After suffering a traumatic brain injury, Brett Becker faced a long recovery, but he just did
Brett Becker and his family were on a ski trip in Wisconsin, enjoying the remaining days of his college winter break. A freshman at Indiana University, Brett was studying biology, with hopes of one day becoming a doctor.
On January 4, 2016, a fun family vacation turned tragic. Brett went off a ski jump and overshot the landing area, falling sideways, landing on his head and shoulder, and breaking his clavicle. He was immediately transported to a local hospital, at one point requiring resuscitation. Brett spent one week in an intensive care unit (ICU) in Wausau, Wisconsin, and was then transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago where he spent another two weeks in the ICU.
Brett was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury that affected memory, comprehension, speaking, mobility, and activities of daily living. Within a few weeks, Brett was able to communicate by moving his eyes in response to “yes” and “no” questions from family and therapists.
Brett received daily speech therapy which consisted of auditory comprehension. This included answering questions, listening and reading news articles, and using a calendar and clock to determine orientation. Brett whispered his first spoken words on. Within the next month, he was speaking extensively.
“Brett’s most surprising gain came during a music therapy session,” said Peggy, Brett’s mom. “All of a sudden, he started singing along to a song, belting out the words.”
Throughout the rehabilitation, Brett wanted to be independent and walk and he worked hard toward his goal of returning to college. By the time he left for outpatient therapy, he moved with a walker. Yet, he still struggled with memory.
“It was like being a new baby,” Brett said. “It was a new day every single day.” As he focused on improving, his parents weren’t surprised. “Brett’s always had that determination,” Bryan, Brett’s dad said. “He always believes that he can do it.”
Laura Kinsey, a speech-language pathologist encouraged him to try classes at a community college to ease him into school and temper his expectations. Becker took an introductory course in sociology last fall and received an A. That success encouraged him to take two classes in the following semester.
Not even two years after his accident, Brett returned to Indiana University and took three courses: yoga, ecology, and sign language. He considered becoming a physical therapist.
“It’s been challenging because it is just me … no one else is here to help me. But at the same time, it is awesome,” Brett said. “I can handle anything.”
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/pJlEwRPrI04
- https://www.today.com/health/man-who-suffered-brain-injury-beats-odds-returns-college-t116053
- https://www.sralab.org/articles/patient-story/brain-injury/back-college-after-traumatic-brain-injury
- https://readloud.net/
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