Traumatic Brain Injury affects millions of people, their family and caregivers. It disrupts lives, breaks up many marriages and puts a strain on relationships. The fact that many symptoms are behavioral, emotional, or cognitively based makes it difficult for the casual observer to be compassionate, and many times, TBI patients are wrongly accused of “being lazy, irresponsible, have lack of control, or just plain crazy.” TBI patients feel a sense of loss over their lives, and feel badly for the behavior that they have trouble controlling. Many are misdiagnosed, and suffer symptoms for years before proper treatment is provided. Others have trouble accessing resources, and get lost in the system, never fully able to take advantage of programs/assistance that is available to them due to the lack of advocacy.
If a patient doesn’t have close friends or family members to navigate the very limited resources that are currently available for Traumatic Brain Injury, they miss out on health care, daily support, and even basic care needs.
Traumatic Brain Injury is often invisible to the casual observer; but just because a person doesn’t show outward signs of a disability, doesn’t mean that he/she doesn’t suffer from it; and all the challenges that go with it.
Education and awareness is key to patients with TBI to find the compassion, tolerance, and assistance they need.
--Kimberly Carnevale
Hello. My name is Kimberly Carnevale. I am a person living with a traumatic brain injury. I have developed this page as a means to help others navigate the often frustrating world of traumatic brain injury.
If you have a question that isn't covered through these links, please feel free to contact me.
--Kimberly Carnevale
Founder, Canine and Abled, Inc.
