No two brain injuries are the same

Every 21 seconds, someone sustains a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Donna Cavanaugh, executive director of ThinkFirst of the Ark-La-Tex, explains how TBIs contribute to the loss of more than 50,000 lives annually and at least 5.3 million Americans are disabled from a brain injury. March marks the beginning of Brain Injury Awareness Month, with the aim to educate the public on the incidence of brain injuries and the needs of those who have sustained them. ThinkFirst of the Ark-La- Tex is a chapter of the national organization that promotes injury prevention awareness.

According to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), an estimated 3.5 million children and adults sustain an acquired brain injury (ABI) every year, but the total incidence is unknown. Traumatic brain injuries are a subset of ABIs and are caused by trauma to the brain by an external force. The effects of these injuries are vast and impact more than just the individual, as families and communities are affected as well.

When ThinkFirst presents on injury prevention, they provide comprehensive, educational information as well as testimonies of first-hand experiences.

“Our presentations focus both on medical information about traumatic brain injuries and the potential life consequences of sustaining one,” said Cavanaugh. “We also offer information on spinal cord injuries.”

“We discuss the anatomy and function of the brain and which body parts the different areas control,” she continued. “For example, the frontal lobe controls motor functions, higher order functions, planning, reasoning, judgment, impulse control, memory and personality. We discuss how the brain is irreplaceable, cannot be mended like a broken bone, and there is no cure for a TBI. It only takes a split second to change your life forever.”

At the end of the program, ThinkFirst will have one of their VIPs – Voices for Injury Prevention – tell their personal story, putting a face on the aftermath of suffering a life-changing injury.

“The goal is to encourage people to use their mind to protect their body,” said Cavanaugh. “We do that by educating others about what a TBI is and how to avoid injury. The ThinkFirst mission statement is: To prevent brain, spinal cord and other traumatic injuries through education.”

According to Cavanaugh, the leading causes for TBI are vehicle crashes, falls, sports and violence. The BIAA lists that the causes for ABI can include electric shock, infectious disease, near drowning, oxygen deprivation, seizure disorder, stroke, substance abuse and trauma. They go on to explain that no two brain injuries are exactly the same, and the effects are complex and vary from person to person.

Cavanaugh stated that their speaking events can have a major impact on their audiences, particularly with the guests who share their personal stories.

“The core of our program is our VIP speakers, who have a brain or spinal cord injury,” she said. “They tell the story of their life before the injury, how they received their injury, and how it now affects their current life. Depending on what part of their brain was injured, it may be very visible in the way a person walks or talks. Others deal with memory loss, loss of taste and smell, etc.”

The BIAA offers vast information about the effects of brain injuries and the effects that are correlated with the side of the brain that was injured. For example, injuries on the left side of the brain can cause difficulties understanding and speaking language, depression, anxiety, impaired logic and decreased control over right-sided body movements. Rightsided injuries can cause altered creativity and music perception, loss of “the big picture” type of thinking, and decreased control over left-sided body movements. Injuries that are scattered throughout both sides may cause reduced thinking speed, confusion and impaired cognitive thinking skills – among other effects.

ThinkFirst offers several avenues in engaging the public and encouraging the conversation of injury prevention. Time is given for questions from the audience to either the program coordinators or the VIP speaker, the organization has two Facebook pages – one for the general public and one specifically for teen drivers – and an Instragram account, and they contribute a monthly safety column in The Shreveport Times.

“ThinkFirst also helps host the TBI Support Group meetings,” said Cavanaugh. “These meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. at LifeCare Hospital at 9320 Linwood Ave.”

For more information:

Schools and organizations can contact ThinkFirst for a presentation, as they are free and can fit into any time frame, said Cavanaugh. As a nonprofit, they serve a 15-parish area and offer ways to help their cause by donating or volunteering. For more information on ThinkFirst, visit www.thinkfirstlouisiana.org, and for more information on brain injuries, visit www.biausa.org.