How I Survived a Brain Injury | An Ordinary Life. | Only Human
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- Stefan Hadfield was described as a natural born leader enjoying his adventurous life until he was hit by a catastrophic accident while skiing, in 2007. The impact crushed his skull and left him fighting for his life, little aware that the massive brain injury he suffered would change his life forever. This documentary shows how he survived this brain injury . This is his inspiring and remarkable story. An Ordinary Life aims above all to highlight everything that is possible for people who live with a disability and to put the spotlight on individuals who have a unique, admirable, and inspiring attitude to life and the challenges they face.
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I’m 16 after my brain injury and I’m still learning still recovering I will never be the person I was before but I will be the very best I can be
Never give up no matter what opticals come your way!
@@unknownwords3121 ...great encouragement...I know you meant obstacles
@@1PlainOne ty and yes I did...stupid auto correct lol
@@unknownwords3121 Sweet of you to reply
As a stroke survivor I realize that even thought it has been 16 years little improvements in my thought processes still occur. Life is precious and be gentle to yourself.
No helmets?
What a wonderfully positive young man!
So fascinating! The human brain is incredible. I wonder if we will ever unlock the secrets of our brain? And I wonder how Stefan is these days in terms of recovery and life... This is a decade old!
I had rare subcharnoid haemorrhage largest breed no known cause. I’m with you Stefan ❤❤
Interesting and inspiring. Thank you for this . . .
Wow
Congratulations young man on being a miracle. I had a near fatal accident in 2001 and suffered the loss of my old life. Today I accept that I am not supposed to do the things I used to do with ease. I am just greatful to be alive and happy. Seems he has also learned to be happy to be alive. And the young lady is a true inspiration. She is a special person and he is lucky to have her support and his families too. Thank you for sharing his story.
....please wear a helmet when you are on the unicycle. 🙅♀️
Why don’t skiers wear helmets? They go at such high speeds! With all those rocks and trees around the head is so vulnerable when there is a fall!
Back in the day it was not cool to wear a helmet. Beanie and sunglasses were cool, even in a blizzard.
Nowadays almost everyone wears goggles and helmet, and it’s so much warmer and safer. . I don’t know how I used to ski with a beanie and my head freezing.
why would you bike/unicycle without a helmet after that?
🤔Crazy before crazy after.. Possibly high levels of toxoplasmosis,it's known to be present in large amounts in people prone to being attracted to extreme sports, dangerous on the edge activities
@@mikeroswell1512 It's an illness, not something you have high levels of! That's like saying he has high levels of pneumonia.
Oh my god, it brings me a little bit back to my accident in 2009. I was a sidecare racer in the oltimer races. My driver and I crashed (because of a material defect) with 190 km pro hour ( 118 miles)I was lanched with my head in to a pretty large tree and my helmet split in pieces. My husband was filming the race and when he was running towards me he could see my hair ( so damaged was the helmet) I was sooooooo lucky not to had brain damadge, but I broke my back at 2 places ( luckely I still can walk) I broke my left arm so bad they had to operate my arm and they placed a piece of metal and srews in my arm. I broke my right shoulderblade in 10 pieces. And that is one of the things I still got problems with. I can not raise my arm high and can't pick up heave stuff. I can use my arm like I have to put my elbow in my side and move my arm fort worth and than to the side. God did help me that day, because I was alive!!!! For the rest after the accident my whole body hurts the whole day because of muscles distrophia, it feels like I have muscle pain for 24 hours a day whole year. And I have pain attacts through out the day. But I take morfine and muscle relaxers and I have to control every step that I do every day. I have to plan, if I have a birthday party that I have to go too than I have to rest the day before and after. Spontaneous things is almost are a no no. But I'am soooo happy to be alive. It could have ended very bad. I just wanted to tell my story🙂
Traumatic Brain Injuries and their consequences are unique to each individual.
correct
The employer is a major airline seen on RUclips beating the hell out of their passengers. Those pax did not sign a contract saying the company was allowed to maim them for life like I had done with my union, and they did not deserve it. Employees are costs to be reduced so we deserve to be killed or maimed for life in order to be terminated and achieve the goal of reduced labor.
