Rebooting My Brain: How a Freak Aneurysm Reframed My Life

by Maria Ross

Rebooting My Brain is the true story of what happens when you get yanked out of your life by a crisis -- and have to get back on the ride all over again. With refreshing candor, Maria Ross shares how the relentless pace of her life came to a screeching halt when an undetected brain aneurysm ruptured and nearly killed her. Along her stubborn road back to health, her resulting cognitive and emotional challenges forced her -- sometimes kicking and screaming -- to reframe her life, her work and her identity. With humor and heart, Ross shares what it was like being blind for six weeks, how a NY Jets quarterback and online word puzzles played a role in getting her edge back and why a handmade necklace helped her regain her sense of self. Ross reveals the keys to her extraordinary comeback and how her perspective is forever changed, in many ways for the better. Funny, touching and real, this book not only shares an inspirational story of transformation but enlightens readers about the surprising effects of brain injury… and explores the question, “How do our brains define who we are?”

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Medical, Biography, Neuroscience, Health

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Maria Ross is a brand strategist, speaker and author who believes cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive. She is the founder of Red Slice, a consultancy that advises entrepreneurs and fast-growth businesses on how to build an irresistible brand story and authentically connect with customers. Maria is a keynote speaker who regularly speaks to audiences on crafting an engaging brand story that drives growth and impact. She is the author of The Empathy Edge, Branding Basics for Small Business and the Juicy Guides ebook series for entrepreneurs.

Maria started her career as a change management consultant at Accenture and went on to build marketing and brand strategies for companies such as Discovery Communications, Monster.com, BusinessObjects (now SAP), and several technology start-ups, before starting her own business. As a brand strategist, she has worked with brands such as Microsoft, Dropbox, Alteryx, Talemetry and GSK, as well as entrepreneurs and smaller niche industry leaders. Maria has been featured in and written for numerous media, including MSNBC, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur.com, Huffington Post, and Forbes.com.

Maria understands the power of empathy at both a brand and personal level: in 2008, six months after launching her business, a ruptured brain aneurysm almost killed her. Her humorous and heartfelt memoir about surviving this health crisis, Rebooting My Brain, has received worldwide praise. Maria uses this experience to be a voice for brain injury survivors and has shared her story to educate and inspire attendees at medical, business and women's conferences.

Maria lives with her husband, young son, and precocious black lab mutt in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for anyone with a brain injury, not just an aneurysm. It tells how difficult it can be to survive a rupture and how to get your life back. Maria went through many ups and downs. What drew me to this book is our family history of aneurysms. We have had 6 members of our family with them. I was very fortunate that mine was found before it ruptured. Not all of our family has been so lucky!

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought back memories for me, both good and bad, of my own experience of sub-arachnoid haemorrhage two years ago. Like the author, I'm lucky to be alive and back at work, and lucky to have a supportive husband (and two rescue dogs). It reminded me, when she refers to health insurance, that I'm also lucky to live in a country with a national health service. I would recommend this book to anyone with a friend or relative who is going through this experience.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspirational and factual non-fiction story about a woman in her 30s who reframes her life after a brain aneurysm. Easy read and very informative for both patient and family to better understand what happens when someone suffers a brain injury - the event, medical care, recovery, references, support groups and websites. Definitely worth reading.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a free Kindle download from Amazon. It started out great, a real page turner. But it bogged down after the initial life changing frenzy of the aneurysm. I lost interest about 2/3 of the way through the book.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Amazing Book about Surviving "Annie"

OMG!! As an aneurism survivor, THIS is the book I have been waiting for! If you have had a rupture and have recovered sufficiently to be able to read (or as in my case, listen), get Maria Ross' fine book and a box of tissues. After you dry your eyes, share it with those around you. If you are not the “lucky” one in 3,000 who has suffered an aneurism (or “annie” in survivor-speak), but know someone with a brain injury, you should also read it. Frustrated with a survivor's behavioral changes? You absolutely need to READ this book. Rebooting My Brain is an extended public service announcement describing and explaining the major life changes of survivors of brain injury, especially for those of us who have suffered an aneurism a.k.a. hemorragic stroke: a ruptured blood vessel that bleeds into the brain.

