In our sports medicine class we had a women named Caroline Hansen come in and speak to us. When she was a senior at St. Francis High School she got into a bad car accident that resulted into a TBI, or traumatic brain injury. A TBI is a complex brain injury to the head that leaves lasting effects. A TBI could happen from many different reasons, but in Caroline’s case, it was a car accident. She was on the way to her friend’s house to grab dinner when a car behind her began to flash their headlights. Caroline said she didn’t want to move for the car, but she ended up moving into the next lane. At that exact moment the car behind her clipped her mini cooper and it went spinning into the middle divide. She then unbuckled her seat belt to call 911, and in the process got hit by an oncoming car. This is when she passed out and fell into a coma for 17 days.
When she woke up the doctor told her cerebellum and brain stem were damaged and it would be a long process to recovery. Not only did she loose her scholarships for D1 sports schools, but also some of her friends, life, laugh, emotions, and confidence. Once she was cleared to leave the hospital she needed to learn how to do simple life functions. She needed to learn how to eat, walk, jump, run, eat, talk, think, write, and speak. With intense therapy and family support she is now able to do all those functions. She said before she could laugh and spit out “witty comments” but is now not able to. Caroline has come a long way but still goes to weekly speech and physical therapy classes. She has high hopes in going to college and rowing for a crew team. Because she has a TBI she is not allowed to play contact sports so she wants to focus on crew.
this is me wearing protective gear. photo by julie johnson
food. by kelli johnson
This presentation made me think to myself how lucky I am with my health, but also how fast one’s life could change. Caroline was just driving to a friend’s house, like I do every week, and her whole life changed. I admire her strength and optimism in the healing process because I couldn’t imagine it being easy. It also had me appreciate my family more because like Caroline told us, they will always be there for me no matter what happens in my life. Not only did the presentation make me think about myself, it also allowed me to learn more about brain injuries and the lasting effects of them. From the car accident she injured her cerebellum and brain stem, and seeing the effects really put it into perspective. We have been learning about the brain and the different lobes and systems so talking to a real person that has been affected by it was truly remarkable.
my family. by kelli johnson
This will be a presentation I will cherish and never forget about.
sports med: from the mind of kelli johnson 
Great job Kelli. I really enjoyed your post and I agree completely with you that her story was so inspiring. The fact that she could still make jokes and make us all laugh really showed how strong she was. Keep up the good work!
Hi Kelli,
I really enjoyed your post and agree with you that Caroline’s determination is very inspiring! I think it put a lot of things into perspective for all of us. I’m glad you enjoyed the presentation and I look forward to your next post!