We're Not Athletes or Celebrities, But Our TBIs Deserve Equal Attention and Care

I have nothing against athletes or celebrities. In fact, I'm extremely grateful when the traumatic brain injuries suffered by these high-profile individuals shed much-needed light on the issue of TBIs.

Unfortunately, I take many exceptions to the way these individuals are treated as compared to we normal folks with TBIs.

First, although I realize athletes, celebrities and politicians make for a better news story than the rest of us, I resent the myopic coverage of the news media regarding TBIs.

For the most part, they only seem interested in talking about the subject when it relates to a celebrity or when it's the latest "hot topic" because of increased understanding of the danger of concussions to young athletes. Don't get me wrong, I WANT to see news coverage of this nature, but I don't believe it should be the exclusive domain of a select few notable people or a single group of people who are vulnerable.

Why doesn't the news media cover stories about people who are struggling to get or pay for the medical care they need? Or bring attention to the many groups and causes that are desperately trying to raise awareness of how much average people with TBIs are suffering with little or no local, state or federal aid?

My second issue is that professional athletes are getting paid a lot of money and know full well the risks they take of getting injured in their line of work. In contrast, most average people with TBIs are injured by true accidents caused through no fault of their own or, worse, at the hands of violence.

Furthermore, because these professional athletes are such valuable assets to their teams, they get the best possible care from the moment they are injured. This contrasts dramatically with those of us who are looked over carelessly by emergency room staff and/or can't find a good physician to treat our problems properly.

This leads to my third issue. While professional althetes are getting hurt in the field and receiving the best possible care and loads of compassionate media coverage, the injustices suffered by military personnel who are hurt in the line of DUTY go virtually unnoticed. So many of these brave men and women who are fighting for our country are suffering terrible TBIs and then getting shafted by the military and the government. They are receiving inadequate care and are either being left to their own devices or are told they are "all better" and need to get back into the field. I don't see that happening to professional athletes.

Finally (although I could go on forever), there's the issue of money. As we all know, medical care (never mind the BEST medical care) is extremely expensive. Unlike professional athletes, politicians and celebrities, we don't have the bottomless pockets to afford the care we need when we can get it. If we're lucky enough to find good doctors (which I have fortunately been able to find, but many people I know haven't), it can put a terrible strain on our finances to pay for the care we need, even if we have insurance.

For many of us, our injuries have rendered us either incapable of doing or extremely difficult to do the work we once did to earn a living. In some cases, people lose their insurance when they lose their job. Some keep their insurance through a spouse or are able to get Medicaid, but that doesn't necessarily solve things.

I know from experience that living on one income makes it extremely difficult for us to come up with enough money to pay for all my medical expenses. I have had to force myself into doing work that causes me more pain and anxiety just to make sure we don't go under.

Filing for disability is always an option, but from what I understand, it is quite an ordeal in itself and can be a degrading and painful process, especially for people already in pain and confusion. I have considered filing for disability many times, but when I hear horror stories I shy away. In my case, I want to be independent and I would rather have someone or some organization helping me to make a living in a way that works for me and my existing limitations. But such help is hard to find.

So while wealthy athletes and celebrities are able to afford excellent care, and politicians can utilize the increible medical plans they are privileged to have, the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves more often than not.

It's shameful.

And it makes me angry. Angry that because we're not rich or famous we are ignored and forgotten. It's as if our TBIs aren't as important because we're not "important" in the most superficial sense.

We ARE important! And our TBIs deserve equal attention and care to those who already get plenty of attention just for being who they are.

The news media, our governments and the world need to know that we are here and we're suffering because THEY are not paying attention to us. They're too busy being upset over the professional football player who's probably going to sustain a head injury during the Super Bowl in a few hours from now.

Meanwhile, those of us with TBIs will be watching and feeling his pain because we know what it's like. And we'll feel badly for him, too, and hope that he gets good medical help. But I know I personally will still be angry that HE is who everyone will be worried about while there are millions of us out there with TBIs about whom no one seems to give a damn.

Sorry, but it's true.