BRAINWAVES

Life with an invisible disability can be…extra. While everyone knows not to park in a disability parking spot, not everyone may realize a person who has survived brain injury may also need some gentle accommodation. That’s where the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower comes in.

“Life is what happens when you’re making other plans” is a sentiment Katherine Wolf, a speech pathologist, stroke survivor, and mother of two children, deeply understands.

The Brain Injury Association of Arizona sees the other half of the drowning statistics table: the children (and sometimes adults) who survive a drowning incident, technically known as nonfatal drowning victims.

Karen Heslop is a regular Camp Brain volunteer. She had her first summer there in 2018 and, except for a Covid hiatus, has returned every year since.

Eight years ago, Regan Irion’s mother, Shari, became a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, survivor when she was hit by a truck.

Vaping can be especially harmful to teens because the teenage brain is in the middle of creating new grey matter, synapses, and rewiring itself.

For Kelly Miller, who has a master’s degree in social work and whose background includes working in the child welfare and probation system in supervisory roles, including juvenile justice, becoming a brain injury professional is a bit of a surprise.