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Brain Injury Association of Arizona Blog

Conquering the Mountain of Acquired Brain Injury: Laura Wagner’s Climb from Surviving to Thriving with ABI

By Christina Eichelkraut


Laura Wagner chased mountains. The adventurous young woman would select the next summit to conquer on her skis and mountain bike and then build her life around exploring every trail the mountain had to offer.

“Literally, I would find the next mountain I wanted to ski at, and I would apply for teaching jobs around that mountain,” Wagner said.

Then, in 2016, an internal acquired brain injury, or ABI, changed Wagner’s life forever. Suddenly, she was facing the most difficult challenge she had ever experienced, one that came from within her own body over which she had no control. But like every mountain that had come before, Wagner eventually learned to navigate the trails of a new normal.

Laura Wagner - Acquired Brain Injury Survivor

“The neurosurgeon who did my surgery told my parents that he didn’t want to,” Wagner said. “He was hoping that they wouldn’t have to go in and remove it because, as he said, the cavernous malformation was located in ‘God’s country.’ “

Conquering the Mountain of Acquired Brain Injury: Laura Wagner’s Climb from Surviving to Thriving with ABI

By Christina Eichelkraut


Laura Wagner chased mountains. The adventurous young woman would select the next summit to conquer on her skis and mountain bike and then build her life around exploring every trail the mountain had to offer.

“Literally, I would find the next mountain I wanted to ski at, and I would apply for teaching jobs around that mountain,” Wagner said.

Then, in 2016, an internal acquired brain injury, or ABI, changed Wagner’s life forever. Suddenly, she was facing the most difficult challenge she had ever experienced, one that came from within her own body over which she had no control. But like every mountain that had come before, Wagner eventually learned to navigate the trails of a new normal.

Laura Wagner - Chasing the Mountain of Survival Through Acquired Brain Injury

“The neurosurgeon who did my surgery told my parents that he didn’t want to,” Wagner said. “He was hoping that they wouldn’t have to go in and remove it because, as he said, the cavernous malformation was located in ‘God’s country.’ “

More Than Just Bad Headaches

Technically, Wagner’s story begins in 2016, when she learned about her cerebral cavernous malformation.

The extremely rare condition occurs when a cluster of thin-walled blood vessels causes a lesion in the brain. The lesion displaces the brain tissue around it, altering how blood flows to, from, and within the brain itself. The symptoms of a cerebral cavernous malformation can be extremely severe and include stroke, paralysis, seizures and even changes in a person’s vision and hearing.

For Wagner, however, the symptoms were far more subtle, though no less debilitating in terms of her everyday life. The problems began long before her diagnosis with what everyone – herself included – thought were terrible migraines.

“I started having headaches and odd memory issues a long time ago, but it really started at the end of 2016,” Wagner said.

By then, Wagner was suffering from what she said were “excruciating, just miserable” headaches.

Doctors were unable to help Wagner, chalking up the headaches as severe migraines. She kept going to the doctor but said that “every time, though, it was, ‘You have a bad migraine; here’s more pain medication.'”

The visits to doctors and clinics – and the medications – began to pile up.

“I cannot even tell you how many pain medications I was taking at that time,” said Wagner.

At the time, Wagner lived in Durango, Colorado. Things came to a head – literally – when she flew to Arizona to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Her parents had just moved to Arizona, and it was Wagner’s first time seeing their new home.

At least, that’s what Wagner has been told.

“I don’t remember that Thanksgiving,” Wagner said

What Wagner does know is that she ended up in urgent care on her first day in Arizona. After Thanksgiving, her brother drove her back home to Colorado, where she immediately ended up in a Durango urgent care. Eventually, Wagner’s brother got her settled into her bed at home, also making sure to watch the new puppy Wagner had recently adopted.

“He made sure my dog was taken care of, and he went home,” Wagner said.

But that night, Wagner’s brother got a call from her. She told him she had to go to the hospital immediately. Wagner said all she remembers is her brother walking into her house that night and stopping by his house to drop off her dog on the way to the hospital.

After that, nothing.

“And that’s when I pretty much blacked out,” Wagner said. “I was awake, walking, talking, everything, but I have no memory [of that time].”

The Durango hospital staff assessed that a brain scan was needed but didn’t have the necessary equipment. On top of that, Wagner also faced the hospital staff’s skepticism that something was seriously wrong.

“It took a while for them to believe me,” Wagner said. “Part of convincing them, though, was I couldn’t fill out my own paperwork. My brother said I was just staring at it.”

Fortunately, Wagner’s brother was able to fill out the forms. Eventually, Wagner was life-flighted to a hospital in Denver. Meanwhile, her parents were notified about what was going on.

