Podcasting for a Purpose
Categories: Living with Brain Injury
After sustaining a brain injury in 2020, Rob Baugh wanted to provide other survivors and caregivers with a platform to share their stories.
Six years after hitting himself in the head with a screen door, Rob Baugh still has a headache.
At the time, the hit to his head was enough to knock him out and leave him with a 3-inch laceration. His wife Sheila insisted that he go to the hospital, where he received an X-ray, CT scan, and staples for his laceration before being sent home.
The effects of his brain injury showed up right away – a persistent headache, memory issues, fatigue, anxiety, and struggles with word-finding are the big ones, he says. Sheila helped him schedule an appointment with his doctor, who diagnosed him with persistent post-concussive symptoms.
With help and support from Sheila, Rob found a neurologist who suggested different therapies and counseling to help him manage and improve his symptoms. “After a while, I got a little better, but my memory never really came back as much,” Rob says.
Shared Stories, Shared Experiences
In the months following his brain injury, Rob struggled with insomnia. When he couldn’t sleep, he would search online for other people who were living with brain injury, going through the same things he was going through. “I wanted real stories, you know?” he says. Rob asked the leader of his support group, a cognitive therapist, if she knew of any resources where people talked about their experiences with brain injury.
“She said, ‘No, and if you don’t find it, why don’t you do it?’” Rob says. “So I said, okay, I’m going to try it.”
Rob started a YouTube channel to promote awareness about brain injury and share the real-life stories of brain injury survivors and caregivers.
That YouTube channel became Life Rewired: The Brain Injury Podcast, where he and his co-host, Ashley Joy, invite brain injury survivors and caregivers to share their real-life stories and experiences. “People need to know what to expect in the days to come. That not all is lost. That there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Rob says.
As Life Rewired gained momentum, Rob started thinking about how to support organizations focused on brain injury. The first one that came to mind was the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA).
Of all the websites Rob visited when looking for information, resources, and connection after his brain injury, he says the BIAA website was the most detailed. “Anything I need, I can look it up and find it on your website,” he says.
In particular, Rob has found the firsthand accounts from other survivors and caregivers on the website to be valuable resources. “Personal stories are what resonate with me the most. They make it real,” he says. “You can read articles from professionals saying, ‘Here are the things you should do,’ but when you hear a true testimony from someone who says, ‘I was on death’s door, I lost my identity, I had suicidal ideals, and I got through it,’ those are the people I want to talk to. Those are the people I want to ask, ‘What did you do?’”
To be sure, there’s a certain connection and camaraderie among brain injury survivors that comes from their shared experiences – even when their brain injury journeys look very different.
“It’s the darkest place that you’ve ever been,” Rob says of adjusting to life with brain injury. “When you go to make a cup of coffee, and you’re standing there, ‘What am I supposed to do? Have I lost my mind? Why is it taking me so long to go through this?’ And then you meet somebody that understands that? Man, you’re friends for life.”
Fundraising With Flair
Over the years, Rob has hosted multiple fundraisers for BIAA – and he enjoys coming up with unique and creative ideas to do so. “It doesn’t just have to be sitting in front of the computer and asking people to donate to the Brain Injury Association of America,” he says.
Last year, he connected with Hercules Candy, a candy shop in East Syracuse, N.Y., that has gained widespread popularity through social media videos of their candy-making processes. Rob had come across those videos when he was dealing with insomnia in the early days of his brain injury journey. He decided to reach out and ask if they would be interested in doing a collaboration with him to fundraise for BIAA. “I thought, ‘I’ll never hear from him,’ but he emailed me back. I said I wanted to raise money for BIAA, and he says, ‘Sure, we’ll do it.’”
As part of the fundraiser, Hercules Candy created a limited-edition blackberry flavored hard candy and livestreamed the manufacturing process, while Ashley talked about her connection to brain injury and the importance of brain injury awareness.
The limited-edition candy sold out within hours of it being available.
Proceeds from the candy sales were donated to BIAA, and the livestream included a fundraising component that allowed viewers to donate directly to BIAA as well. The Life Rewired and Hercules Candy collaborative fundraiser raised more than $1,700 for BIAA.
“I just want to give back,” Rob says. “I’m one of those people that never said, ‘Why me?’ when I hit my head. From day one, it’s always been, ‘How can I help others?’ And I know the best way to help others is to get more education out there and to raise funds.”
Right now, Rob and his podcast cohost Ashley are hosting a new fundraiser, with a fun twist: if they are able to raise $10,000 by June 30, they will both shave their heads and go bald for brain injury. Donations can be made here: https://give.biausa.org/campaign/714286/donate
If you’re interested in exploring creative fundraising opportunities, email development@biausa.org.
You can subscribe to Life Rewired: The Brain Injury Podcast on the following platforms: