The Do Over

today were welcoming a member bind who actually sings great birthday present.

Yeah, I can take in advance. That's fine.

Well, you already hear his voice, so, you know, it's good. Um, he has been a member of fine for several years now. And he actually has a story written in, um, binds first book, which is bind us together. So welcome Nate. We are so excited to have you here as our guest.

You bet. I'm happy to be here as well. Okay.

Yeah,

that's good. Um, so Nate, I know you wrote your book or your story already on the book, but can you share us a little bit of your story? Because our listeners don't really know you, so

yeah. Yeah. So October 2nd, 2016. So among, I guess, number seven year since, um, I had a severe traumatic brain injury where I fractured my skull and then, um, Started life over. Uh, God blessed me with another shot.

Yeah. I love it. I actually think that, um, Carrie told me like as a little heads up, that your story was titled. Uh, the do-over. Okay.

Yeah. Just give him the second opportunity at life. And so, um, I got. Got me. Uh, healthy. Somehow I was, I was at 1% chance of staying a live. So here I am.

I guess. Give us. Um, little bit more like what kind of, I know it's traumatic brain injury, but like, What happened? Cause it's kinda, it's kinda crazy.

Well, I don't really remember cause I wasn't the, um, I was the only person there when it supposedly happened. It was. The fall downstairs. And then I guess I was down there bleeding out for an hour. Oh, where they were able to get to. me. To the hospital, but luckily I was taken to Parkland. Which is one of the greatest. Um, Um, brain. Uh, injury recovery. Um, at the time and. And then I was able to. Uh, anyway, I was in a coma for six months, a vegetative state for another six months.

Oh, that's pretty cool. I never heard much about it in Houston, but. Can you tell us a little bit about like who you were before that accident? Like yeah. I'm plus a why. Are you wearing that? T-shirt.

Oh, All the time. This is all represented all the time, which at TCU. You graduated in 2002. So it's been a long, long time. Um, And your question was again.

Yeah. Like who were you before the accident?

Uh, I was nate before the accident. Um, no, I, I was, um, I was doing marketing in Durham in dermatology, worked for like four companies. Uh, doing pharmaceutical sales. And marketing.

So you're really good at talking to people and seeking, singing.

Well, the singing. Yes. But, uh, I was able to sell dermatology products, then start marketing them.

That's pretty cool. So.

It was nice to have a job back then and be able to do stuff. You get paid.

Absolutely right. And I think right now here at bind, um, I know that right now we're kind of like, Going a little bit fast-forward to how you're living life now, but with what you're saying, w. What you did before? Like did the, uh, accident you have like really have any effect on that? Um, Um, your previous life and other life that you're living now that you are able to do over.

No it life started over, which means I had to relearn everything. Right. So that took time. And then I'm not at the point where I can get back to work yet, especially at the same level than where I was. So that's, what's kept me back from getting back to work at this point.

Is that a goal?

Sure. As long as I can find a company that's willing to

Right, work with me.,

work with me.

I get ya.

Yeah. I think that like, everyone has like a different set of like, Needs right. And like how, when is a time to go back to work and like to live as close as possible, if not better with the life that you lived before. Um, so what are some of those difficulties or challenges that you're currently holding? Um, That, you know, as putting that pause or just putting that hold, not a pause, just a little hold.

Well, I find sometimes I I'm regressing and one of them was aphasia that has come back and. And effected me again. So I'm going back to speech therapy to get work on that again.

Yeah. I haven't noticed that at all, when I've been around you.

Thank you.

Sometimes

I get it right. Sometimes

I don't. So yeah. And I actually, um, with a aphasia, I think that I, I think you and I had this conversation before about the aphasia and like the different. That's sometimes not noticeable. Like for me, it's the reading part. And for you, what part of aphasia is like, are you having difficulty with.

It's just when, I'm having a conversation with someone and I'm wanting to say certain words and then that one word. It goes out of my mind and I have to, you know, basically retelling the story or just give more hints of what it could be.

Yeah. Yeah. The giving the hints as like the important part. And for people to know that, uh, one of my friends, um, had told me it's like playing. I don't know if Scattergories. Is word, but you know, you give words and you try to make your friend, guess what word you're saying? Nice way to play. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's my game every day. Like you taught that one where that's like starts with a K. That's basically what I have to do if I don't remember.

well, the very first thing is I have to write down everything. Because when I find, when I'm writing. Things down as well as saying them, it comes together. Right. Um, Otherwise, just keep trying and keep. You know, keep practicing every day.

Yeah. Yeah, I think that's good. Then make sure to tell people to be really patient right.

Well, it is what it is with people being patient. Maybe they're patient more after they know the story than they would before.

That's kind of two problems. I'm going to back up just a little bit. So, I know you said you were in a coma for a year now.

Six months,

six months. Okay. I don't have a aphasia.

I was vegated state another six months. So that was like half a year of my life.

That was a long time. So. What was recovery like after that? I mean, I guess recovery is still the same. Maybe just a little slower to start with because you weren't able took longer for you to even get to start recovery.

Well, once I got to start recovery it down a tier, when I. I really had great success and again, learning everything right. And we would catch up even eating on my own. Yeah. Um, I had to have trach taken out so I could breathe on my own. Just a number of things that were happening in. Time to go through and I'm going to keep learning and getting better the rest of my life.

That's true. We all kind of figured that part out that recovery is forever. Which is not bad, you know, that means that we're always getting better. I good thing. Absolutely. Um, so what I mean, I know we all kind of have to relearn everything, but what I guess I'm going to say aphasia has been your biggest challenge that you had to deal with. Did you have any like physical limitations right after.

I mean, once I learned how to walk again, right just stop me now. I'm walking everywhere.

you did have some issues from where you ended have to relearn how to walk. Okay.

Well, walk, eat. All your basics.

Okay. I have to, I tell him right after a brain injury, you basically start over. The child. Yeah, everything. That's the great thing about neuro-plasticity. Those brainwaves figuring out they're the ones that we used when we were teeny-tiny toddlers. And we just find a new ones now.

Yep. Your body. will circulate where it was. Um, moving before, um, like I, my right eye is blind. But my left eye is able to compensate for it. Oh, wow. And that's what your brain does with different. Different situations as well.

So. Yeah. How do you know that your bright white? I mean, oh my gosh. See aphasia. I'm saying the wrong words. How did you know that your right eye.

Uh, well, when I couldn't see out of it, Yeah, no. And I really thought I still had a vision in my right eye for a long time until I closed the left. And then there was not.

Oh, okay. Oh, wow. I didn't notice that. Yeah.

You don't notice it. Cause you can't. Until I open. But yeah, when I closed the left, it's over.

Interesting for me. I think that I didn't know that the stroke affected my vision. Cause I couldn't tell people. Okay. Like I couldn't tell people that I see everything twice. Like I, it was just like, it was crazy. Um, Until I started like trying to read and I was always missing the end of the sentences because I can't see to my right side. Okay. Um, so yeah, so, so you just noticed it once you try to close your.

Well, when I closed my left, I couldn't see anything. So, okay. And then I was, I was asking questions like, does this say. Did they cut my. Optic nerve or was. Is this something from the injury. Apparently have something. Yeah. Yeah. Tore off my optic nerves. Fracturing my skull. So it was a good time.

so mine. I think that's a little more obvious with my left neglect is they figured that out pretty quick when I kept running into the left wall. Okay. And then the same as Kezia. I couldn't read anything on the left side of the page. And then we all kind of have those same things.

It's amazing. We all recovery,

right. Yeah, we all figure out what to do to like, To cover that up, right. Or. To make. You know, Yeah. That makes sense as.

Part of the reasons why I tend to bind because we're all in the same boat. Right. And nobody's making fun of each other for no having a deficit or

anything. So, yeah, that brings us up to one of. our other questions? We all know that bind is recovery after recovery. How did you hear about bind?

Uh, rehab without walls. Okay. So when I was having them come to my house and help with. Um, rehabilitation. They brought me to bind. Told me about it. And at first, when it cost us money, right. What am I going to do? To pay money to go do work. Yeah. I learned very quickly. The purpose of it all. Yeah.

Yeah. And I actually think I'm going to put you a little bit on pause. Um, just to remind our guests that we are available every Thursday to be. Um, having a podcast updated. So make sure to like us follow us and tell all your friends to continue to subscribe us and connect with us on Thursdays on your. Um, social platforms. So I actually wanted to ask you a question also about bind. Please ask question. Yes. So, um, Like, so.

Just getting into. Um, a regular daily schedule. In some ways I come here thinking I'm going to work. So it replaces the actual work. Um, the other people here are all, we're all in the same boat. So we'll become friends and work together to run the clubhouse.

Yeah. Yeah, but you do actually work. It's not like you just come here and hang out.

