Comments from our panel members show that there is much debate over the words "successful" and "recovery." For those who equate "recovery" with "back to normal," the project participants agree that success eludes all but a very few lucky survivors. Also, they confirm our belief that recovering from a brain injury is a lifelong process.
Many of the panel members commented on the difficulty of defining "success." Here's what they said:
Every brain injury varies in the precise locations and severity of the damage to the survivor's brain. Since each part of the brain controls different functions, every survivor suffers a unique mix of impairments.
In addition, each survivor has a unique set of personal characteristics—such as intelligence, patience, perseverance, and self-control—that influence his recovery from a brain injury.
Consequently, only the survivor and caregiver can define a successful recovery. Even the survivor and caregiver may differ on definitions of success. A teenager may define success as getting back behind the wheel. His caregiver, however, may define success as the day her son recognizes that his limited attention span means he shouldn’t drive again.
Also, success changes over time. Initially, success may be opening your eyes or speaking for the first time. A few weeks or months later, success may be completing inpatient rehabilitation and returning home. Years later, success may be volunteering at the local animal shelter. The only common denominator is that every survivor—to continue growing— must have new goals to accomplish.
There is one certainty. A successful recovery is not a full recovery. Some extremely fortunate survivors make nearly total recoveries. They resume their lives—after perhaps some rehabilitation—with only subtle impairments. The vast majority of survivors are not so lucky. They spend the rest of their lives disabled—mildly, moderately, or severely.