“Remembering going outside of my apartment and waking up in a hospital, being told I flat lined on the way to the hospital. I was living my life as it was four years in my past.”
This is the story of Allen. Allen now has a severe Brain injury and if you ask him how this had happen, he will say “nobody really knows.” He spent one month in the hospital, a year and half in a nursing facility and 6 months at Alpha Dakota and he was told he will never be able to live on his own without assistance. Allen has said, “you can ask me or tell me something and I will not guarantee I will remember it in 10 minutes,” and this is true, but he has learned to cross this barrier by keeping a calendar on hand and writing things down. He has become a great asset to DCIL, by volunteering, participating in group activities and going to functions and sharing his story with other agencies, people with brain injury and college students. He has struggled with high anxiety about riding in a car, but now rides the para transit. His passion is plants and flowers and he is hoping someday to be able to work a few hours a week at a nursery just watering plants.
Allen, who has lived in the past is now living life to the fullest and everyday he is coming out of his shell, sharing his story and bringing new hope to those who have no hope, along with educating post-secondary students who will eventually work with people with a brain injury in their careers.
You can listen to Allen’s story on video on our YouTube Station or go to ‘Videos’ our web page under Media.