Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog
Traumatic Brain Injury happens to people from all
walks of life and background. People who have
had a TBI eventually work out their recovery in a
personal way such as Shelley Furgason, TBI
survivor. Shelley worked as a talented and successful lead graphic
designer and art director for fourteen years.
Three years ago she experienced a TBI as result of a
motorcycle accident. After rehabilitation she
wondered about the rest of her life and how she would
continue her recovery. Shelley and her family decided to
relocate to Arizona. Being an artist and with creative
inclinations Shelley is using the medium of the web to
document how she is using her move to Arizona as a
part of her
recovery.
Since it's early days the web has been home to a
community of TBI survivors who have established their
own homepages and websites. Shelley has joined
that community with her new blog - the Arizona
Sunshine TBI Blog which is subtitled "How Arizona
Has Become Therapy for My TBI." And the
blog is just that - an ongoing exploration of recovery
in the environment of Arizona.
The Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog is a brand new site. One
thing you immediately notice is the use of graphics
and design that Shelley has integrated into her
site. Drawing from her skills and experience as
a designer she has created some striking graphics that
utilize images of Arizona and the site is
impressive with its use of images and color.
We asked Shelly about why she started the blog and she
told us:
It's
about moving to Arizona after my accident, and
how that has become a part of my recovery. I
write about how happy I am that my brain
injury didn't take my creative side. How the
beauty, peace and clean air here in Arizona,
plus painting, making jewelry, even doing my
websites have all been therapy for me. Because
until I started all of the previous things I
mention, I hadn't done much. I still don't
leave my house very much at all but I wanted
to start communicating with other people who
feel the way I do.
|
In her early posts in the Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog,
Shelley tells us about her accident, injury and
initial recovery. We learn about her life,
career and family. She even posts some examples
of her work as an art director for a drag racing
magazine prior to her injury. TBI survivors as
well as family members of brain
injury survivors benefit from reading of what others have gone
through. The experiences of others always offers
wisdom and hope. For instance Shelley introduces
readers to her supportive family in her postings.
One day Shelley had a seizure which led her to write
specifically about the type of injury she had.
This posting was open and bared what she has to deal
with daily. Others with similar experience, clicking onto that post, will identify with what she
has written. Friends or family of survivors will get some insight into what their own loved-ones may
be experiencing.
As you read
through the posts you sense the honesty of the writer
and experience more and more of the daily recovery by
someone with a traumatic brain injury. You also understand
that Shelley is doing triple-duty in her blog -
writing in essence a journal of her recovery, working
through issues and sharing both with her readers.
New
interactive sites like the Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog,
will develop a dialogue with its visitors over
time. To facilitate the process, Shelley has
started a satellite site called the Arizona
Room which is a forum where visitors can post,
comment and have discourse about topics related to
traumatic brain injury. It is always interesting
to watch these kinds of forums develop over time, so
give the Arizona
Room a visit.
Shelley also posts links to helpful sites related to
TBI on the Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog, as well as informative
news articles - these are also open to comment and
discussion in the blog format. Keeping true to
the theme of the Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog, Shelley
has posted some beautiful images of Arizona, and links
to other websites about the "Grand Canyon
State."
When you are at the Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog,
you can click-through to Arizona
Earthshines Gemstone Jewelry.
Shelley creates bracelets, necklaces, chokers and
earrings from genuine turquoise, jasper, onyx and
amethyst, in designs that reflect the southwest and
which are available for purchase.
Each personal site we highlight is unique to the individual
who created it. The common theme, however, are people
recovering and working towards independence.
Shelley is doing that with her site and she invites
you along to share the journey. Shelley told us
that since she has started her blog: "the most
interesting thing I've learned is how different a
brain injury can be from person to person."
Want to gain insight
into what it is like to have a TBI? Want to know
how people fare after a brain injury and learn about
one person's recovery? Take the time to visit the Arizona Sunshine TBI
Blog.
Northeast Center for Special Care is pleased to present
the Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog as our website of the month
feature for October, 2007. They are
just a click
away, and don't forget to bookmark them so you can visit
again.
Note: The Arizona Sunshine TBI Blog is no longer
online as of June 2008. We're sad to see it go,
however, you can still visit Arizona Earthshines
Gemstone Jewelry. We will continue to archive this
page for historical reference.
Back
Disclaimer:
Reference in this web site to any specific
organizations, commercial products, process, service,
manufacturer, or company does not constitute its
endorsement or recommendation by Northeast Center for
Special Care.
|