Ms. Ross articulately describes the physical, emotional, cognitive and metaphysical changes brought on by a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and not just by a ruptured aneurism. Although the author apologizes for her extended meditations on the brain and the self, these were amazing “aha!” moments for me. Clearly, I am not the only one to have thought about how my injury has changed me and what that means to those who know and love me. I want to buy Ms. Ross a cup of decaffinated coffee and spend an afternoon in deep conversation about these things, as well as survivor guilt, depression and compensatory strategies. Annie survivors active in both brick-and-mortar as well as social media groups, could do worse than using Rebooting My Brain as the source of fruitful and illuminating discussions. We survivors are two-thirds there: we GET that no one understands our challenges like another survivor. But, oh, to have the language ~ a challenge for so many of us left with word-finding issues! A treasure! A road map! A BFF! Someone who gets why we behave as we do.

I know that there are folks, certainly some in my world, that say the book gives us annie survivors and other TBIs an excuse for any number of things that might be ascribed to old age, laziness, malingering, anything other than our injury. Ms. Ross addresses this head-on, so to speak. It doesn't really matter. This is who the survivor is, RIGHT NOW. While it may or may not be brain damage that causes a survivor's behavioral changes, it is NOT a leaky sink that is now repaired. Particularly for those of us blessed with no observable physical symptoms, we are inherently different, either due to our brush with death or brain bleed or some other unknown reason. Deal with it. And give us the respect of acknowledging that this difference, even if not obvious from the outside, is a huge screaming chasm for us survivors between “then” and “now.” I am, indeed, Dee v2.0 and that is my reality.

A fabulous resource.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of this book and asked to review it. Because it was such a unique topic and one I was very interested in, I read it pretty quickly. I didn't know a whole lot about aneurysms but from what I knew of them, I thought they were pretty much debilitating and were nearly impossible to recover from.

I was surprised by this author's candor and ability to share her journey so openly. She welcomes in to her life, both pre and post aneurysm and walks us through what she felt like. I felt most connected to her when she was talking about what her work life was like after. As a small business owner myself, this is one of my worst nightmares... what happens if something happens to me? What about my family? How will they deal with that? How will I?

I like that she doesn't have all the answers. I like that she got angry. I like that she got sad. I like that she got frustrated. What I liked the most is that she was able to find her way back. Maybe not exactly where she left off, but to a new life. To a new path. I think that's a testament to who she is and who she is to become. My hats off to her.

The book is well edited and formatted. A dream for someone that reads a lot of self-published works. I wish all were as well done.

My only reservation is that I felt we were missing some hole in her story. I don't really know what that hole is or what part of her life, but there did appear to be some gap there. It doesn't take away from the story and, of course, it may be that she chose to leave it out. Not entirely helpful since I can't place it, but it still nags me a bit.

Overall, this is a great book. I love memoirs and they are my favorite genre. This one did not disappoint, but also gave me a lot insight into something I didn't know a whole lot about. I liked that she was able to entertain while informing. Well done, indeed.

Recommended for anyone that likes memoirs and those who want to learn something about brain injuries.

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

On August 4, 2008 Maria Ross suffered a critical and nearly deadly aneurysm. With things being in the right place at the right time, etc. she was able to make an incredible recovery whereas many other people haven't, at least not to the degree that she has. She credits her husband, their insurance (Microsoft), living location, and friends and family for tremendous support, all of which were crucial.

I have never had a brain injury, but I have been through a life changing injury in the form of a spinal cord injury. Surprisingly enough I could relate to a lot of what she wrote about even though our stories are completely different. I don't have the support, insurance, etc. that she did, and my life didn't get back to "normal." Hers didn't either, but we both created new and different ways of working with what we were both left with.

