Life after TBI

Twenty-four years ago today, which happens to be national Brain Injury Awareness Day, the teenage grandson of Robert and Lue Chadwell was featured in the Burleson Star.

The press coverage wasn’t because Jeremy St. John had scored points in a big game or participated in a church youth mission trip.

It was because he had sustained a serious head injury and nearly died while car surfing with friends at age 16.

Jeremy, who lived in Godley at the time he was thrown from the top of a car at 50 miles per hour, was the subject of an article in the Burleson newspaper because he had spoken to local students about the dangers of such risky behaviors. He was Exhibit A.

Jeremy is now 42 and lives in a Pecan Valley MHMR facility in Stephen-ville.

His grandparents and mother Jenny Davenport hope to start a local support group for those dealing with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

They also dream of ultimately opening a home in Hood County where people under 50 who have traumatic brain injuries and are too young for nursing home care can have a productive life that includes work and social interaction.

The first Brain Injury Awareness support group meeting is planned for Thursday, March 28. It will be at 6:30 p.m. at Southside Baptist Church, located at 910 Paluxy Road.

Acton Baptist Church, where the Chadwells have long been members, also is a supporting church, Lue said.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, with activities planned at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. and other locations.

Although Jeremy nearly died that night and continues to suffer pain and physical disabilities that have confined him to a wheelchair, he has regained a considerable amount of mental acuity, which makes him a less-than-ideal fit for MHMR facilities, the Chadwells said.

Lue said doctors told the family that if Jeremy’s brain received stimulation, his mental sharpness would increase.

“We’ve seen him over the years improve little by little,” she said.

Robert said that his grandson is a fan of the 1989 television miniseries “Lonesome Dove” and can recite virtually every line from it.

The couple said that Jeremy was effected by post-traumatic dystonia, a muscle disorder that often occurs after a traumatic brain injury.

“The right side of his body is, you might say, paralyzed,” Robert said.

Lue said that Jeremy once lived in a facility in Abilene with several other young men who had traumatic brain injuries. Plans were made for the young men to work in a nursery but something happened to the government funding and Jeremy was sent back home.

“He wants a life,” she said. “He wants his rights, and I’m fighting for them.”

The Chadwells said that Congress recently passed legislation that furnishes additional funding for mainstream living for people like Jeremy who qualify.

“We don’t know all the details,” she said. “It just (recently) happened.”

Lue said that she and Robert met a nurse with the Center for Neuro Skills in Irving who has written a detailed guideline for how to establish a group home for survivors of traumatic brain injuries.

“She will be in on this,” Lue said of the family’s determination to establish such a facility in Hood County.

The Chadwells are hoping to connect with other local residents who are dealing with TBI. She and Robert can be reached at 817-408-5223.