Helmets are so important.
I don't understand why someone would want to do sports without one. It's common sense 12:18
Besides warming past habits and lifestyle choices he needs to learn to wear a helmet even when I'm at unicycle
I wonder if the fact that his head was resting on snow diminished the brain inflammation.
I would say that between the couple hours that he spent being prepared at the crash site and the use of the ice mattress when he was in the hospital probably made some kind of difference. Especially the time he spent at the crash scene. It also probably helped a lot that forever reason he was extremely calm after the crash which would have kept all that broken shards of skull bone that was suck in his brain from moving around too much and not causing extra brain damage. But, I think definitely yes that the 2 hour delay of leaving the accident site helped reduce some brain damage.
The paramedics taking an 1 1/2 to prep him before moving him to the helicopter probably also had an affect on the damage that was done. Or I should say they probably avoided causing anymore damage by making sure he was completely stable at the moment before he was moved to the helicopter.
This good preparation of a patient at the scene makes a big difference for when they get to the hospital which gives the hospital the opportunity to get the best results with what they are given.
Such amazing recovery! The brain is so interesting. My mom had a massive aneurysm- massive brain bleed- of which they never figured out where the blood had come from- and a severe build up of fluid. They put her in a coma while they tried to figure out what was going on. They ended up drilling a hole in her skull and putting a tube to drain cerebral fluid and blood. When she was awake she was my mom but not my mom. It is so hard to explain. She was there for a month. She pulled the tube out of her brain at one point and they had to drill another hole and put a new tube. How that itself did not scramble her brain is a miracle itself. Finally they had to put in a brain shunt, to drain the excess fluid into her abdomen to release pressure. Etc etc etc the next day I saw her and she was my mom again. She was on medication for an infection for a month and quite sick from it. But she was driving again in no time and the doctors are still shocked that not only did she live but that there is no sign that it had even ever happened. It makes no sense. She should not be alive let alone 100% back to normal. And now to see how much trauma this mans brain had been through! And how far he has come. My heart my heart ✨💖✨
Mz Kittie BEAUTIFUL! So happy for her & your family❤
The brain such a complex thing im sorry your mum went through that I also have a shunt that drains fluid into my stomach had it since I was 18 for hydrocephalus
There's a difference between confidence and recklessness
You are probably right, he probably has adhd. I have it, it makes you seek thrills all if the time. I am not injured but my health precludes me from doing anything outrageous.
Fine line between confidence and recklessness.maybe they blend somewhat?
Baffles me that people sky off trail without helmets. If bikers,skiers and others that do sport without helmets visited a brain injury ward they'd change their approach fast.
I just recently slipped on some ice and got a concussion. I felt the pain of my brain having bounced around in my skull. But literally right after the accident I drove my car around all day. Almost like on auto pilot not believing I was actually hurt. But when I finally sat down to focus on anything I couldn't. Reading and screens were horribly irritating and made my head pound. Its been two weeks and I feel much better. Happy I was able to watch this lovely documentary. ❤
Ya, it's tricky when you hit your head because it doesn't always seem as severe as it is and it's hard to know whether you should go to the hospital or not.
Wow the strength in him! The biggest thing is his girlfriends strength to not abandon him and instead change her life to better his life. THAT is true dedicated love.
Survives a horrific head injury and then ride a unicycle without a helmet. I was cringing. Not worth putting his family through that again.
In re to Stefan's traumatic brain injury, his recovery is literally one in a million. What he's accomplished post-injury is amazing. That said, what wasn't addressed in the documentary is the challenges faced by family/caregivers when the patient assumes they are capable of more than what's realistic at that point of rehab.
Disagree, have you watched the Shanda hill story?
My brother suffered a severe head injury in a car crash. They said hed have the mentality of a 13yr old even thou he was 21. Said he would becer recover. Took awhile but hes back to his old self and even went on to get high distinctions in aircraft engineering. He smoked weed the whole time too.
He states theres still a part of his brain that is vulnerable, so why does he not wear a helmet when hes riding his unicycle, or climbing/doing other things that have the probability of injury? Hes come so far, why be so careless? A fall of that unicycle could have really done him in!
