Patricia Occleshaw Decker

Coma, Courage & Canes Patricia Occleshaw Decker

Coma, Courage & Canes The life of SOBER JIM by Patricia Occleshaw Decker This spirited tale with a twist is a true account detailing young "Sober Jim's" life, along with his family and other brain injury survivors, as they met along the road to each hopeful recovery. Instead of a gratifying future carefully planned, many supportive TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) families often exchanged their idealistic vision for fear and turmoil. Jim's steep climb to healing is told in this captivating account of heroism, craziness, fun and stubbornness -- the minute Jim could get off his deathbed. He was never one to take situations lying down! This is "Sober Jim's" story of courage and recovery. The author -- and Jim's mother -- was elected founding president of the Southern California Head Injury Foundation, Inc. (SCHIF) in 1982. Today California is a chapter of the National Brain Injury Association - BIAUSA. In those formative years, hundreds and then thousands of families and professionals opened up a successful grassroots corridor to support the TBI population and families/caregivers. Because of their united effort, "The Decade of the Brain" was introduced to the nation in 1990, beginning advanced recovery methods and services. New roads of recovery have been amazing in modern times for the post war veterans coming home with PTS (formerly PTSD). State or nationwide helmet laws, child safety restraint laws, mandatory seat belt and air bag laws came into being. All with their beginnings here. This is their story.