There are more than 5.3 million children and adults in the United States who are living with a permanent brain injury-related disability.
That’s one in every 60 people.
If you know someone who is living with brain injury – or if you have one yourself – you know that brain injury is not an event or an outcome. It’s the start of a misunderstood, misdiagnosed, underfunded neurological disease.
The #MoreThanMyBrainInjury campaign was developed to educate others about what it’s like to live with a brain injury. Their goals are:
- Increasing understanding of brain injury as a chronic condition
- Reducing the stigma associated with having a brain injury
- Showcasing the diversity of injury and the demographics of the community
- Improving care and support for individuals with brain injury and their families
An acquired brain injury (ABI) is an injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. Essentially, this type of brain injury is one that has occurred after birth. There are two types of acquired brain injury: traumatic and non-traumatic.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force or trauma. Traumatic impact injuries can be defined as closed (or non-penetrating) or open (penetrating).
Often – and somewhat confusingly – referred to as an acquired brain injury, a non-traumatic brain injury causes damage to the brain by internal factors, such as a lack of oxygen, exposure to toxins, pressure from a tumor, etc. To learn more about brain injury, click here.