Head injuries are nasty. They effect so many aspects of someone's life. It takes a lot of time to relearn the simplest of life's tasks. This man is amazing! I wish him a continuous recovery and a wonderful future full of healing and living! 😎
This is one of those cases, that truly is a Miracle!!! I'm sooo Happy for his Parents & Loved ones, as this was not the case for My Son, Jeff who passed from a *Herniated Brain Stem following a Car Accident at age 20 years!! But that was 30 yrs.
ago and with Medical advances...
will come better outcomes and especially with Braun Injuries!
Blessings to all who are dealing with these Injuries ect....🤗👍💕😷
I bet his Guardian Angel worked overtime for this miracle !
Wow, she's so amazing to stick by him. What a jem! Amazing story, he's so brave and inspirational.
That's not "amazing", that's being a decent human being.
Gem...G-E-M
@@soleilgiese6913 it's pretty amazing, they were only together 6 months before. even if it's the obviously right thing to do, doesn't make it any less amazing
This guy is really lucky. The amazing person is his girlfriend for staying by him!
Lucky guy...also that he has a very caring (and pretty) girlfriend by his side. It also shows the incredible ability of the human brain to rewire itself to regain most functions that were lost. I hope he and her will stay together and he will further improve esp. when it comes to the seizures. He is an inspiration. He shows how important it is life to the fullest and be happy. I like that he enjoys nature as well as music and spending time with his girl. Focusing on what is really important.
He has a good support system. His girlfriend seems both realistic and very caring as well as his father. I think that is of key importance.
I snowboard every so often and it is fun. Last time though I took a pretty hard fall in part because I, I have to admit, am not very good/beginner level. Now even so I wasn't going too fast down the mountain, I lost my footing and fell hard on my back with my head hitting the very hard ice like a rubber band. For a few seconds I was out of it and it really took my breath away. It was definitely a learning experience and I learned first hand how important a good helmet is. Without it I think I would have had a serious concussion
Amazing handsome guy and beautiful girlfriend! I hope they make it together and have a happily ever after life. God bless you both. You are two special people.
WOW. This guy shouldn't even be living, let alone talking & walking. The human brain is truly a mysterious thing. I suffered brain damage after abusing benzodiazepines heavily. 5 years later, I'm only about 80% healed. Can't imagine trying to work through physical brain trauma. He definitely shouldn't be riding a unicycle on pavement with no helmet though :\
helmets should be mandatory for skiing and bike riding... 🛑 H E L M E T F I R S T
"I'm pretty serious too because I'm wearing orange and that's my favorite". Adorable!!
Reminds me of Phineas Gage. Except Gage came out of his accident mean and ornery. He was working on a railroad. A tamping iron went through his head- under his eye and out the top of his skull when he accidentally sparked some TNT and triggered a small explosion. When something like this happens to a person's brain, the resulting change in personality is heavily determined by what part of the brain is hit, it seems. Gage was hit from under his eye to the top of his skull and became cruel and irritable. Hadfield was slammed badly on the left side of his cranium and became childlike and innocent.
Such an amazing story...the brain is such a complex and crazy organ. Sometimes self healing, sometimes not...i love studying the brain and seeing and reading stories like these. He is an incredible person and I love the way this video was shot. Thank you for sharing such an inspiring and unique story. His gf is also an incredible person as well, unfortunately most women would have left especially having only dated for 6 months. I'm glad they found one another.
P.S. Orange is my absolute favorite color!
@christinastroup438 Where did you see the statistics that say that must woman leave in this situation?? Just bc you might think something is one way doesn't actually mean that the world is actually like that. It's also very easy for her to stay bc he woke up with a great personality and everything he tries to recover comes easy to him so he doesn't get frustrated often. He is also making an extremely quick recovery for the injury that he had. Add to it that he is staying with his father so she does have time away from the situation for at least sometime during the day and night.
So 2 things bother me about your statement. First, you can't compare her situation with other women's situations bc considering what happen, she has had it extremely easy by the luck of how his brain damage changed his personality to be very easy going without bitterness. Plus you can have cool conversations with him despite his brain injury so she wouldn't get that lonely feeling going through this.
