This is hard for all of us. Every TBI is unique: because your experience is different than mine doesn't make your suffering any less significant or valid.

Yeah, it's rough, but I've come back a lot further than anyone thought possible. Ironically, I think the severity of my injury helped me work for my recovery. Nobody told me I was going to be better in two months, so I didn't have to go through waiting for that to happen, and then feeling like a failure when it didn't.

For me, every improvement was an unexpected gift. The day I buttoned my own shirt, I was amazed. The things I accomplished, on their own, seemed tiny and insignificant, but they added up until I was again driving, capable of preparing a meal for my family and able to do some volunteer work for my child's sports team.

Is it a struggle? Of course. Do I have TERRIBLE days? You bet. But I'm getting through it - and I'm grateful.