My name is Craig J. Phillips. I sustained an open skull fracture and a traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident when I was 10 years old in 1967. I remained in a coma for 3 weeks with right frontal lobe damage, a severe brain bruise with brain stem involvement. Waking from the coma, I felt like I had a bad dream, but the reality became apparent. I also fractured my left femur and remained in traction for 6-7 weeks to set the femur. I was then placed in a full body cast (Spica) for 5-6 months. After being taken out of the Spica cast, I learned how to walk, talk, read, write and speak in complete sentences. I also underwent 2 EEG’s and a battery of cognitive and psycho social testing.

The results were shared with my parents, but not with me. Once my external wounds healed, the impact of my traumatic brain injury went invisible and was never factored into my struggle. I was mainstreamed into the 6th grade. I graduated on time with my high school class and then went on to college, although the testing done in 1968 showed that I would probably not succeed beyond high school academically. It took me 10 years to obtain my undergraduate degree (2 universities and one college) and 3 ½ years to obtain my graduate degree (2 graduate schools). I had a long history of getting and losing jobs.

I applied for SSDI 3 times and was a client of the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in Florida and North Carolina. After my 2nd DVR evaluation my vocational rehab counselor told me that I was unemployable. Shortly after being told that I was unemployable by DVR I was approved to begin receiving SSDI at the end of 1998. My undergraduate degree is in Theology. My graduate degree is in Rehabilitation Counseling Although I had diligently applied myself both academically and vocationally, I felt like someone all dressed up with nowhere to go. Nevertheless, I did not give on the process.

I had a desire to use what I had been seeking to do all my life. On February 6, 2007 I created Second Chance to Live. Since that time, I have written 2032 articles, 12 eBooks, 446 video presentations, 20 slide show presentations and 40 inspirational posters, all focusing on a holistic recovery process. Since June 2020 and to date I have given 90 keynote presentations via Zoom. To see these presentations and locations, visit my website.