023. In this motorcycle accident, he acquired a traumatic brain injury, left leg amputation below the knee, needed life saving blood several times, ventilator to trach for breathing, and a feeding tube for 8 months. The brain injury is in both the left temporal lobe and brain stem. After Mitch’s accident, he spent 3 weeks in ICU and 3 weeks on the surgery floor of our local hospital. During this time, we had to decide which facility Mitch would go next. As a family, we decided to go to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Shepherd specializes in treating patients with spinal cord injuries and acquired brain injuries. During this 14 week stay, Mitch had 16 hours of therapy a week and various cognitive tests. Mitch finally regained consciousness around 3-4 weeks after the accident but was not considered “emerged” until February of 2024. After “emerging”, he had 6 more weeks of inpatient rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center. He was fitted for a wheelchair and began speaking, drinking, taking a shower and performing various tasks. Doctors from both hospitals told us Mitch would never walk and the outlook was grim.
Life with a TBI and Amputation
Mitch returned home April 2nd, 2024. Once home in South Carolina, we made numerous doctor appointments and began outpatient therapy. We were fortunate to find a Certified Nurse Assistant who cares for Mitch while I work and treats Mitch like a brother. Mitch needs 24 hour care. With the brain injury on the left side, the right side of his body is somewhat contracted and does not move like the left side. He does not have full use of his right arm and the left leg is amputated. He has to have help with every activity of daily living. He can feed himself, drink, brush his teeth, and wash off his body with the left hand. He has debilitating headaches, leg tremors, and stiff muscles. With physical therapy, he is working on standing with the parallel bars and sitting independently. He can not walk independently nor drive at this point, and we do not know if he will be able to. His speech is altered, but he has gone from speaking just words to sentences.
My Caregiving Role
I find myself in a state of anxiety and overwhelm on a frequent basis. Mitch was very active to now, a fully dependent person. This is extremely hard on both of us as he has flashbacks of his preaccident life. When the accident first happened, I mourned for a long time. I mourned our life, our future, the outcome. I was in a state of desperation and despair. It was dark and lonely. No one knew how I felt and there were so little resources to help. I stayed in shock for a while. In the beginning, we were told to take things minute by minute. Instead of having faith, I went home and wrote my husband’s obituary. I thought everyone could pray better and harder than me. I enlisted prayers around the world and for his name to be added to every prayer list.
It took me getting Mitch home to realize, what a miracle had happened and how little faith I did have. After a few months, I began to take Mitch to the small church I had attended. I felt the small congregation would not be over stimulating for him. I gave our testimony and used the parable of the Mustard Seed faith to compare it to. I had to make good come out of this tragedy and I had to show the world, how my husband’s life was spared. Turning to God is what saved me. I would say at this stage, a year post accident, Mitch is progressing. We are becoming thankful in the midst of the anger and tears, we pray aloud daily, and I have many talks and pleas with God. At the end of the day, it’s all I know to do.