TAP 242 - Justine Johnston Hemmestad On Recovering From A Traumatic Brain Injury

Summary: This week I chat with Justine regarding her amazing recover from a traumatic brain injury.  She talks about how she really used writing as a way to rebuild her confidence. Written by Justine: In 1990 (I was 19 and living in San Diego with my husband of three months) my car was hit by a city bus as I was driving home from work – I sustained a severe brain injury, I was resuscitated, in a coma, paralyzed, and the doctors thought I wouldn’t recover. Within a few months I was walking again and my husband and I moved to Iowa where we started our family of 7 kids (doctors also told us we would never have kids after my crash). After we moved I began writing to cope with my severe PTSD, and I began my story about Alexander the Great a few years later. In the mid 2000s I started college part-time – with my first course being world religions, which helped me understand Alexander’s motivations and was also therapeutic for my mind (I've felt that learning has been calming). I had become interested in Alexander’s story in the mid '90s after watching a documentary about him because I identified so much with his persistence and perseverance. I kept researching until I was able to integrate his soul into the story I had been working on. I continued college, earned my BLS from The University of Iowa, and I’m now working on a Master’s Degree in Literature through Northern Arizona University. Justine's book on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Justine-Johnston-Hemmestad/e/B01DHSLN0M/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1499782524&sr=8-3 In this episode you will learn: How Justine was involved in a car accident that put her in a coma How she exercises for 2 hours a day as part of her recovery How writing and journaling was something that really calmed her down How writing and learning gave her the courage to persevere How she's gone on to write and be part of 10 books She's now studying for her masters Links: Become an Anxiety Podcast supporter: https://patreon.com/anxietypodcast Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/timjpcollins?sub_confirmation=1 To get my Toolkit to Overcome Anxiety go to - http://timjpcollins.com/free In the USA text "LEANIN" to 44222