Inspirational Story: Sarah Ginn - Brain Injury Survivor

"Eight years ago, my life was very different. I was an athlete in training. I was an avid rock climber and excelled at lacrosse. But one snowy January in 2003, my life changed forever. While heading to my boyfriends cottage, a car swerved into our lane, hitting our car head on. The impact caused my seatbelt to malfunction and sending me head first into the windshield. I fell into a coma instantly. My lungs collapsed, liver split in half and my brain was bleeding. It looked like I wasn't going to make it, and if I did, my life would be spent lying in a bed only able to move my head. I remained in coma for nearly six weeks and recovered at Sunnybrook Hospital for nearly three months.

When I came home, I didn't even know what a Teddy Bear was. My mother told me that if I was shown anything, I would call it a stick. After many years of home care, therapy and numerous surgeries I gradually started to heal.

The crash has left me legally blind, with no peripheral vision or colour recognition, lack of taste and smell and constant vertigo, I am dizzy all the time.

A few years ago I decided to go back to school to the Holistic School Nutrition. After four years I am now a registered holistic nutritionist. My great passions in life are physical fitness and the music of the singer Josh Groban.

I know that I was given a second chance in life. I have decided that it is important to give back; my family and I now support others that go through traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. No one really understands what it is like to deal with the challenges of a brain injury. I am also a survivor speaker with Sunnybrook Hospital's P.A.R.T.Y. Program. I am currently a motivation speaker for different organizations. I have started my own business called A SECOND CHANCE supporting families through traumatic injuries."

For more about Sarah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDunSZug4Zw - video clip of Sunnyview, Sunnybrook News featuring Sarah and David Ginn.

For more about the Sunnybrook Health Science's Centre P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth) Program, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVeCTkQYB3o&feature=relmfu

Thank you to Sarah Ginn and her father, David Ginn for contacting Gluckstein Personal Injury Lawyers and allowing us to share your story. We look forward to hearing from you again.

Sarah's story appears as it was submitted, no changes have been made.