As part of March being Brain Injury Awareness Month we share this story of Austin, who was in a devastating single-car accident in 2014 leaving him with a diffuse axonal injury and a subarachnoid hemorrhage. He was hospitalized at UT Medical Center for eleven days and remained in a coma/minimally conscious state for four-and-a-half months. Eventually, Austin became fully conscious and began speaking and walking again. He began an outpatient program in Atlanta before returning to Knoxville, where he continued outpatient therapy.
His mother, Jennifer, was his biggest supporter and champion throughout his recovery. “She never left my side throughout the four-and-a-half months I was in a coma. She was there all throughout my recovery and pushed me when I felt like giving up,” he said.
He says that UT Medical Center “provided immediate care after the onset of my accident. Without this care, I would not have survived due to the tremendous impact of the injury,” Austin said. “After I improved I enjoyed returning to UT Medical and visiting the doctors and nurses that cared for me. I wanted them to see how well I was doing,” Austin said. “I was a Glasgow Coma Scale of three, the lowest you can be while alive, and it has a very grim prognosis. So it was important to me that they were able to see how my recovery was going.”
While Austin says he has met most of his recovery goals, including earning a teaching degree, his biggest challenge is driving independently. He is motivated to live an independent life, and said, “It has been seven years since my accident, and I still feel like I am pushing myself daily.” He believes his TBI has “made me a kinder person and more grateful for the gift of life.”