“I have such an amazing family,” Wagner said. “Once they found out, they pretty much dropped everything and went straight to Sky Harbor, and they got on the first flight they could to Denver and got to the hospital.

In Denver, Wagner learned that her cavernous malformation was located at the base of the third spinal ventricle, in the hypothalamus area of her brain, where the pituitary gland is located. It was the worst possible version of already horrifying news.

“The neurosurgeon who did my surgery told my parents that he didn’t want to,” Wagner said. “He was hoping that they wouldn’t have to go in and remove it because, as he said, the cavernous malformation was located in ‘God’s country.'”

After ABI

But Wagner did need the surgery. Though neurosurgeons were able to remove the malformation, this wasn’t the end of Wagner’s brain injury journey. In fact, it was the beginning of a nearly year-long physical recovery.

By December 2016, Wagner was beginning a six-month stint in rehab. She graduated in June of 2017, returning to teaching elementary school two months later in August.

After a year and a half of teaching, however, it became clear Wagner couldn’t teach in a classroom any longer. It was a difficult realization to come to terms with; teaching was Wagner’s dream job. Like many teachers, it wasn’t a job to her, it was an impactful and fulfilling profession.

So, in 2019, Wagner moved to Arizona to live with her parents. Though deeply grateful for her loving and unfailingly supportive family – she says her parents are “just amazing people” – it was nevertheless a challenging situation for a young woman on the cusp of her adult life to grapple with.

“I was in my early 30s and all of a sudden I was living back home with my mom and dad in a place that I had never lived before,” Wagner said.

As is so common with survivors of brain injury, Wagner felt adrift.

“Because at that point I had no purpose,” Wagner said. “I had to retire at the age of 30. I was told I couldn’t do my job, I shouldn’t be doing my job and had to move in with my parents.”

Then her parents learned about the Brain Injury Association of Arizona and it’s Camp Brain program (though back then it was Camp Can Do). Wagner received a full sponsorship to attend the multi-day, overnight camp. The unique camp, located in northern Arizona, is fully accessible, so campers who use mobility devices or need other additional medical care can still participate in most camp activities, from hiking to horseback riding.

A Literally Life Changing Experience

For Wagner, Camp Brain was a wholly transformative experience.

“It literally changed everything in my life,” Wagner said.

At camp, Wagner met a woman who was a therapist at a rehabilitation clinic that served children. The two women hit if off and became friends. The therapist was excited to learn of Wagner’s experience as an elementary school teacher. Wagner, for her part, found a supportive and encouraging friend and mentor.

The clinic Wagner’s mentor worked at happened to be near Wagner’s home. Before long Wagner was helping to lead the horses at the clinic, eventually becoming one of the facility’s tutors. She also began another rehabilitation program through the Barrow Neurological Institute. And she began attending BIAAZ’s social events.

All of this played a vital role in Wagner’s journey of rediscovering her purpose and independence.

She was able to reconnect with her professional passion, find a supportive community and regain a sense of purpose and autonomy.

“The Brain Injury Association not only helped me find purpose in my professional life, but also in my personal life,” Wagner said.

Covid canceled Camp Brain for the next few years, but Wagner was able to return in 2024.

“Oh my gosh, it felt so good to be able to be back there,” Wagner said.

Hard Truths, Bright Hopes

For all her newfound happiness, however, Wagner is still very aware that her life is drastically different from many others.

“Brain injury, it is a hidden disability,” Wagner said. “People with brain injuries, they’re just looked over.”

Wagner found there are usually two extremes in terms of how she and other survivors of brain injury are treated by other people. They vacillate between invalidation or dismissiveness.

“We’re either looked at like we’re totally fine, and we should be able to do everything, or if we have a physical disability, too, it’s like, ‘Oh, the brain injury person,'” Wagner said. “They push us to the side. And that’s been a very difficult realization.”

This is just one of the reasons the community she’s fostered at BIAAZ is so important to Wagner.

“My closest friends nowadays are those with brain injuries,” Wagner said. “I feel the most at ease and accepted when I am with that group of friends.”

Today, Wagner still tutors, though not at the clinic. She is known for being a particularly welcoming and fun presence at many of BIAAZ’s social events.

Recently, a newcomer to the social events told Wagner that she was inspiring.

“It made me feel almost satisfied with who I am now,” Wagner said.

After a beat, laughing, she added, “Wow, that’s a new statement.”

Christina Eichelkraut is a recovering print journalist who founded Christina Copy Co. in 2011. When her keyboard isn’t clacking, she bakes complex artisan bread, nerds out on political science, uses her fountain pens to write to pen pals the world over, and reads long past her bedtime in a joyful disregard of her alleged adulthood. Christina earned her B.A. in Mass Communications with an emphasis in print journalism in 2006 from Franklin Pierce University.

ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA

The Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.

What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.

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