Second, I just know that you just made up that fact about most women leaving in that situation just bc you feel like saying it. I highly, highly doubt that your statement is true. I think most women would stay but if the man is extremely bitter, violet, too much to handle, and is sucking the life out of you then you would have no choice but to leave.
But again, I think most women do stay. So please provide the source that told you that most women leave and it better be a good reputable source where the information came from. I could be wrong but I really think you just made that up and stated it as a fact just to exaggerate your respect for this girl. You can't just throw out false facts just to prove your point.
Orange is also my absolute favorite color too. I'm 54 and this is the first time I have ever heard anyone else say that orange was their favorite color and between you and him that two people right there. Kind of cool bc I always thought there might be something weird about myself bc I seemed to be the only person with orange as a favorite color. At least now I know there are other people too that love orange as much as I do.
Well done Stefan..a really inspirational story...I just wish Michael Schumacher could get back to this level of recovery..I will keep praying for a miracle...
I cannot believe this person survived. His dad is so calm an nurturing
I survived too ⭐ but I have problems .
I hope they get married one day.
I agree , they are so good for each other.
Was he cocky?
"Hello, hello girl" was too CUTE!😘
his girlfriend must be so proud of him!
Love his story! It helps to know that u re not alone!
After some Traumatas i was healing my Body , but the hard work was on the mind. I had Amnesia and had to learn even languages Again that i already knew.
Making RUclips Videos helps me to relearn languages i used to know and to help not only my patients but hopefully soon more people who re overweight as a physical therapist and a weight loss coach.
Hope this will inspire someone to start whatever they love doing!
Cheers from Germany
Congratulations on your recovery. Hope life holds fabulous joy for you.
Wow what an amazing person. Even now he is twice the man I am. I can't imagine before!
He’s really an inspiration good job Stephan you’re a miracle walking
Very inspiring! God bless you Stefan! Enjoy your life ❤️😀🙏🏽
And that's the power of Vegemite, folks!!! The doctors must have packed his skull with it.
What an incredible story! He seemed like a wonderful guy before and after the incident, very inspiring!!!
So amazing. I think he’s remembering things he used to do so quickly is muscle memory to a great degree. But I’m not a doctor 🤷♀️😎❤️🇺🇸
Good thing he completed his university degree before the accident.
Stephan got lucky. The Canadian Ski Patrol got to him. Then, Canadian doctors got to him. And he's tough as old boots.
An amazing story! No other comments? He's a lucky man. Lucky to have lived, lucky to have such an amazing family and girl friend. I smiled a lot watching this.
What an amazing man! What a great story. Wonderful father and girlfriend. He was very lucky...
Wow, I am happy and amazed that he made such an amazing recovery. He is also very lucky that accident didn't happen in some 3rd world country because he would have probably died before they could get him to a good hospital in another country. So many things just went right for him. Good luck Stefan and I hope you completely recover your memory.
I feel so bad for Stefan regarding driving, on the other hand I would not want to see him have a seizure while driving, I am sure the DMV has the same concerns.He will drive again when he is seizure free.
the only scary thing is imagine he remembers his crash all at once and has a seizure. this story is truly amazing. the fact he was able to ski again like it was nothing after losing almost one third of his brain is astonishing.
I hope this time around he will be careful what hills he chooses to ski down so this won’t happen again.
I opened my head from ear to ear when I was 15, not expected to recover- A long time in hospital- Like Stephan I went from VERY ACTIVE horses etc to being wrapped in Cotton wool- went Crazy. Had to go back to normal or go crazy. Never got my smell back and It wasn’t easy. I’m now 60. It certainly changed my life- but its been a great one.
I am a survivor of a traumatic brain injury. It's been months and I'm still not back to normal. But everyday is a struggle and I try . God bless this guy. God bless his girlfriend. I've been with my wife for 31 years and smmmuck by me through all of all of this, bless her heart I love her so much
I bet a poor person in the U.S would not get such treatment if they had the same injuries.
