If I only Had a Brain Injury (Paperback)

by Laura Bruno (Author)
Key Phrases: ruby slippers, behavioral optometrist, Lyme Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"If I Only Had a Brain Injury is a page-turner and a must-read. It is a testimony of the power of believing in oneself, a true survival story."
--Alina Oswald

"The 'Oz' analogy is something I had never thought of and it is perfect. ... The book will be a great resource. ... I especially like that you offer ways to deal with the emotional impact on survivors, friends and family members. Your book will be of great help to families. I see it all the time, people with TBI are looking for anything that will help, and conventional medicine can only do so much."
-----Karen Ruppert--Nurse Manager, trauma rehabilitation unit at Harborview Medical Center

Unlike other books on healing from so-called "Medical Mysteries," If I Only Had a Brain Injury encourages readers to chart their own inspirational journeys. The book's structure follows The Wizard of Oz storyline (Dorothy's journey begins with a concussion), guiding readers to a "yellow brick road through recovery." A collection of personal examples, alternative treatments and spiritual growth exercises, this book also offers wisdom from thirteen contributors, including Robin Cohn (Vice President of New York State Brain Injury Association), Dr. William Padula (Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association), Dana Reeve, and Kay Strom.

About the Author
After completing a Master's Degree in English at the University of Chicago, Laura Bruno spent two years in the corporate world. Just before her return to graduate school, she suffered a brain injury and could no longer read without debilitating migraine headaches. Years of misdiagnoses forced her to find alternative means of getting well. Now a writer and Intuitive Life Coach, Laura enjoys a full practice. From a woman once considered "permanently disabled," If I Only Had a Brain Injury is itself testament to the incredible resilience of human brain and spirit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation; First edition (March 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1436322464
• ISBN-13: 978-1436322461
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #402,693 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book for all!, May 13, 2008

By	Victoria Boutenko (Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Laura Bruno's book, If I Only Had a Brain Injury, is meant for people like herself who survived brain injury or similar conditions. Even though I never had a brain injury, I read this book with great interest. Laura uniquely organized her personal account of her injury using the Wizard of Oz story as a metaphor. Her striking sincerity together with her superb literary skill make this book into an inspirational journey. Dozens of practical helpful tips are included for brain injury survivors. In addition to her own case, the author included several testimonials from other survivors of traumatic experiences, some of them world renowned individuals. As a nutritionist myself I can testify that Laura's nutritional suggestions are well researched and represent the newest scientific discoveries in healthful living. This book will provide guidelines not only for persons recovering from brain injuries, but will help anyone turn difficult times into joyous living.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring and eye-opening read for patients and caregivers, alike, May 6, 2008

By	A. Oswald "A. N. Oswald" (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

TBI, FMS, CFS... For some of us, these are only random groups of letters. For others, they represent acronyms for "mysterious" diseases, conditions or syndromes. Sometimes, the way Traumatic Brain Injury, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome manifest in patients brings up more questions than answers; therefore, it's not uncommon for even medical practitioners to misdiagnose them.

But these "mysterious" conditions have the power to challenge and forever change the lives of those they touch.

TBI, FMS, CFS also Lyme disease and brain cancer affect many individuals, famous and not so famous, on a daily basis. These diseases, syndromes and conditions pertain to the life-challenging and life-threatening experiences that can turn individuals into surrenders or survivors.

For Laura Bruno, an intuitive life coach, Reiki Master Teacher and writer, her TBI diagnosis--the result of a seemingly insignificant car accident--changed her life from the path of achieving her doctoral degree and a successful career to the path of recovery. Laura Bruno's TBI diagnosis didn't only show her what's most important in life, but also helped her discover her own "yellow brick road" to recovery and to a relatively normal life.

Indeed, parallels to the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy's story are many and throughout the book. They help readers better understand Bruno's personal experience, the reasons behind her decisions dealing with complex issues like treatments and doctors, insurance and lawyers. In this sense, "If I Only Had a Brain Injury" is an inspiring, informative and educative read, and also a wonderful narrative. By sharing her story, Bruno opens the doors to the world of so-called mysterious conditions so many of us have to live with, sometimes misunderstood.

