Читать книгу HOPE BEYOND TRAUMA - Cynthia Smith - Страница 2

Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.

–Christopher Reeve

This is a story that needed to be told. It is an inspiring story of darkness and light, of despair and hope, a profoundly human story of a mother dealing with the unexpected destiny of taking care of her young daughter with a severe brain injury, sustained a in a car accident.

This a story of a mother struggling to come to terms with her own need to survive and make sense of the unthinkable.

This is the story of Janie Smith, founder of Hope Beyond Trauma, a courageous lady who now dedicates her life to helping those facing their own traumas and also helping their caregivers come to terms with the difficult ordeal of suddenly caring for their loved ones.

This is a story made tragically current by the war on terror, by a time when many soldiers fighting overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan fall victim to brain injuries and suffer long-term consequences of their participation in the war. While health care providers initially attend to these patients, their families are eventually responsible for their long-term care.

This book is dedicated to these families and caregivers as they embark on their heroic daily routines of caring for their heroes who are now in need of support and help. Sadly, traumatic brain injuries are the “signature wounds” of this war on terror. Families of many soldiers anxiously await the return of their loved ones, celebrate their reunion—and then find themselves dealing with a shocking new reality of welcoming home a soldier suffering with a brain injury.

The path to recovery can be extremely challenging. These parents and spouses struggle to find and receive guidance and support in winning their very own war.

Caregiving is also increasingly relevant; with longer life expectancy, more adult children find themselves dealing with elderly parents who suffer from degenerative mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. These ailments, from a practical standpoint, can be seen as a traumatic brain injury “in reverse progression,” in which caregivers must put up with increasingly demanding schedules while coming to terms with the new reality of caring for a “familiar stranger,” knowing all too well that this is a consuming journey with no hope of recovery.

Each story is different and unique, and yet each story is sadly similar. Spouses, mothers, fathers, adult children and other caregivers find themselves dedicating an immense amount of time to their loved ones who can no longer take care of themselves. These caregivers need outside support in their extraordinary endeavors.

No one can fully understand someone else’s pain, frustrations and fears. Each story is unique, as is each person’s reaction to pain, to change, to trauma. However, there are some important considerations and learnings that apply in most cases. This is why the coaches and counselors of Hope Beyond Trauma work to ease the way. Their work is relentless and their commitment unwavering.

Maybe you know someone who is taking care of a loved one … and you never fully realized how hard that is. Maybe you wanted to help but did not know how; here is your chance to find out. Or maybe you know all too well how demanding caregiving can be.

Whatever the reason you opened this book, we sincerely hope you will find it thought provoking and useful reading. Whatever situation you are facing, we hope you will read on and be inspired to discover your own beam of Hope, which can filter through even the darkest clouds of life.

Ilaria Vilkelis,

Geneva - Switzerland

October 2010