May 23, 2007
Meeting began on time to a packed house. Chairs had to be setup in the hall to handle the overflow. Dr. Turba�s discussion on Seizures was of interest to large numbers of our members. At the end of the Seizure discussion, we broke into two groups and met until 9 PM. This was an excellent meeting and presented information that was very important ot everyone. Thanks again to Dr. Turba.
April 24, 2007
The annual BIAW Conference was held in Green Bay this year on May 1 & 2. At the conference our support group, Making New Connections, was presented with the Education and Community Service Award. We are truly honored to be appreciated and recognized for giving back to our community.
We were privileged to have Conference Presenter, Debbie Leonhardt as our support group guest speaker. Debbie sustained a brain injury in a motor vehicle accident. As she shared her story with us we learned that she is 15 years post accident and still struggles with certain losses. She found her recovery to be a humbling experience. Being independent by nature, it was very difficult for her to accept defeat and failure and found it very hard to ask others for help. She has learned that every tragedy and illness holds a lesson to be learned and gives an opportunity for growth. For her, the lesson is there are things more important than accomplishing goals. I use to define myself by my job, now I define myself by who I am. I am Debbie and I now live in the present and enjoy each day. Her final words to the group was: "This is where my journey has lead me...Where has your journey lead you?"
March 28, 2007
A room full of Support Group Members gathered for the monthly meeting. We had a moment of silence for the passing of one of our members Chapin. A guest from the UW-Whitewater Campus was at our meeting. She is starting a similar group at the campus and wanted to see the format of our meetings. We discuss the possibility of coordinating our next meeting with the BIAW convention that is being held in Green Bay. If we can get a guest speaker from the convention, we will change our meeting location and date to coincide with the Convention dates. Several new people attended the meeting and we shared our experiences. Karen's Brownies were excellent. Meeting adjured around 9 PM.
Feb 28, 2007
The weather kept some people away but we had a very interesting meeting. Ken Wirtz, a Metdesk Specialist enlightened us regarding available financial solutions for TBI families. It was a introduction to the issues and he is available for consultation on special situations. The presentation was video taped and if there is interest, we will try to make copies available. Let Colleen or Karen know if you are interested.
Jan 24, 2007
After a brief business meeting, survivors and families shared their experiences with brain injury. In doing so, several different issues surfaced making for a lively small group discussion. While everyone felt the high level of frustration that comes with the slow healing process in brain injury recovery, we laughed often as certain individuals told stories that brought out their wonderful sense of humor.
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