"If I Only Had a Brain Injury" gives readers a chance to better understand not only the syndromes and conditions, but also the persons behind the medical diagnosis, the very individuals having to live daily with these syndromes and conditions. And by doing so, the book represents an irreplaceable resource for patients, caregivers, families and friends and also medical practitioners.

The book is exceptionally well structured and organized, while easy to follow and understand. It offers an amazing number of personal stories and experiences, interviews with experts in the field, as well as useful sites, statistics and hands-on advice--given by professionals and also tested and tried by Bruno and other patients. "If I Only Had a Brain Injury" is a page-turner and a must-read. It is a testimony of the power of believing in oneself, a true survival story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource for Traumatic Brain Injuries, September 22, 2008

By	Sandy Rakowitz (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews

If I Only Had a Brain Injury is a delightful, powerful and highly informative book. Beautifully written, Laura Bruno draws upon her experiences with her own Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from a car accident. Her descriptions are vivid, deeply and personal. The book is very supportive and is an excellent resource for those dealing with Traumatic Brain Injuries and their caregivers. The book is also vitally important for those dealing with challenging and mysterious health issues like Chronic Fatigue, Lyme Disease and Migraines.

Bruno tells her own story while expertly weaving her insights within the context of the Wizard of Oz. I loved the humor, playfulness and utter seriousness in the book in the chapter titles and content. In the chapter, Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bruno states that her aim is, "...to inspire you and to guide you to resources that will empower you to take control over your own health and wellbeing."

Gradually after Bruno's own accident she began to realize that she had entered into a new land, and needed to learn anew. She recounts these realizations in the chapter, We're not in Kansas Anymore. Bruno says, " Like Dorothy, I knew I could not return the way I arrived. Like Dorothy, I eventually found my way "back home," but I took the Technicolor journey with me. I wrote this book to help others to do so, to."

And, like Dorothy following the yellow brick road to find her way back home to Kansas, the book emphasizes actions you can take in your recovery from the symptoms of these various illnesses that are so mysterious to the medical community. Bruno says in the chapter titled "Glinda," that "This chapter suggests ways to find the Glinda's along your journey...Even in the Wizard of Oz, Glinda prefers to help Dorothy help herself." She includes an excellent listing of resources to contact. For instance, she notes that you might want to contact a Behavioral optometrist that specializes in connections in mind, body and vision because "...a majority of people with neurological issues suffer from visual impairment. <and,> If you have any of the flowing symptoms, you may benefit from visual therapy or prism lenses: Concentration problems; Double vision; Headaches; Difficulty reading; Balance disorders; Clumsiness; Eyestrain; Intolerance of flickering lights; Intolerance to varied backgrounds; Panic Attacks; Easily becoming overwhelmed; Vertigo.

If I Only Had a Brain Injury is like a breath of fresh air as it offers hope where typically there is none. As Bruno notes, so many head injuries and their effects are not detected, diagnosed or treated. Many people are told that they do not show any medical evidence of a medical injury even though they are experiencing severe difficulties in daily functioning since the time of their accident or since the onset of their illness. And, even when a brain injury and trauma is recognized, there have been very limited resources to assist in continued rehabilitation.

My level of awareness about the nature of head injuries and its effects has risen dramatically from reading this book. This includes helping me to understand some of my own experiences from knocking my head with numerous falls off of horses, minor car accidents and some of my own hard to diagnose symptoms. I now keep this book by my bedside for personal quick reference and I also have a copy available in my office for those clients who have had head injuries.

If I only Had a Brain Injury is an excellent resource that I very highly recommend for anyone who has experienced a Traumatic Brain Injury as well as their family members, caregivers, medical professional and therapists. For anyone whose life has been touched in some manner with a Traumatic Brain Injury or by any illness that has been a medical mystery, this book will be of great value.