Recovery isn’t a straight line. It’s a winding path filled with detours, pauses, and unexpected breakthroughs. For brain injury survivors, success isn’t always measured in leaps—it’s found in the quiet, persistent steps we take each day. These are the daily wins—the moments that seem small to others but feel monumental to us.
For me, one of the greatest victories was learning to be content with taking one step at a time. Literally. After four weeks in a coma, paralysis on my left side, and relearning life’s basic skills, I didn’t return to my former “active self” overnight. In fact, I returned a few levels below my comfort zone. But I returned—with adaptations.
I can shoot a basketball now. My setup and release are slower, not as smooth. I can play tennis, but the rallies don’t last as long. And bowling—well, that’s where the magic happened. Before my injury, I had the highest average in my Sunday league. After sitting out for two years, I came back. Not with the same five-step approach I used before—at first, I had no steps at all. Now I take just two, which forces me to focus more on hitting my mark than on my form. And you know what? I was bowling again. Not like before—but again. That’s victory.
These adaptations aren’t limitations. They’re innovations. They’re proof that recovery isn’t about returning to who you were, it’s about discovering who you can be now.
I tell other survivors: don’t give up on your goals. Most times, there’s an adaptive way to do everything. If you want to bowl but can’t walk to the foul line or carry a ball, there’s a way to roll it down the alley and knock down pins. It’s not about perfection, it’s about persistence.
Recovery is hard. It’s not for those who aren’t willing to be relentless. Improvement doesn’t come from waiting, it comes from trying. Again, and again. Until something shifts. Until you see it. Until you feel it.
So today, celebrate your small wins. The ones no one sees but you. The ones that whisper, You’re still in this. You’re still becoming.
Because that’s what recovery really looks like!
See what happens when you keep trying!! It pays off!!
Keep fighting survivors!!