Deborah Ellen Schneider, on Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness
She speaks publicly about being a traumatic brain injury survivor so others can understand being “invisibly disabled.”
Deborah Ellen Schneider, 54
How did your traumatic brain injury occur?
I was a passenger in a car stopped at a red light. A truck going 50 mph struck the car in the rear and pushed it through the intersection. As a result of the impact, I broke the headrest with my head.
What has helped you deal with your injury?
My faith. For so long I lost hope and any sense of God in my life, but as time went on, I realized He was everywhere ... in my family, friends, health care providers, and even total strangers who went out of their way to assist me.
Tell me about your book.
I completed Wind Dancing: The Gift of Healing Traumatic Brain Injury this year. It's an inspirational memoir.
You also speak publicly about your injury. Why?
People who have been so seriously injured don't often recover to the extent that I have, so they are not able to educate others about the "invisibly disabled."
