Customer Reviews

Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was cringing all the way through this book, horrified at the accidents and the run-around that the injured get in our pathetic excuse for a health care system. Mason doesn't go too much into neuroscientific details, but focuses instead on how the injury has affected the injured, their lives and livelihood, their friends and family, and how they have learned or failed to learn to live with their deficits. Each chapter is a biography. Some are hopeful, all are illuminating.
I hope this book helps to raise public awareness about what a desperate state we are in with regards to being able to provide cost-effective care and therapy for people with TBI. Hundreds of brain-injured soldiers are coming back from Iraq and will need help integrating back into society.
Brookhaven Hospital in Tulsa, where the author is based, offers care that is tailored to the needs of each individual. No two brain injuries are the same and no two roads to recovery take the same route. This type of treatment needs to be available at more facilities, and it needs to be available to everybody who needs it, not just the wealthy.
Read it, give it to a friend, wear a helmet.

This book was a very pleasant surprise and not at all what I had expected.

Thinking, even fearing, that this book might be an intense or even arduous exegesis of the neuroscience of brain injury, I found instead a series of captivating and absorbing dramas that opened for me a door into the not-often-seen difficult lives, debilitating circumstances, damaged brains, and inspirational hearts and souls of a number of victims of brain injury.

Mr. Mason, with the compassion and astute observation of a skilled case worker, relates story after story that are as captivating and inspiring as they are sobering and heartbreaking.

I felt like I met, came to know, even empathized with and admired, the involuntary stars of each tragedy. I was introduced to their loved ones, learned about their pasts and hometowns, was shown in dreadful detail their horrible accidents, and exposed to the myriad obstacles and difficulties to which these amazing people and their families are exposed each day.

I found myself cheering, with Mr. Mason, their victories, and joined him in a swelling admiration for their courage and spunk.

Along with these compelling stories is the fascinating and fantastic journey upon which Mr. Mason took me - a rollercoaster ride into the "the brain injury capital of the world" at a remarkable hospital thirty miles north of Baghdad on the grounds of Balad Air Base.

The picture Mr. Mason paints of the amazing skills of our military healthcare professionals in providing the best care in the world to brain injured military personnel, innocent civilians, or even enemy combatants, is as astonishing as it is wonderful.

In short, this fascinating and well-written book will open to many readers a world that they hopefully will never experience, illuminate paths that prayerfully they and their families will not have to walk, while inspiring us to appreciate and admire the courage and valor of the incredible people who make up each of the amazing "head cases."

Walt Larimore
Co-Author, His Brain, Her Brain

I loved this book and read it in one sitting. As the mom of a TBI victim, it was an eye opening book. I felt a little disheartened by the grim reality presented by the author (he is a little gloomy .. ) but I think the book will inspire me to continue to be "a squeaky wheel" on my daughter's behalf.

I have QUITE the head injury library at this point, and many are written by survivors or family members with or without the help of a "ghost writer" and i think this leads to some pretty questionable writing and some of them are really hard to get through. HEAD CASES is extremely well written, and was pleasure to read.

Mason opens our eyes to the realities of modern medicine, we learn that fixing the outside is often the simpler part of the equation. His insight & the passion he puts into each story makes for a captivating read. I walked away from this book realizing that unless we want to resign ourself to cities filed with "the walking dead" we must change the way society approaches Brain injury, this book is a call to arms, that's why I recommend you pass it along to friends & family-- or better yet have them buy their own & pass it on.

I confess...I skip the health section of Time Magazine and Newsweek. It's just not my thing. So when I started reading Mason's book on brain injuries, I didn't think I'd make it very far.

I was dead wrong.

This book wraps the reader in human drama while delving into the mysterious world of head trauma. It is fascinating because it is not just about science, but about people.

Head Cases is a great read -- not just for those into science and medicine, but for everyone.

This book is much more than informative, it brings to life the personal stories of each TBI victim it memorializes. Every individual account grips you and evokes a plethora of emotions. The author's scientifically enlightening and entertaining narratives leave you feeling a personal connection with the survivors. It is difficult to fathom the horrors some of these people have endured, but the author passionately and respectfully relays deeply personalized chronicles of their trials and tests, all while helping raise awareness of these types of catastrophic injuries. Injuries that could have easily happened to you or I or someone we love. Head Cases has given me a much better appreciation, and respect, for the fascinating machine inside my noggin. Though it has kind of made me want to go out and buy a helmet and a Volvo.

Definitely worth the read.

Head Cases is an entertaining and eye-opening account of brain injuries. Michael Paul Mason provides the horrific truths of treatment and care of traumatic brain injuries through insightful stories and brief lessons in neuroscience. Mason's simple, conversational style allows the reader to follow along in his work as a brain injury case manager jumping from city to city. Head Cases presents the grim reality of traumatic brain injury and does a great job of highlighting the fact that sufficient treatment options are almost nonexistent. Unlike many scientific accounts that are difficult to follow, Head Cases is written using conversational language that makes each story intriguing and makes it a difficult book to put down. With each story comes horrifying thoughts of just how delicate the human brain is and how easily just "a tap on the head" can affect any of us.

