Ben Again: The Inspirational Memoir of a Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor
Biography & Memoir, Reference
| Author: | Ben Clench | ISBN: | 9781911586159 |
| Publisher: | United Authors | Publication: | January 17, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Unbound Digital | Language: | English |
| Author: | Ben Clench |
| ISBN: | 9781911586159 |
| Publisher: | United Authors |
| Publication: | January 17, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Unbound Digital |
| Language: | English |
Ben was only 27 when he and his girlfriend, Jazz, were hit by a car while on holiday in the Dominican Republic. Jazz was killed instantly. Ben suffered a severe head injury which left him in a coma and at the mercy of third-world hospital care. His family swung into action and, thanks to their persistence and the support of Ben’s £10 travel insurance policy, he eventually received good treatment and a few weeks later was flown back to the UK by private air ambulance. He was still in a coma and, the physical and mental prognosis was very uncertain. During a month in intensive care he slowly emerged from the coma - with no memory and little physical control or ability. Expectations for recovery were low, yet Ben, with the help of his family and friends, defied medical opinion and, within a few short months he was out of hospital and embarking on an intensive self-directed rehabilitation programme. Key milestones included going to the Glastonbury Festival six months after leaving intensive care, much to the dismay of the medical support team. A mere nine months after release from hospital, and less than a year out of intensive care, he was studying full-time for a Master’s degree, striving to regain his cognitive abilities with a view to resuming his career in international development. Ben Again tells the story of how Ben determinedly recovered from a near-vegetative and amnesiac state to regain his sense of self, pass a second Master’s, run a half-marathon and learn to live a normal life again. This book is unusual in that Ben’s story is told not only by himself, but through the contributions of 25 others.
Ben was only 27 when he and his girlfriend, Jazz, were hit by a car while on holiday in the Dominican Republic. Jazz was killed instantly. Ben suffered a severe head injury which left him in a coma and at the mercy of third-world hospital care. His family swung into action and, thanks to their persistence and the support of Ben’s £10 travel insurance policy, he eventually received good treatment and a few weeks later was flown back to the UK by private air ambulance. He was still in a coma and, the physical and mental prognosis was very uncertain. During a month in intensive care he slowly emerged from the coma - with no memory and little physical control or ability. Expectations for recovery were low, yet Ben, with the help of his family and friends, defied medical opinion and, within a few short months he was out of hospital and embarking on an intensive self-directed rehabilitation programme. Key milestones included going to the Glastonbury Festival six months after leaving intensive care, much to the dismay of the medical support team. A mere nine months after release from hospital, and less than a year out of intensive care, he was studying full-time for a Master’s degree, striving to regain his cognitive abilities with a view to resuming his career in international development. Ben Again tells the story of how Ben determinedly recovered from a near-vegetative and amnesiac state to regain his sense of self, pass a second Master’s, run a half-marathon and learn to live a normal life again. This book is unusual in that Ben’s story is told not only by himself, but through the contributions of 25 others.
