Surviving a Brain Injury: 20+ Years Later

JoshuaCraft

“From the outside looking in, nobody can tell that I had a head injury,” says Joshua Craft. “But there’s a fight I have with myself every day to make sure I’m doing the things I was trained to do.”

After sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI) 22 years ago, Joshua Craft has worked ceaselessly to manage his symptoms. And he credits Shepherd Center for starting his rehabilitation journey.

When Joshua was 16, he fell out of a truck while working a summer job, fracturing his skull. After stabilizing at a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, Joshua came to Shepherd Center. His first memory of Shepherd was July 4, 2003, when his therapists took him and other patients to the roof to watch fireworks over the city. 

While in the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program, Joshua completed physical, occupational, and speech therapy. After inpatient therapy, he moved on to Pathways. Throughout his time at Shepherd, peer support played a critical role in his recovery and inspired him to help other TBI survivors. 

“As I started getting better and improving, I wanted to help,” he says. “I wanted to be there for people. And that’s what I do now. I love to help people, whether I’m helping somebody whose home got damaged in a storm, or helping a fellow traumatic brain injury survivor.” 

After his discharge from Shepherd, his mom and aunt, a nurse and teacher, helped him navigate his needs at home. College proved to be a different experience. 

“I didn’t have anybody to advocate for me,” he remembers. “I had to make sure I was getting the accommodations I deserved, which is something I’ve told other TBI survivors — nobody is going to fight for you in college.” 

Joshua faced another challenge while in college: a cancer diagnosis. While his prognosis was good, he had to endure several rounds of chemotherapy, which gave him debilitating side effects. He says his TBI rehab prepared him for his battle with cancer. 

“Anytime I would get down about it, I’d tell myself, ‘This is nothing — you’ve slayed greater giants than cancer,’” he says. 

Joshua beat cancer and graduated from college, returning to his hometown to work for the local government. He still has lingering symptoms from his injury, both physical and mental. But he says he has the tools and mindset to navigate them, thanks partly to Shepherd Center. 

“Everything was right for me at the time [of my injury] — the stars lined up. Nobody else in the world could’ve given me better care or support than the ones that were there. I was very fortunate,” he says.

Written by Erin Kenney