That's what I mean, I'm coming here to work, right. So that's why I think about. So that's good.

Um, so maybe w what, what area do you like to work in at bind.

I work in typically. Um, oh and a, so I'll, uh, Ms together. o&a,

Yeah. Outreach.

and you know what. I don't have a aphsia. And I do that with outreach and advocacy. I have called all kinds of crazy things.

Yeah. What do you do that? Outreach and advocacy.

Um, so we have a lot of emails, people, questions, and wanting. Um, information. So the outreach comes in there. The advocacy we go and. Um, go make. Uh, not make calls. We go in and have presentations of our stories with other rehab. Um, centers like pate. And Baylor and all the, all the rehab places that are in the area. Share share information about bind as the next step after they get out of rehab.

Sure. Yeah. And then basically what the goal of having more members coming into the clubhouse and being a resource to a lot of people, right. Absolutely. Yeah, because I think that's how I understood outreach and advocacy. When I first coming here, there's communications that it's like the internal communication, the people member to member. And then. Oh, and a. Advocacy for like the people outside of bind. To learn more about the members, right. So, yeah. That's pretty cool.

That's the purpose of this is to learn about.

I mean, technically our podcast is a little bit of outreach and advocacy. That's one of the main things that I'm here. I'm reaching out that way because they also want to do is we want to educate not just new survivors, but just our listeners in general. Maybe you don't really understand about brain injury and. How common it is.

And a lot of I'm sure a lot of people taking care of patients with TBIs are listening in just to get extra information.

And I know that's a lot of what we want our, outreach advocacy see within the clubhouse to do is if you have questions, if you don't want to. Maybe you can email bind waves or you can email our outreach and advocacy group. We are call us and ask questions. We are here to educate and help and help, however we, can

we have a ton of resources to share?

Yes. I agree. And right now, I think it's been really awesome that you're mentioning how, like bind has been this resource for you. And, um, how you've been able to come here and really feel better about working in all of that, but what is like your most recent goal for your personal goal?

Hm.

I know, you know, we gotta ask one tricky question.

I think to get some productive hobbies. Oh, yeah. If I'm not at work, what am I doing all day? And that's what, when, the reason why I come to bind, but I have to develop some work. Um, The resources that I can do for myself. Since I'm not working in. Waiting that out.

Well. Like you have that shirt. You can find lots of hobbies. Look at my shirt. That's my hobby.

Well, this isn't a. Hobie. This is just a university.

well. But there are things you can do with. The university, or maybe there's a volunteer. Maybe there's a volunteer job you could do there.

Yeah. Looking into those things. And we do that here at bind as well. Right.

Yeah. Thought of my head and, you know, yeah, absolutely. fellow a sports fan.

Yeah. That's like her number one thing, I think. If, no, one's noticed all her green shirts that goal. That's her hobby. all right. Um, so do you have, like any advice I know about you now as an O A, like. The focus in that unit here at bind. Um, do you have any advice for either, um, care workers or for more recent, uh, brain injury survivors that you would like to share? So

patience is the number one thing. From other people, you're going to need some patients, but you have to be patient with yourself and your. You're a. Your improvement along the way. Because you may go along the way and you're doing well, things that you always used to do just fine. That you ended up struggling with. And sometimes it can make you upset because this is something that's easy. Where am I? Why am I struggling with it? So being patient with yourself is also very important.

Yeah. And for caregiver. Caregivers like, uh, I know that. Yeah for caregivers. How would that be the same that you would want them to hear about brain injury survivors?

Sure. Yeah. Especially if it's affecting them personally or in their family. I mean, brain, the brain is the. Strangest thing in the world, and nobody knows everything about the brain and everybody's injury is completely different. And so their recovery is completely different. So there's not one. One way you can advise people on how things are going to go.

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much for that. I think it's really important for that. And I I think.

Yes we're so glad you're here Nate thank you. And if you would like to contact us again you can email us@bindwavesatthebind.org. Um follow us on instagram@bindwavesandvisitourwebsiteatthebind.org slash bind waves Again any questions concerns you have any thoughts ideas Feel free to email us there at any time you want us to come and speak to you about brain injury Give us an email We'll send it over to Nate and that outreach advocacy

And don't forget to like share subscribe to your favorite platform and also hit that notified by an on. On um, youtube For listening to bind waves so thank you.

thank you and don't forget every thursday you can find our new episodes on all of your favorite platforms So Until next time until next

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