Head Cases introduces the reader to Michael Paul Mason, a brain injury case manager, and the stories of some of his clients. As a case manager, one of only dozens in his profession, Mason aids patients struggling with life after a brain injury when hospital resources and insurance have been depleted. He reveals that while ninety thousand victims require extended stay in a rehabilitation clinic, only a few thousand openings are available. Constantly traveling to new cases across the United States, Mason revisits cases through short stories of some of his most interesting experiences with traumatic brain injury, which include a woman who no longer has a memory and a man who can no longer cry. The reader enters into Mason's life at home (or lack their of) and how it has been affected by his work. His stories convey the hardships and frustrations of trying to live a normal life after a traumatic brain injury.

Style
Head Cases is presented in documentary like fashion. The reader is provided with the background of Mason's life and work, the life and stories of victims and their families, and the life of brain injury care takers. The book reads just as you may expect to see on the Discovery Channel. Mason presents the hard facts about insufficient health care for patients, how he finds and helps victims, the stories of the victims, and finally a short explanation of how the brain is being affected. However, Mason's plain diction and informal style make the book pleasant for anyone to read. The reader feels like he is tagging along as Mason travels from case to case.

The Stories of Injury
I was fascinated by each of the stories of traumatic brain injury and its aftermath. Each near death experience puts the reader on the edge of his seat, and leaves him fascinated by the aftermath. Mason does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the lives of the victims as they are now, then piecing together their life-changing, catastrophic events. Mason describes working with victims like Cheyenne Emerick. After being introduced to Cheyenne's new lifestyle of coping with seizures and poverty caused by his brain injury, the reader is taken back to the day when he endured his terrible snowboarding accident.

Life After Injury
In addition to the stories of brain injury, Mason provides accounts of life in rehabilitation clinics. I was interested to learn about the lives of the caretakers and the steps taken to ensure a patient's well being. Mason describes how arriving in a clinic puts the patient in "a completely different world without realizing it." Any "externality" can be a catalyst for unpredictable behavior to a brain injury victim. I was fascinated by the unorthodox mechanisms discovered, often through trial and error, to help a patient feel comfortable (for one patient, wearing raingear indoors).

Mechanisms of the Occurrences
I enjoyed Mason's brief explanations of what affects the aftermath had on the brain as well as his quick neuroanatomy lessons. In each case, Mason describes what part of the brain was affected, how it was affected, and how it in turn affected the body. The lessons are concise and informative to the reader without being overly scientific.

Quotes
"The severely brain injured are not getting the treatment they need - they're getting mistreated through neglect, misplacement, and isolation."

"... we both know that brain injuries cannot be managed any more than a thunderstorm can be managed. They can be endured, accepted, and integrated, but not managed."

"I will tell them the real scenario, the one that nobody else has explained to them, and I will sit and watch as their smiles collapse and their eyes lift to the ceiling and turn red."

Conclusion
Mason provides his experiences of witnessing the impacts brain injuries bring to the lives of their victims. His simple, documentary-like style makes Head Cases an enthralling and informative insight to brain injury. Mason provides interesting stories of cases, coping with the aftermath, and insight as to how the brain works. I highly recommend Head Cases for anyone seeking information about brain injury or just looking for an entertaining book. Sit back and let Michael Paul Mason regale you with his experiences, and you will be amazed by the delicacy and wonders of the human brain.

This is a frightening and sobering book, the kind you cannot put down at least till you reach the end of each chapter. Concisely written yet full of telling details,Michael takes us on his journey through the inadequacies of our ability to care for brain injured patients and he shares the saga of these survivors of TBI just when we are getting more by the thousands from Iraq. If we are going to appreciate the sacrifices of these soldiers and know what they need, and face, this book is a must read.

"Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath" comes through on all of its promises, telling the heartbreaking stories of brain injury survivors, describing the difficulties in finding adequate care and adjusting back to `life as usual.' The stories are told from the vantage point of a brain injury case manager who travels the country, meets with people on the receiving end of traumatic brain injuries, and acts as an advocate for their treatment and recovery. From the cases resulting from natural causes, to those caused by disastrous sports injuries, to the full recoveries, and the patients still toiling in the endless circles of confusion and pain: Michael Mason covers it all and opens your eyes to the daily reality of living with a traumatic brain injury.