I had a moderate (?) TBI about 4 months ago, falling off a tall ladder at home, and had a miraculous recovery, the first month in an Intensive care hospital, then the next 2 months in a Rehab. hospital. Came home w/ about the only deficit being a slight double vision issue - correctable w/ glasses. Oh yeah, also tender ribs that I fractured, and pain in an arm that had a pre-existing "frozen shoulder". Out of an abundance of caution, I haven't resumed driving a car - yet. I live in the U.S. - and initially when I saw Stefan on the left seat of a car, I thought he was driving. (Wrong - our countries road laws and cars are on opposite sides). This video was interesting because I was watching him after his accident, doing somewhat dangerous climbing activities, while I wondered if my family was being far to not allow me onto a ladder again. I do ride a bicycle and will be driving as soon as my Neurologist says it's OK (up to the 6-month mark from seizure activity immediately after the fall). I live alone and am happy to be independent. It's currently Winter time, so on days it's too cold to ride a bicycle to the Store, I have to rely on my sister or an Uber.
I kept thinking of all the hours of therapy and the medical costs it took to get him where he is today and now he's back to hanging on to the side of a mountain.😮
Cudos to all doctors and paramedics
Boring
No comments. Interesting. I suppose its difficult to know what to say. Personally, for me it just confirms what an amazing piece of kit the human body is.
I had a brain disease called ME, myalgic encephalitis. The electrical pathways would break and i was incapable of doing certain things until they reconnected. It took 20 years from deteriorating to total incapasity, with many setbacks and lots of rest, to recover to almost full fitness physically and mentally.
In my book, I liken the brain to a living computer, defragging and reloading etc.
Although i wasn't and am not as smart as he was, I know this young man's new appreciation for life, his joy, his frustration. Our memories of ourselves as human, are but a small fraction of who we really are. Since my recovery I've opened my mind totally and found memories of previous lives and other dimensions, about my capabilities beyond this limited human form. Hopefully, he can do the same.
Pleasure to watch this and I wish him all the best. Please don't let him push his brain to recover too fast. The seizures are a reaction to that. Understandably those around him want this remarkable young man back but give him time.✌🏼🧡
Am I to understand that you no longer believe you are human? It's a puzzling thought.
@@foreversweet4146 My/our "divine spirit or character" lives in this human form, temporarily. Knowing this means I can't consider myself to be human.
What a great guy, good luck Stefan.Your girlfriend is a special person.
My best friend took a photo of me when I surprisingly survived “multiple organ shut down due to massive sepsis of unknown origin” in 2013. My sister is p*ssed because apparently I made her promise not to take any photos but I was hallucinating & dropping in & out of consciousness at that point so I don’t remember it. We took photos of all of us with dad when we sat vigil with him for 2 days at the end of his life. Dave shouldn’t feel too bad, I’m sure Stefan’s family appreciated the footage of what could have been their son’s last moments.
what an inspiration keep going your an earth Angel your time here is so valuable 💛
Gone through all that recovery just to ride a unicycle without a helmet. I would wrap him up in bubble wrap, LOL.
He has a brain injury dude,you obviously have never dealt with some who has TBI
Jada Lindsay
Lighten up dude, he made a remarkable recovery and living his best life. Just saying, I would want to keep him safe, in bubble wrap, is a bad thing. Smile and enjoy your day.
.Remarkable story! I think that what you ARE, is in your soul, not just your brain or cells or your DNA. But don't forget the people who love you! Without them, this poor man would NOT have come so far. Awesome story, and I hope he finds the rest of his life as exciting as the first part.
Send y’all the best ❤️❤️❤️
An amazing story. ♥
I could relate i have brain damage
Stay strong and don't let negative thoughts work on you 🌠🌷💜
Serious brain injury... rides unicycle without helmet 🤦🏼♀️
Dont insult him.
Take a shot everytime you see the word "Amazing" in the comments section.
Here's a shot for you, AMAZING😂
Its amazing how drunk I am
What an inspiring soul. The accident broke an already amazing person. But it rebuilt him in an even better way. He has retained his spirit and yet been liberated from the pressures of the ego.
Happy to take part. Happy to be there. Happy wearing orange.
Bloody love it. Great story and I’m so delighted his character was not affected by the accident.
