Happie Heads

Episode 67 – Steve (Stevo) Bohlemann

In the summer of 2014, in his last year of college Steve was struck by a cyclist from behind while jogging across a bridge in Charleston, South Carolina. His injuries included: a subdural hematoma, a fractured skull, fractured vertebrae, and of course, a TBI. Upon arriving at the hospital, he was placed in a medically induced coma for several days. He lost his memory for the first few weeks, but slowly began to remember things. Initially, he struggled physically and mentally with the new challenges in his life but has continued to grow through it all. A year ago, Steve began to experience absence seizures, which has been challenging, so we discuss the how he has and is dealing with these. His perspective on everything is refreshing, and I know you will enjoy this conversation. P.S. He was a midfielder on the US paralympic national team (pretty cool) Michael

Episode 66 - Jean Marie Staranna

At the age of 16 in Old Forge, Pennsylvania Jean was in a car accident. She seemed to be recovering well until she began to have generalized seizures a year after her accident. Fortunately, she was able to see a neurologist and try out several anti-seizure medications until her seizures remitted. She was generally symptom free until this February of 2022 (48 years later) she experienced a second TBI when an overhead tent frame collapsed on her head.  This time, the symptoms set in quickly and forcefully and continued until very recently, when she has experienced immense improvement in her symptoms. We discuss all of this and more in the episode.  Enjoy! Michael

Episode 65 – Leia Tyrrell 2.0

In this episode we have the return of one of our first guests, Leia Tyrrell. Since our first conversation at the end of 2016, Leia has had several more TBI. We discuss the physical and psychological ramifications of these TBI, and many of the broader ideas that many TBI survivors think about on a daily basis. I hope you all enjoy!

Episode 64 – Lydia Ewing-Green

One day, while Lydia was playing catch with her nephew she turned around to pick something up, an incoming throw from her nephew struck her in the back of her left ear. Immediately she was completely disoriented, and went into a state of shock. She never would have imagined she just suffered a TBI that would have lasting impacts on her day-to-day life. We discuss her journey navigating her life after a TBI including parenting, working, and carrying on with the hobbies she enjoys.  We also talk about how she advocated for herself, and the cyclical nature of recovering from a TBI.  Enjoy!

Episode 63 - Jack Fletcher

In the summer of 2014, Jack was fresh out of high school and getting started on a fast track to become a paramedic firefighter. He was six weeks into the program when he headed toward home for a surprise visit. He was about halfway when he was struck head on by a drunk driver on Mt hood. He was in a five day coma, suffered a shattered face, radius, two amputated fingers on his right hand, lost vision in one eye, and his sense of smell. He was great to chat with. I hope you enjoy! Check a beautiful video detailing the story of his accident here: https://youtu.be/2y7_yYmy2P8 [https://youtu.be/2y7_yYmy2P8]