Peter Bohen

In 2020, on January 11th, I was 17 and trying to do too many things in my life. Also the only mode of transportation I had at the time was my Honda CBR 500 (motorcycle) because I was trying to save up for a pickup truck and move to Texas from California. To achieve this goal I was working multiple jobs and had passed a high school exit exam to leave high school early and started going to classes at my local community college.

Unfortunately I was rushing from one job to the next and so I was speeding (at 110 mph) and lane filtering so I wouldn’t be late for work. Needless to say, when a car swerved toward me slightly, I panicked and when I went over a lane reflector started to wobble, I fell into the semi truck next to me and bounced off of it into the car that swerved towards me.

From this crash I broke around 40-50 bones and pretty much medically died three times along with getting a severe TBI diffuse axonal injury. The first time was on the freeway when my lungs filled up with blood and I needed to be resuscitated. The second case I had of medical death was when I had no brain waves for over a week. Finally the third was when my heart stopped in one of the multiple hospitals I spent time at which obviously also required resuscitation.

I had amazing doctors and nurses who took care of me and sacrificed their time and energy to help me get better and for them I will always be grateful. Bystanders brought me back and did CPR on me before the paramedics to me to a pediatric hospital. Also a separate semi truck blocked 4 lanes on the freeway so people could help me safely.

If I could summarize this journey with one word it would be; endurance. Enduring the painful days, enduring the different skills I had to relearn with repeated practice and effort (like with learning how to talk again), and enduring the people who didn’t and don’t understand the injury itself. Especially enduring all the doubt from people who believed they knew better like certain doctors and such.

You can get better and come out of this injury maybe not completely healed but with a greater understanding and compassion for those around you. Life will have a new set of challenges and struggles but they can be overcome if you continue to preserve and endure through every obstacle that arises after the traumatic brain injury.

It wasn’t all bad too thankfully I had great friends and family who helped me but sadly in life the bad things usually overshadow the good events. All I can encourage is to keep going and feeling accomplished even if all you do on a day after your TBI is to open your eyes and attempt a conversation with someone around you.

Things are getting better though I’m doing well in an HVAC trade school program after discovering that traditional college was too challenging at the moment. Also I have always enjoyed working with my hands and helping people so I will enjoy working this trade. Life has its ups and downs but it always keeps going no matter what. Just like everyone has to do in this life especially those with a Traumatic Brain Injury since that’s the only way to get better.