His girlfriend is awesome, she's stuck with him from even not knowing if he can recover, you can read concern in her facial expressions but she truly does care about him. And she's gorgeous as well lol but the fact she has really stayed with him literally through it all is amazing. We need more people like her.
On the other side of things I can kinda relate to Steffen on wanting to be physically active, and even how he used to want to be the best.. But the differences are that rarely do I have friends acknowledge if I do something and really whenever I do something I do it with fear in mind.. Which I never did anything big stunt wise but I screwed up doing a ramp on the bicycle knowing that the probable outcome didn't look good.. Endured a pretty hard impact to the ground causingtemporary side effects but the stunt block is deep.. I'm glad that he doesn't have that but I hope he's mentally prepared for if it comes back to him while he's doing something... I forgot, when doing something you're typically not thinking about anything else and practically in a relaxed state. But if it were to come back at that time I hope he gathers his focus and safely gets to take a break from the activity and know that it doesn't change anything because he was fine moments before remembering. I don't mean to fear cast..
That sucks he has a disability. They suck there. Not fun. I have one too ugh💔😟😱😦
truly inspiring. thank you for sharing stefan's story.
Girlfriend is cute. His limitation in that race was that shitty bike. He was talking about that race and then pulled out that potato.
Pretty amazing! Well done! I imagine it also helped how well in shape you were when you got injured.. as well as how smart you were .. still seem very capable! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
What an outrageously impressive and miraculous recovery!! Don't look behind you, keep going forward! Don't let frustration rule over your joy. Keep that joy! Kudos to your girlfriend and father for their unwavering commitment.Continue to ROCK ON!!!
The human brain is quite the mystery.
As a kiwi I feel really ashamed that I didn't know who Stefan was. What an incredible bloke. An absolute inspiration. x
@Twinkedink What is a Kiwi? I only know it as a fruit. Is it someone from New Zealand and that how they are referred to???
@@katiekat4457 Yes, kiwi is what New Zealanders are usually called. kiwi is also a flightless, chonky bird...kiwifruit is what we call the fruit 😃
I find his personality to be so sweet
What an inspiration you are Stefan - as a man, as a person, as a spirit. BIG HUGS. I wish you the best and hope you realize you don't need to be anything more than you already are.
I 100 percent understand. My seizures are the same.
Shout out to him!!! Seizures and extreme head injuries are hell. But hes kicking its behind!!🙌🙌🙌
Such an amazing story.. Thank you for sharing it with us! Good luck Stefan, live a safe life!
So fortunate to have a faithful companion.
the most difficult part is the understanding of the people around you , not realising youare not the old person anymore that is the problem with tbi and cva patients but he worked hard amazing
For a lot of TBI patients depression sets in, a good clinic/rehab will constantly check in and evaluate their clients.
Stefan is an amazing man. Please continue treatment with Hyperbarick Oxygen Therapy, it is great for TBI and offers healing
I fail to understand when we take for granted, something that cannot be bought off a shelf, and play chicken, with objects, that literally, don't care if you can climb them or slide down them, and is shocked when outcomes like this happen and you have people asking you to take part in the activity, that literally has the power to take your life, and we jump and say yes, exactly when will this stop. There's fun and theres don't care, lets keep playing chicken! Hes blessed for his outcome, but it's a problem. We can donate organs, but if the spirit isn't around, that organ is of no use.
What a guy! So happy to see him coming back into himself :)
Outstanding ❤️
What an inspiring story, beautiful man, amazing loving girlfriend, parents and friends !!!
God was with him! I don't see how people can see things like this, and not believe? Stefan your a living miracle 10:41
Oh this looks like a cool video....54 FUCKING MINUTES, OH HELL NO
He reminds me of Frank Spencer I a sweet adorable kinda way. I wish him all the love happiness n health I the world. Xx
He is lucky he 2:08 no children. The recovery never ends. And he must be funded by someone. Like his parents. I used to a lot. I try to work then in a few months my brain gives up. And I quit and do it over snd over again.
Amazing story! More than inspiring. Thank you!
Way to go, Stefan! You are truly inspiring.