Poem: TBI Survivor

In 2022, Lynn Norcott was walking her daughter’s dogs when she had a terrible accident. She fell down eleven concrete steps, resulting in a severe traumatic brain injury (subdural and intracranial haematoma), fractured skull, broken cheekbone and nerve damage to her right leg.

Lynn was left with both receptive and expressive aphasia. Speech and memory have been a real challenge, and life has changed completely. Despite losing a lot of her independence, Lynn remains determined to do as much as she can with her ‘new normal’.

Lynn wrote this poem about survival and the importance of keeping going.

TBI Survivor

I actually survived something quite unbelievable,
Which I definitely find totally inconceivable.

Being outside my body and watching the ground,
‘The Warrior’ decided to turn-around.

I am grateful my toughness wanted me to live,
although I’m definitely not the same ‘me’ to give.

I struggle with things that used to be trouble-free,
and now are actually very difficult for me.

My memory tests me all of the time,
and yet the past I remember is often sublime!

My frustration and anger are hard to accept,
plus the effect on my loved ones who I should protect.

But other emotions really just aren’t there,
so often it appears that I simply don’t care.

My speech has improved and is often quite funny,
but to me I think that I am the dummy.

I swear like a trooper, so nothing new to report,
but it’s damaged brain with inappropriate retort.

Any socialisation does leave a great fear,
yet something I used to hold very dear.

With chatter and noise my brain just can’t cope,
but in spite of it all ‘The Warrior’ still hopes.

Surgery (x2) last year was hard to accept,
so ‘The Warrior’ appeared and is always adept…
at reminding me that since I’d survived something worse,
these operations were nothing, not even a curse.

The medics say that this is the new me,
but that sort of me is one I wish I could flee.

But, I need to accept my past life has been wavered,
and actually, life itself is what has been favoured.

It’s important to note that not all has been bad,
I became a ‘Ma’ last year to a beautiful little lad.

The baby arrived in August last year,
He’s one of the things that gives me reason to cheer.

So I continue to try my best to recover,
but I can’t do what I used to so I have to discover…
that in spite of ‘The Warrior’ trying all of the time,
the true thanks has to go to
‘those who are mine’.

Written with Indescribable thanks to those who put up with ‘the new me’ AKA ‘The Warrior’.