Dimensions
162 x 240 x 25mm
Brain surgery for illnesses like Matthew's carries with it the high risk of permanent damage. And a good proportion of trauma patients-those injured, like Sid, in accidents and fights-have non-fatal but disabling brain injuries. So in working its magic medicine has given rise to a new population. Those who would previously have died now live, in many cases a natural term, with complex neurological impairments. In the absence of adequate support as many as 80% of these survivors experience mental health problems, many are isolated and 70% are long term unemployed. The suicide rate for survivors is four times that of the general population.
After more than ten years working with brain injury survivors, I have learned both the joy and the horror of survival.
