Making Headway is a podcast created by two brain injury survivors in the hope that it would help others in the process of recovery.
We are two good friends who happened to suffer from brain injuries within two years of one another. Was it coincidence? We’re not sure.
Though our injuries were very different, we found support in one another and hope to find ways to support others recovering from brain injuries. You are not alone on your journey.
Our Mission:
Share brain injury-related information from multiple viewpoints without judgement
Advocate for the brain injury community
Promote the open sharing of recovery journeys in the hope that it lends support to other survivors
My name is Eryn Martin.
I am a wife, dog mom, sister, friend, auntie, daughter and registered nurse. On May 11, 2020 I had the opportunity to travel into my mind, understanding truths about myself I never knew. This was the day that I experienced a spontaneous perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage. I have an excellent prognosis but experience cognitive changes in attention and cognitive fatigue.
Through my experience with brain injury, I have been working on self-compassion--a process of self-exploration, acknowledgement and acceptance of my story. I have always had a heart for others but rarely a heart for myself. I have been blessed with an opportunity to address my inner struggles and deal with them in a healthy, affirmative way. I continue to seek ways to improve and grow. I am inspired and honored to be able to join you in my journey and share resources. My brain injury has been transformative. If I can have a long-lasting impact on just one person (including myself), it will have been all worth it.
I’m Mariah Morgan.
On the morning of November 13, 2018, I looked both ways before crossing the street as I entered a pedestrian crosswalk on my two-block walk to work. My memory gets dodgy from here but my brain still holds a few snippets: a quarter of the way across the street I watched the fender of an SUV hit my knee, I slammed onto its hood, and then my head quickly hit the pavement. Hard. I was rushed to the hospital, put in a medically-induced coma, and, when I came to in the ICU at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, was told my 34-year-old body was not how I last remembered it. I’ll spare you the details of the insane list of diagnoses I was given- some knee, neck, and brain-related- but the most important one to know about is that I had an acute subdural hematoma.
I am a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, and a business owner. It has taken a long time to even begin to process the accident (and may take my whole life) but, looking at my life and how close I was to slipping away lends serious perspective. During the months after my accident, I struggled with feelings of loneliness and depression and did not realize at the time that they were direct results of my brain injury. If I can help others feel less alone during their recovery journey, I feel that some good will have come from the trauma that changed my life.
Want to tell your story?
Reach out to us with your brain injury story. We’d love to talk to you, whether you’re a survivor, a caretaker, or a medical professional who has insight to share with our community.