Mason, a brain injury case manager, paints his life as a man who is forever in his car -- fighting constantly to get brain injury survivors into rehabilitation facilities capable of managing the catastrophic effects yielded by such injuries. "Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath" is an intimate look into the stories heard from the survivors and families of survivors outlining the utter lack of resources available and the hardships in obtaining care for a condition that affects 1.4 million USAmericans each year. The book tells the story of 12 brain injury survivors coming from all walks of life: athletes, children, and soldiers. Soon after beginning you'll see just how unforgiving brain injuries are as the survivors tell stories of severe epilepsy, unraveling families, and diminishing careers. And with each story bits of science are strewn about, mentioning the dangers of swelling in closed head injuries and describing the effects of axonal shearing. At the core, however, each story is a tragedy. Mr. Mason is careful to remind the reader that each survivor led a radically different life prior to their injury and feels stifled by the limitations placed upon them by their damaged brain.

Style:

The style of the book is nearly autobiographical. Mason tells not only the story from the vantage point of the survivor, but also offers up his own first-person encounters with (near) brain injury and his personal stories that attach him to the people he works with. The book is not written as a dry medical record; the subjects are people rather than patients and their tales are stories not medical charts filled with scientific jargon.

Examples and Opinions (spoiler alert):

The story of Mellissa Felteau was one that struck me as particularly extraordinary. Melissa suffered a traumatic brain injury after a winter car crash and, even after treatment, the former public relations director found herself unable to remember names or write complete sentences. The changes led a self-described "healthy northern girl" to withdraw from friendships and step down from her managerial position. However, in a moment of clarity Melissa realized that comparing herself to her preinjury self was not worthwhile and began focusing her energy on living with her deficits. Melissa slowly regained abilities to interact with friends and has even started research programs applying mindfulness-based therapy on brain injury survivors. Her successes reflect the necessity for brain injury survivors to accept a new view of life post-injury and while there will, invariably, need to be changes made to their lifestyles, functionality and success are viable options despite deficits caused by an injury.

Another story demonstrating the potential severity of a brain injury is that of Doug Bearden, who was convinced he was dead. The Bearden family noticed Doug had been acting strangely (olfactory hallucinations, confusion, etc) but let it go without much regard. Later, Doug went missing and was hospitalized after being found sleeping under bushes. It was determined that Doug was suffering from herpes encephalitis, a viral infection of the central nervous system usually caused by herpes simplex virus 1. The damage done by the infection to Doug's brain left him impulsive and overcome with the belief that he had died no matter how many times he was told otherwise. The bizarre effects of Doug's injury serve as an example of how varied and all encompassing the effects of traumatic brain injuries can be--a theme explored on several occasions throughout the book.

Access to Quality Care:

Another theme carried throughout the book is the difficulty survivors have procuring sufficient treatment for their injuries. It is brought to the reader's attention in nearly every chapter that not only is the recovery process long and arduous, but it is also incredibly expensive. It seems that an integral part of every story recounted is not only the fight to finance rehabilitation services, but also to merely gain access to suitable rehabilitation centers. Mason points out early on that over 90% of the beds at specialty brain injury rehabilitation centers are occupied at any time, further decreasing the chances of a survivor receiving the care they need. Also noted by Mason is that a traumatic brain injury will cost over four million dollars to treat over a lifetime, creating an enormous financial burden on the families of traumatic brain injury survivors.

Quotes from "Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath":

"Traumatic brain injury strikes with the concussive ferocity of a bomb; woe to those near its epicenter."

"We come to realize we are whole, no matter the deficits, and that there is more right with us than there is wrong. To really embrace that is transformative."

"Daniel's brain injury forced Shane to devote and inordinate amount of time challenging Nebraska's health and human services system. He likened it to taking on a full-time job on top of the one he already had..."

Summary:

In "Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath" Mason demonstrates an amazing ability to humanize the survivors of traumatic brain injuries and allow the reader to relate to people and their families who have suffered an innumerable loss, often with little assistance during the recovery process. He takes the stories that often go unheard and tells them eloquently, while simultaneously advocating for better treatment options to be made available to survivors of traumatic brain injury. I would recommend the book to anyone looking to be amazed by the complexity and fragility of the human mind (and doubly to anyone looking for inspiration to wear a helmet.)

I am into reading anything I can get my hands on about Traumatic Brain Injury. Approximately four years ago (Nov.'06) I received a very debilitating brain injury in an automobile wreck. While I have trouble walking, my mental state seems to not be bothered quite as much (Thank the heavens). I've read somewhere around sixty-three books on brain injury, even strokes. This book is one that I highly recommend. The cases in the book are very tragic. The outcomes, even more so. While the injured individuals could most likely run circles around me, it was very startling to hear about some of their actions.

Forgive me if it sounds terrible, but it really made me feel lucky that my case wasn't more severe. It has made me understand and even accept my situation better. It made me realize how important it is to ALWAYS look at the bright side of things.

This is one of those books, once you start a chapter... You have got to finish it before you can put it down! I think I finished it in 2 days (Which is pretty fast for me... Even before my injury;) My thanks to Michael Paul Mason for giving me the reason to look at my own situation a little differently, and not be so depressed about the changes, although negative, that have occured. It really brought me a whole new perspective of things. Thanks so much for that!!!