Like her, I was determined to get better and was in denial for a very long time. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, and God knows she did much better at accepting her circumstances than I did. At least I came around…

It is a remarkable story of recovery against all odds, and while some of the medical stuff lost me, her wit and sarcasm got a little old at times. She prided herself on being a type A personality, and never let you forget that she was a redheaded Italian. I don't feel that these had much to do with the story, but I think she has done a good service for people who have been through brain injuries and/or anyone who knows someone who has.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading narratives or explanations of personal healing, I treat texts as if I were in conversation with the author. Throughout my first time with this book, I slowed down to write my own reflections and then questions for the author: How has your work as an actress been enhanced or harmed by this? Do you have moments when you freeze? How do you deal with scattered ideas or incoherent days? I do not ask existential questions like "Why?" as so many advise me to do. Instead, I "let" the others share their stories as they wish, focusing on the types of questions that they need to address. I appreciated Ross's honesty. She shares pain and frustration, and then she provides real-life examples we can relate to even if we have not directly enacted them. In terms of the book's layout, I admire her thorough explanations of not only her personal experiences but also of medical terms. She provides a list of terms for us all to learn and use in (hopefully) meaningful dialogue. For too long we were taught to not talk about mental challenges that come with trauma of any form. For too long we have been afraid to seem rude or intrusive because we have not learned ways of communicating about delicate subjects. Well, this book is one of many which can help us begin such conversations. Neither defeatist or maudlin in tone, Ross's story is refreshing. Should I have the opportunity to meet her or hear her speak, I look forward to asking her questions in person.

[Jennifer D. Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly-readable and engaging book about the after-effects of a brain injury--a brain injury that is completely unexpected for a healthy, young, fit, energetic woman who is not engaged in a risky activity (like motorcycling) or is not involved in a car accident. In other words, it could happen to any of us or to our loved ones, and this book will be a gift to those who are seeking understanding about the bewildering behaviors and challenges that can result from head injuries. I think this book might also be a great source of inspiration for those who are struggling. I was so glad that the author mentioned the number of veterans who are returning from combat regions with head injuries, because I think there's a dearth of understanding out there for these men and women who will face such a tough time integrating back into society. I can't imagine how the author managed to write this book so soon after her aneurysm (how can someone with a brain injury even spell "aneurysm?"--I have to look it up every time!). Hats off to her (but, as she says, keep those bicycle helmets on!).

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and inspiring read. Maria speaks honestly and with alot of humour and insight into her struggle to face an uncertain future following a sudden brain aneurysm that left her cognitively impaired and (for a short while) blind.

What I got most out of this book was hearing about her struggle to let go of her "old me" and embrace the "new me" with all it's (brain injury) limitations, and the freedom this gave her.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting & very honest book about the aftermath of a brain aneurysm. At times, a little grating, but the victim's husband deserves all the credit for putting their life back together.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring must read for anyone who has experienced a brain trauma or specifically a sub-arachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), be it themselves or someone close to them. Maria writes a very practical, non-sensational and well-articulated account of her experience. She explains particularly well the concept of how we seamlessly race ahead with our lives until boom, tragedy strikes and suddenly your perspective is changed forever, if you have the luck to survive with your conscious brain intact. One often hears that those whose life expectancy is threatened or reduced, suddenly desire to work through a bucket list of extreme activities. Maria explains that for her it was the opposite, she found a greater appreciation through being ‘more present’ in the normal day to day activities of life. There is nothing like facing your own mortality to bring you into the present.

She also gives great insight into the recovery process and how the simplest of activities like walking, talking or being in a busy environment (airport, shopping center) can be draining as the broken brain works harder during physical or visual stimulation. Maria is quite obviously a highly active person and a high achiever prior to her SAH. Afterwards she struggles with patience and acceptance as she re-adjusts the volume of her life to fit with her new self. This is a very real struggle for recovery from many types of illness or trauma, so in that sense, this book can be appreciated by a broader audience.

I love the way Maria calls the neuro-surgeons “brain Ninja’s” as they absolutely are just that! Maria really takes you on her journey in this book, you almost feel you’ve chatted to her by the end, rather than read her story. Read it, its great.

