It’s vacation season – a time when families gather for some relaxation from day to day life. Camp Albert Pike located in Arkansas is in a national park on the Little Missouri River and is in the news a lot these days due to the flash flood that occurred there a few days ago. The news stories caught my attention since my mom owns one of the cabins there. It was passed down to her from my grandparents who are both now deceased.
They started camping in the national park many years ago prior to purchasing the cabin. I’m not sure exactly how long ago that was, but I’ve heard stories about camping there with me when I was a tiny baby (which was many, many years ago). The cabin was purchased about 40 years ago according to my mom. I remember celebrating my first son’s birthday there when he was three.
We won’t be able to find out if the cabin is still standing for several days since, unfortunately, officials are still searching for bodies. We were thankful that none of our family was there at the time, but I learned yesterday that the wife of one of my second cousins was swept away by the raging water when she slipped as the family was climbing a tree to escape to safety. Her body was found, but many others are still missing.
Life can be rolling along and in an instant it can change. I thought about how fast the water rose and how it came without warning. Since a large portion of my life centers around the effects of brain injury, for obvious reasons, I thought about how fast I went from being completely normal to having a brain injury. It happens in an instant – you’re normal – then you’re not.
Suddenly nothing was the same anymore – just like I’m sure we’ll see changes once we can check out the cabin – if it is still there. As a result of my acquired brain injury, my cognitive abilities were all but gone. It took time and tenacity to get to where I am today. I had to rebuild my life using various compensatory strategies. Brain Injury Survivor’s Guide explains how those who have suffered a brain injury, as well as caregivers, can use these tools to live a more fulfilling life. I suspect from those who were able to survive the flood there is a possibility some may have suffered a traumatic brain injury. I hope that is not the case, but it is likely considering the dangerous environment surrounding them.
Life is full of unexpected tragedies. Larry and I send our condolences to those who have lost loved ones as a result of the flood at Camp Albert Pike.
We won’t be able to find out if the cabin is still standing for several days since, unfortunately, officials are still searching for bodies. We were thankful that none of our family was there at the time, but I learned yesterday that the wife of one of my second cousins was swept away by the raging water when she slipped as the family was climbing a tree to escape to safety. Her body was found, but many others are still missing.
Life can be rolling along and in an instant it can change. I thought about how fast the water rose and how it came without warning. Since a large portion of my life centers around the effects of brain injury, for obvious reasons, I thought about how fast I went from being completely normal to having a brain injury. It happens in an instant – you’re normal – then you’re not.
Suddenly nothing was the same anymore – just like I’m sure we’ll see changes once we can check out the cabin – if it is still there. As a result of my acquired brain injury, my cognitive abilities were all but gone. It took time and tenacity to get to where I am today. I had to rebuild my life using various compensatory strategies. Brain Injury Survivor’s Guide explains how those who have suffered a brain injury, as well as caregivers, can use these tools to live a more fulfilling life. I suspect from those who were able to survive the flood there is a possibility some may have suffered a traumatic brain injury. I hope that is not the case, but it is likely considering the dangerous environment surrounding them.
Life is full of unexpected tragedies. Larry and I send our condolences to those who have lost loved ones as a result of the flood at Camp Albert Pike.
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