“This very engaging book, written by a high functioning survivor of a traumatic brain injury, gives an introspective and critical account of what it actually feels like to suffer a brain injury and ‘come through the other side.’ Christopher Yeoh integrates his phenomenological experience of brain injury with science, literature, autobiography, and philosophy, result- ing in an extremely readable account of his experience. It provides a real ‘insider’s view’ of brain injury not possible to capture in a purely academic textbook. For this reason, the book will be of huge importance not only to the individuals and their families affected by brain injury, but also the clini- cians involved in their care and rehabilitation.” – Rudi Coetzer, Consultant Neuropsychologist, North Wales Brain Injury Service, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB NHS Wales and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Neuropsychology, School of Psychology, Bangor University, UK “Christopher’s poignant narrative of his recovery and rehabilitation shows how personal characteristics and social resources interact to overcome the serious aftermath of severe traumatic brain injury. This is a balanced and insightful account of loss, challenge and triumph. He writes with humility and humour, whilst never masking the devastation the injury caused for him and his loved ones. Many inspiring books are written by survivors; A Different Perspective After Brain Injury will strike a chord with people grappling with changes to self in the context of any major life change. This is also an invaluable resource for clinicians, researchers and educators who seek a deeper understanding of the experience of brain injury.” – Professor Tamara Ownsworth, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Australia This page intentionally left blank A Different Perspective After Brain Injury While preparing for his travel adventures into a world he had yet to explore, Christopher Yeoh was involved in a road traffic accident and experienced something few others would be “privileged” to witness: eight days in a coma, more than a year in and out of hospital and a gradual reintroduction to the world of work. A Different Perspective After Brain Injury: A Tilted Point of View is writ- ten entirely by the survivor, providing an unusually introspective and criti- cal personal account of life following a serious blow to the head. It charts the initial insult, early rehabilitation, the development of understanding, the return of emotion, both moments of triumph and regression into depression, the exercise of reframing how a brain injury is perceived and the return to work. It also describes the mental adjustments of awareness and acceptance alongside the physical recovery process. Readily accessible to the general public, this book will also be of particu- lar interest to professionals involved in the care of those who have incurred significant brain injuries, brain injury survivors, their families and friends, and also those who fund and organise health and social care. It is hoped that the author’s account will provide a degree of understanding of what living with a hidden disability is really like. Christopher Yeoh is a holder of an LLB and LLM from the London School of Economics and practises securities law as a solicitor of England and Wales at a major global law firm. After his adventure he now runs a multi- award-winning food and travel blog at quieteating.com and is a featured photographer in the Telegraph and Sunday Times newspapers. Life after brain injury is not something less – just something different. After Brain Injury: Survivor Stories Series Editor: Barbara A. Wilson This new series of books is aimed at those who have suffered a brain injury and their families and carers. Each book focuses on a different condition, such as face blindness, amnesia and neglect, or diagnosis, such as encephalitis and locked-in syndrome, resulting from brain injury. Readers will learn about life before the brain injury, the early days of diagnosis, the effects of the brain injury, the process of reha- bilitation and life now. Alongside this personal perspective, professional commen- tary is also provided by a specialist in neuropsychological rehabilitation, making the books relevant for professionals working in rehabilitation such as psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and rehabili- tation doctors. They will also appeal to clinical psychology trainees and undergrad- uate and graduate students in neuropsychology, rehabilitation science and related courses who value the case study approach. With this series, we also hope to help expand awareness of brain injury and its consequences. The World Health Organisation has recently acknowledged the need to raise the profile of mental health issues (with the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013–20) and we believe there needs to be a similar focus on psychological, neuro- logical and behavioural issues caused by brain disorder, and a deeper understanding of the importance of rehabilitation support. Giving a voice to these survivors of brain injury is a step in the right direction. Published titles: Surviving Brain Damage After Assault From Vegetative State to Meaningful Life By Barbara A. Wilson, Samira Kashinath Dhamapurkar, and Anita Rose Life After Encephalitis A Narrative Approach By Ava Easton A Different Perspective After Brain Injury A Tilted Point of View By Christopher Yeoh A Different Perspective After Brain Injury A Tilted Point of View Christopher Yeoh First published 2018 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2018 Christopher Yeoh The right of Christopher Yeoh to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Names: Yeoh, Christopher, author. Title: A different perspective after brain injury: a tilted point of view / Christopher Yeoh. Description: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2018. | Series: After brain injury: survivor stories | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017004554 | ISBN 9781138055643 (hbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781138055650 (pbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315165783 (ebk) Subjects: LCSH: Yeoh, Christopher–Health. | Brain damage–Patients– Rehabilitation–Biography. | Head–Wounds and injuries–Patients–Biography. | People with disabilities–Biography. | Chronically ill–Social conditions. Classification: LCC RC387.5 .Y46 2018 | DDC 617.4/81044092 [B] –dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017004554 ISBN: 978-1-138-05564-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-05565-0 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-16578-3 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India For those without voices, my fellow traumatic brain injury survivors and their families. Never lose hope. This page intentionally left blank Contents Foreword xi Series foreword xiii Acknowledegments xv Preface xvi The start of the (almost) end 1 The most exciting day of my life 4 My boring history 10 The Wellington hospital 13 A second childhood 19 The wheelchair and me 23 Standing on two feet 28 Understanding and feeling 34 The Bleakness 42 Clothes make the man 46 A birthday in hospital 50 A tilted point of view 54 x Contents The assault on self 58 End of an era 62 The National Health Service 65 The death of ambition 69 Other people’s stories 72 The Oliver Zangwill Centre 76 The idealism of youth 82 The land of OZ 85 Perfectionism 89 The rainbow 92 The importance of semantics 98 The traumatic brain injury fraternity 103 A return to the institution 107 Writing 111 Excuses and choices 113 A constructive pastime 116 An (almost) new start 121 Epilogue 127 A little bit about the author 131 References 132 Further reading 133 Index 134 Foreword I first met Christopher when he was transferred from hospital in France to the Wellington Hospital in London, nearly three weeks after he had sus- tained multiple injuries, including a very severe traumatic brain injury, in a cycling accident. At that time, as a result of the brain injury, he was confused and did not know where he was or the date. He tended to get agitated on the ward, he had no insight into the fact that he was unable to stand without support, and thus needed a carer in his room at all times to prevent him getting out of bed and falling. He also needed tube-feeding, he was not yet continent, and he complained of double vision. His limbs, however, were strong. One to two weeks later, about four weeks after the injury, he became able to remember the date and where he was; he became less agitated and an MRI head scan showed changes consistent with a severe (Grade III) traumatic axonal injury. To a lay or uninformed reader, this medical information may seem at best irrelevant and at worst intrusive, and, for the neurologist, self-serving, emphasising the doctor's knowledge and the patient's current and future dependency, but this is not the intention. On the contrary, it is important to document the severity of the injury because this emphasises the remarkable nature of Christopher's rehabilitation. For the majority of people, with such insults to the brain and with “usual” care, their subsequent recovery would not be sufficient to enable a full-time return to their previous work.