[Beverly Drucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this Book only by Chance

My husband downloaded this book. At 76 years
Old he was taking another look at his brain damage
From a stroke with a brain bleed at age 46 and another in his early 50's. Like Maria he was a medical miracle that he was alive. Through the years many, many Dr's would look at his brain scans and the huge part of his brain that was affected and be sure this person was not alive or very seriously disabled. They couldn't believe that the man standing in front of them and carrying on the conversation belonged to these scans.
Yes he had cognitive issues and had to Leave his complex career.
In his 70's the cognition was getting worse. I would be on his case that he had to try harder. His frustration through the years and the issues were much like Maria's and I would surmise people reading this book has some kind of connection to brain damage.
Through all of these years I was watching for neurological symptoms. I felt like I was a Neurologist.
Don't waste your time doing what I've been doing and waiting for the "shoe to drop"
He never read this book.
2 months ago he passed away having nothing to do with Neurological. With no warning and no past history he got
t sick, had surgery and never made it out of ICU.
Maybe those who have had brain damage or their spouse may understand that I feel relief. We all suffered for only 10 days and never had to deal with another stroke. Am I grieving horribly, yes.
I guess what I'm saying is when you read this book hopefully you will relate in some way to make your life as good as you can . I honestly have no regrets and I would hope that Maria and Paul won't either.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick read. I only picked it up 3 times and it was done. It’s pretty straight to the point and while the topic could have been very emotionally engaging this book did not have a lot of emotion to it. With a few exceptions, Maria pretty much just tells the story as if she was talking about any other ordinary day. It is well written but without any unnecessary details which is why it’s a very quick read and emotionally detached. I love reading memoirs about amazing times in a person’s life. I like to be drawn in and personally engaged in what will happen to the person next. And while I rooted for Maria’s recovery I didn’t shed a tear or have more than a couple of laughs at what she was describing. She just didn’t get me hooked into her life.
The book was interesting and I appreciate her reason for writing it. I do think a lot of people with brain injuries or their families could benefit from this book. Her continued optimism throughout the book does make an impact but this was not the tear jerker memoir I was hoping for.

[Monica Tomasello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a memoir about Ms. Ross's remarkable recovery from an aneurysm that nearly took her life and should be a handbook for anyone who has ever had a brain injury. But it also resonated with me, an amputee and one who also had a close family member who suffered a brain injury. Truly anyone who has endured a life altering illness or injury can glean much from her experiences. I would also recommend it for anyone who has a friend or a family member who has/is going through a brain or traumatic injury as well as those in the medical field who deal with these patients.

Ms. Ross shares the medical details, but more importantly, the emotions she went through as a vibrant woman who has to relearn things we all take for granted and construct a new life based on the person she became-not better or worse, just different.

[Mandie Crago · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book!!!! I was born with a brain defect and I could relate so much to her story and struggles!!! I also have a shunt and was diagnosed with hydrocephalus......but I was diagnosed before birth.......She really made you feel her struggles and pain......she also made you really feel the feelings she had with all the people who helped her and everything g that was going on in her life.

[Tricia Canton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because I, myself, suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. However, what she experienced wasn’t even close to as severe as what I experienced. She was able to walk, work , and even travel abroad shortly afterwards. I lost interest when she said she went to a support group and said, “Some people, sadly, had walkers. I walk with the aid of a walker, but I’m so damn proud that I’m no longer in a wheelchair. I hoped this book would inspire me. It didn’t.

[Renee Hachey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout this book I found myself relating to the author on so many levels based on my own experience of sub-arachnoid haemorrhage in 2011. I re-read this book every year and have many pages marked that I re-read more often that really hit home for me. This book is a great page-turner for anyone who has undergone a brain injury or wants to understand more about brain injuries and their aftermath on those individuals who have undergone brain injuries and those closest to them.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably would rate between 3 and 4. Very interesting book, author was able to put into words the experience of an aneurysm. Would be very helpful to those who know someone with such a brain injury. And for anyone actually. Well done.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Inspiring to see how everything happened and she still managed to overcome all odds to live to tell the story

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Toni Wittus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit close to home. Glad I read it!

