Lost in My Mind is a stunning memoir describing Kelly Bouldin Darmofal's journey from adolescent girl to special education teacher, wife and mother — despite severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Spanning three decades, Kelly's journey is unique in its focus on TBI education in America (or lack thereof). Kelly also abridges her mother's journals to describe forgotten experiences. She continues the narrative in her own humorous, poetic voice, describing a victim's relentless search for success, love, and acceptance — while combating bureaucratic red tape, aphasia, bilateral hand impairment, and loss of memory.
Readers will: Learn why TBI is a “silent illness” for students as well as soldiers and athletes. Discover coping strategies which enable TBI survivors to hope and achieve. Experience what it's like to be a caregiver for someone with TBI. Realize that the majority of teachers are sadly unprepared to teach victims of TBI. Find out how relearning ordinary tasks, like walking, writing, and driving require intense determination.
“This peek into the real-life trials and triumphs of a young woman who survives a horrific car crash and struggles to regain academic excellence and meaningful social relationships is a worthwhile read for anyone who needs information, inspiration or escape from the isolation so common after traumatic brain injury.”
-— Susan H. Connors, President/CEO, Brain Injury Association of America
“Kelly Bouldin Darmofal's account is unique, yet widely applicable: she teaches any who have suffered TBI--and all who love, care for, and teach them--insights that are not only novel but revolutionary. The book is not simply worth reading; it is necessary reading for patients, poets, professors, preachers, and teachers.”
-— Dr. Frank Balch Wood, Professor Emeritus of Neurology-Neuropsychology, Wake Forest School of Medicine
