1st Edition

A Different Perspective After Brain Injury A Tilted Point of View

By Christopher Yeoh Copyright 2017
    154 Pages
    by Routledge

    154 Pages
    by Routledge

    Whilst preparing for his travel adventures into a world he had yet to explore, Christopher Yeoh was involved in a road traffic accident and experienced something few others would be "privileged" to witness. Eight days in a coma, more than a year in and out of hospital and a gradual re-introduction to the world of work.

    A Different Perspective After Brain Injury: A Tilted Point of View is written entirely by the survivor, providing an unusually introspective and critical personal account of life following a serious blow to the head. It charts the initial insult, early rehabilitation, development of understanding, the return of emotion, moments of triumph and regression into depression, the exercise of reframing how a brain injury is perceived and a return to work. It also describes the mental adjustments of awareness and acceptance alongside the physical recovery process.

    Readily accessible to the general public, this book will also be of particular interest to professionals involved in the care of people who have had significant brain injuries, brain injury survivors, their families and friends and also those who fund and organise health and social care. This unique author account will provide a degree of understanding of what living with a hidden disability is really like.

    Foreword Dr Richard Greenwood,  Series foreword Barbara A Wilson,  Acknowledgments, Preface, The start of the (almost) end, The most exciting day of my life, My boring history, The Wellington hospital, A second childhood, The wheelchair and me, Standing on two feet, Understanding and feeling, The Bleakness, Clothes make the man, A birthday in hospital, A tilted point of view, The assault on self , End of an era, The national health service, The death of ambition, Other peoples’ stories, The Oliver Zangwill Centre, The idealism of youth, The land of OZ, Perfectionism, The rainbow, The importance of semantics, The traumatic brain injury fraternity, A return to the institution, Writing, Excuses and choices, A constructive pastime, An (almost) new start, Epilogue, A little bit about the author, Index, References, Further reading

    Biography

    Christopher Yeoh is a holder of an LLB and LLM from the London School of Economics. He continues to practice securities law as a solicitor of England and Wales at a major global law firm.

    After his adventure he now runs a multi award winning food and travel blog at quieteating.com and is a featured photographer in the Telegraph and Sunday Times newspapers. His photos have also been featured in brochures by the luxury travel company, Audley Travel.

    As an action man he was previously an avid triathlete and a national award winning karateka. Now he prefers a slower pace of life by writing and irritating people with his camera.

    Life after brain injury is not something less but just something different.

    ‘This very engaging book, written by a high functioning survivor of a traumatic brain injury, gives an introspective and critical account of what it actually feels like to suffer a brain injury and ‘come through the other side’. Christopher Yeoh integrates his phenomenological experience of brain injury with science, literature, autobiography, and philosophy, resulting in an extremely readable account of his experience. It provides a real ‘insider’s view’ of brain injury not possible to capture in a purely academic textbook. For this reason, the book will be of huge importance not only to the individuals and their families affected by brain injury, but also the clinicians involved in their care and rehabilitation.’ Rudi Coetzer, Consultant Neuropsychologist, North Wales Brain Injury Service, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB NHS Wales and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Neuropsychology, School of Psychology, Bangor University.

    ‘Christopher’s poignant narrative of his recovery and rehabilitation shows how personal characteristics and social resources interact to overcome the serious aftermath of severe traumatic brain injury. This is a balanced and insightful account of loss, challenge and triumph. He writes with humility and humour, whilst never masking the devastation the injury caused for him and his loved ones. Many inspiring books are written by survivors; A Different Perspective After Brain Injury will strike a chord with people grappling with changes to self in the context of ANY major life change. This is also an invaluable resource for clinicians, researchers and educators who seek a deeper understanding of the experience of brain injury.’ - Professor Tamara Ownsworth, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Australia