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not understand a lot of it. But what I did understand was very interesting. The begining was the best part but the end read more like a medical journal.

[Thomas Holbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning of the brain heals itself and the ways that process can be helped is an area that is of immense interest to me. Within the last fifteen years, brain injuries that were once thought to be permanent, particularly after a certain amount of time (typically a year) after the injury occurred, are now no longer seen as “hopeless” nor “permanent.” When this book was offered as a freebie for my e-Reader, I was eager to read it in hopes of learning more of the progress in how to treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). What I got in reading this was not instruction, but inspiration and hopefulness from the point of view of one who has suffered a TBI and has successfully “returned” to a life that is different from before her injury but one that is fulfilling and meaningful.
Maria Ross was a marketing consultant who, with her dedicated husband, Paul, relocated to Seattle from the San Francisco Bay area in hopes of being able to purchase a house. Both were successful, busy people who were able to obtain employment (he with Microsoft, she by developing her own Marketing and Branding business), made new friends (she was a HUGE extrovert) and established life in their new “hometown.” She was eager to become involved in the theatre scene of the Pacific Northwest and began auditioning for parts with local Seattle theatre troupes. In the summer of 2008, she auditioned for a part in one of her favorite play genres. As she concluded this reading, she was struck by a blinding pain in her head. After repeated doctor visits and treatments in the next two months that made the pain (mostly) go away she felt she was on the way to recovery. This changed on August 4th, when the aneurysm that was causing her pain burst. Fortunately, the day this occurred, her husband had decided to work from home, “in case I needed him.” The couple’s home was less than 5 miles from one of the best trauma centers in the nation and she received medical attention within ten minutes of her losing consciousness. She reports having no memory of what happened in the next month (her “recollections” of that time are actually reports of what others told her about this time period).
Over the next seven months, Ms. Ross worked with physical, occupational and speech therapists (those therapies and her hospital care were paid for by the wonderful insurance provided by Paul’s employer) and she diligently attended to the tasks assigned to her by those therapists. Her return to a somewhat different life within a year of her stroke is a tribute to: her health before this intracranial accident (she worked-out regularly), quality medical attention (for which she expressed great gratitude and ponders the need for similar availability to all), support from family and friends (many of whom flew from around the world to lend help to her and Paul), a pet (Eddie, a rescue dog who gave her unconditional love and acceptance ALWAYS) and a great deal of luck. Her life after the stroke was altered but not in a major way; she developed her business in a more concerted manner, she lives within the limits of her injury (e.g., crowds now cause her some anxiety, which she has learned to manage, she travels less due to her being more easily overwhelmed), but she has regained to about 99% of her pre-TBI functioning level.
I would recommend this book to victims of TBI’s and their caregivers. There is no medical information about treatment modalities, processes or interventions given in this book (those can be found, on a small level in Taylor’s My Stroke of Insight, and to a larger degree in Foer’s Moonwalking With Einstein, Boleyn-Fitzgerald’s Pictures of the Mind, or Doidge’s The Brain That Changes Itself to name but a few). While its content deals with matters of some complexity, there is nothing “adult” to be found in this book. The reader will find a memoir of a remarkable lady who, she feels, remains alive in hopes of helping others who have been likewise harmed.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, Maria's brain aneurysm date I'll remember as it happens to be my birthday. I like Maria and her magnificent taste in men certainly landed her what Americans call "a keeper". I was amazed as I read at how far she came in her recovery and it would only be weeks. I'm like her and very impatient so it must've seemed like forever but she amazed me with how quickly she progressed.
I've never been affected by brain injury myself and neither do I know anyone thus afflicted but I was surprised just how many people had been reading the reviews.
I'm a doggy person too so it was nice to read about her Eddie and how a dog will always keep you grounded. It was a testament to both Maria and her Paul that so many people flew straight out to be with them. They're obviously nice people and although she doesn't think she's anyone special there were a LOT of people that clearly did. It was interesting that her recovery was in many ways like attending her own funeral and learning just what people thought of her. She was so lucky it was the case-a whole 'perfect storm' of coincidences that means she survived this catastrophe.
I hate to say it but I did spot a couple of mistakes but really only a couple which also made the reading of Maria's story a pleasure.
I did find myself sobbing in places as well as laughing, I have to say. This is truly a "nice" book and nice is good.

