Nicole Neer(white woman with short dirty-blond hair) stands, smiling, with her hands in her pockets. She is wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt and smiling
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Moving Through Medical Trauma

Nicole interviewed me for her Spooniepreneur podcast a couple of years ago, and we’ve clicked. When she suggested collaborating by cross-posting on one another’s blogs, I jumped at the opportunity. We both wrote about medical trauma from our own personal experiences. My post on her blog came out a few days ago, and Nicole and…

Alison sits in a car, wearing a dress and with her hair styled back and makeup on, smiling
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Ableism in society: everybody wants you to be okay

One of those challenges that many of us need to deal with is that on top of the physical and emotional trauma involved in our illnesses or injuries, we also often need to communicate what is happening to our loved ones and other significant people in our lives.  This can be challenging, as we are…

A person showing their belly with a large scar down the middle. Around this car are words that describe trama
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Medical trauma: a shared experience within the disabled community

I took a deep breath, put my mask on, and limped into the office. My fingers shifted, tightening so my fingertips touched my palm, squeezing, relaxing. They shot out, stretched to their fullest extent. Some stayed that way, others shifted. I was aware of this, but not consciously telling them to do so. My teeth…

Should I go to the emergency room: the trauma factor
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Should I go to the emergency room: the trauma factor

My phone rang. ‘Hey, honey?’ my partner Al said “I need you to call mom and dad about this, but I want you to make sure they don’t freak out” “Freak out about what?” I asked, instantly concerned. “Well, they called an ambulance for me. I slipped and I think I might have dislocated my…

Close up , cropped picture of a man in a suit. He is white, wears wire-framed glasses and has a reeding heairine with salt-and-pepper hair and a full, trimmed beard.

Thanksgiving and TBI – I miss you dad

It’s Thanksgiving week.  This is now my 15th Thanksgiving without my father.  Fifteen years ago, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, my life was irrevocably changed by my father’s traumatic brain injury(TBI).   What happened He slipped.  While climbing a ladder.  He fell less than 10 feet, but just landed on the back of his head.  The…