Chesapeake, VA Camp Renews Positive Outlook for Traumatic Brain Injury Victims

• A woman, 37, was a teenager leaving her job at JC Penney when a driver ran a red light, forcing her head into the steering wheel.
• A man, age 23, was shaken as a baby.
• Another man, age 36, collided his Chevette head-on into a Chevy Impala, two weeks after getting his driver's license, putting him into a coma for 33 days.

A Chesapeake, Virginia (VA), camp, at its 28th year, offers adults with brain injuries challenging recreational programs that include archery, horseback-riding, canoeing, fishing, swimming, and high-ropes, according to the Virginian-Pilot.

All activities are supervised by counselors who are physical therapists. The camp teaches students how to keep the glass half full rather than half empty, and do the best they can with what they have got. 

Traumatic brain injury is a dangerous type of personal injury often caused by a severe blow to the head, damaging tissues or blood vessels, leading to physical and mental issues. Before going to the camp, one camper did not want to go anywhere or see people. People stared and teased. At the camp, everybody smiles, and likes everyone for who they are.

Traumatic brain injury is caused by car accidents, assaults, slip and falls, and sports, and often results in death or permanent disability. The Chesapeake, VA, camp is for two weeks, and improves the campers' personality openness, physical well-being, emotions.

Little can be done to reverse head injuries caused by trauma. Traumatic brain injury contributes to suicide, crime, unemployment, and substance abuse. A week of camp in Chesapeake costs $535; an additional $275 for campers needing a full-time assistant. The Brain Injury Association of Virginia has never turned anyone away because of cost. New campers are eligible for scholarships; returning campers hold fundraisers.

To learn more about what to do if you or a loved one is suffers traumatic brain injury from an accident, check out our Frequently Asked Questions devoted to the subject.

LC