[Louisa Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Rebooting my Brain" is very much like MY brain. Maria Ross had a brain aneurysm, and it "reframed [her] life". This story is so much like the story - and so very different - than anyone I've met recently who has also has a brain aneurysm.

Maria found out about what can cause or be a part of her rupture - she called it a migraine, and I think she now calls it a thunderclap, which is the very common description of that headache. On 4 August 2008 Maria was admitted to the emergency department, and was taken into surgery. Her husband, Paul, arranged a support group to look after her. It was touch-and-go about whether she would live or die. That is the real situation of many people with ruptured brain aneurysms.

There are short introductions to SAH (subarachnoid haemorrhage), coils, shunts and her brain's cognitive area which provide very important information for those who might not be aware of brain aneurysms. Maria talked about her physical therapy and brain recover - and how long it took. How anyone can cope with this recovery is very much dependent on who supports them, and Maria had a large group and a wonderful husband.

This book was so relevant for me, and was the start of my own life after my own operation on my own brain aneurysm (which was diagnosed, not ruptured).

[Carolyn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not phenomenal writing, I stayed very engaged with this title. Maria tells us of her near-death experience, including sharing her vulnerability such as dealing with survivor's guilt, the discomfort of having to ask for help, shifting roles within her marriage, and the brutal recognition that her survival and well-being lay much in the hands of excellent insurance coverage. While you would expect some cynicism as you read, I actually didn't experience that as much as I thought I would. Because she uses the fact that she received these gifts of excellent care from both her circle and her insurance to help "the rest of us". While it is a typical soul-searching "why was I spared?" story, she still imparts information that would be useful to anyone dealing with someone in a similar situation.

Additionally, I found her questioning quite thought-provoking. Are we who we are because of our brain? I liked how the subtitle links to reframing - a technique utilized often to help navigate big changes in life. Really a technique any of us can use at any time. Way to go Maria!

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me new respect for controlling blood pressure (glad I'm being consistent these days). It was well written - which made it easy to read, with simple story telling and touches of humor. When Maria suffered a terrible aneurism at the age of 35 - leaving her mostly blind for months, she was determined to regain her former life. Thanks to her very patient husband, family, and many friends, she fights to return to 'normalcy' which eventually emerges with a new definition.

One curiosity for me was that she never mentioned in the book whether she placed any of the blame on her personal physician who allowed her to monitor her own sky-rocketed blood pressure while she was suffering continuous migraines and bouts of vomiting, until eventually she woke up in a hospital, blind, after being in a coma for sometime. I kept wishing she'd toss in some comments about that mutual decision with her doctor early on.

Very interesting and educational reading.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read quite a few memoirs by or about people who had suffered from a stroke or other brain- trauma, but this book was different . Ms. Ross' effervescent personality somehow shines through the pages of this book even in the darkest moments of her story. She had a brain aneurysm in 2008 and very nearly died. Her recovery was arduous but remarkable. Through it all, she counted her blessings and appreciated all the help she received from her friends, family and the medical community. She wrote this book as a way to share what she learned during her recovery with others in similar situations who may not have been so fortunate to have the resources and support that she had. An amazing journey.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be biased after having an aneurysm but this was a very informative book and the personal details of Maria's daily struggles made it interesting. Maria's aneurysm caused a lot more problems for her but I am happy for her recovery. The chapters about her hospital stay especially resonated with me as I had hallucinations during the beginning of my recovery. Unfortunately, I transferred back to a hospital with a nursing staff less knowledgeable about brain injuries and/or trauma (long story) so I went home a little scared that I was going to live with these hallucinations. Thanks to Maria for sharing her story.