Today is a beautiful day in Colorado. It has been almost a year since the last update on Benjamin. He continues to live in the Denver area in a program for brain injury survivors. I had the opportunity yesterday to bring 2 new friends to visit Ben. Seeing Ben’s situation through their eyes helped affirm that Ben is where he needs to be. The friends were amazed at the bright and well decorated program house.They mentioned that the expected institutionalized atmosphere is totally absent. After looking at a calendar of activities, Ben’s active life was apparent. A tour of Ben’s room sports a wall of family photos and a picture of a world map. It was clean, neat and full of personal touches. The life skills workers in the house were pleasant caring and knowledgeable. Ben has responded to the new atmosphere over the last 2 years well. He is happy, busy and involved with the other residents of the house.
Prior to moving here, boredom and lack of physical activity really showed in Ben’s demeanor. He is involved with shopping, house chores, enjoys music and is constantly working on Word Search puzzles. Ben keeps in touch with family and friends through FaceTime and messaging with an iPad. For now, life has stabilized and I pray we can keep Ben here.

The struggles with severe TBI are still a daily reality for Ben, however. Since the severe setback in 2016, Ben still has significant deficits in memory, the ability to reason and think.  He cannot remember if I visited last month or last week. He cannot remember how long he has been in Colorado. He forgets people and events. Achieving a goal or even minor employment is impossible because the steps to that goal are meaningless. Socially he has moments of inappropriate comments and it is difficult to end a conversation with him. His aggressive behaviors are under control, but this is partially due to a potent medication that has to be constantly monitored because of dangerous side effects. Initially this was a weekly blood test. Some of those side effects involve diminished cognitive ability. We have had to choose between stable mental health vs improved intellectual functioning. The medications also have caused weight gain. The set back in 2016 put Ben back in a wheel chair for over a year. Since then Ben is ambulatory, but clumsy with a shuffling gait. His balance is not predictable.

All of these issues may seem overwhelming, but Ben has joy. His personality is engaging. He makes people smile and his greatest pleasure is to be out and about with others. He attends a church with modern music and a coffee bar, a major focus of his week. He reads his Bible and is quick to tell others that God is the reason he is alive. It will be good.