Bookclub featuring "The Smile on My Forehead"

People are reading my book as part of their book club, and then I join their meeting -- show a short video (of me in the hospital) and answer questions. It's a great way to spread the word and educate the community about Traumatic Brain Injury. So far, I've done one club, my next one is Tuesday, and another one in April.

I anticipate more to come!

You can check out my book from the Salt Lake City Library!

Finally, my book is available for check out at the Salt Lake City Library! You can also get it at the Orem Public Library.

If you live in Salt Lake, want to read my book but haven't gotten around to ordering it or downloading it, go to http://www.slcpl.org/ and search for Jennifer Mosher or The Smile on My Forehead.

(this is all thanks to Jerry Johnston's article "Utah author shares her story about brain injury" in the Deseret News!)

The Brain at The Leonardo - an event in SLC!!!

Event:	Leonardo After Hours: Are You Your Brain?
Date:	Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Time:	6:00 to 7:30 PM
Place:	The Leonardo Garage 375 North 500 West, Unit B, Salt Lake City Free appetizers and a cash bar

Details:

This Leonardo After Hours -- Are You Your Brain? -- will explore how your neurons, synapses, and all that gray matter work to learn, create, and morph memories to make you who you are. And because some questions of identity simply cannot be explained by pure biology, we'll also delve into some of the more mysterious questions of how you become you:

Can experiences actually rewire your brain on a physical level?

Is any memory a true memory?

How do the stories you tell yourself and others change who you are?

Can fake memories be etched into your neurons and synapses?

Enjoy an evening of fascinating facts, video clips, audio snippets, and scintillating conversation with experts and audience members on Tuesday, March 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Leonardo Garage, 375 N. 500 West, Unit B, in Salt Lake City.

Featured experts include:

Monisha Pasupathi, PhD, developmental psychologist, University of Utah Psychology Department

Christopher German, PhD, research associate, the Brain Institute at the University of Utah

My article in the Deseret News!

"Never waste a tragedy," a friend of mine often says.

That's the best one-liner from a February 18, 2011 article in Deseret News. Columnist Jerry Johnston wrote a wonderful piece about ME and MY BOOK. I am absolutely thrilled because he is a great writer with a very clear, slightly philosophical, voice. I love him!

Click here to read this fantastic article.

Listen to me on the radio . . . again!!!

Who's a fan of NPR??? Check me out Friday, Feb 18 on 90.1 Utah 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. Or stream it at www.kuer.org/radiowest "Life With a Brain Injury."

GUESTS: Jennifer Mosher (TBI survivor); Laura Watson (TBI caregiver); Dr. Elie Elovic (University of Utah Brain Institute)

We'll talk about the injury, the recovery process, the ongoing challenges of living with TBI (forgetfulness, sleep, fatigue) and some of the strategies to help. No trick questions - just a conversation about what TBI is and some of the unique issues survivors have to deal with. They invite listeners to call in, and are sometimes flooded with calls; other times, listeners are so taken by the conversation that they prefer to sit back and listen -- we'll see what happens!

Feel free to call in and ask a question (801) 585-9378) between 11 - 12

Gabrielle Giffords: Reality Check!

"Most people with such injuries have some level of impairment for the rest of their lives."

How's that for honesty?

I just read an article about Gabrielle Giffords that, although still positive, was very realistic about the implications of living with a Traumatic Brain Injury. It seems like I've been reading a lot of things like, "she asked for toast this morning" or "she's so motivated, she'll be running around the hospital corridors in no time." While that might be true, something that we need to remember when thinking about her future is this: (from the article I read)

" . . . for the most part, brain injury patients will always have some degree of impairment, Grafman said.

That's not necessarily a recipe for misery; it just means people need to adjust, said Grafman, who has studied Vietnam veterans with brain injuries for 30 years.

"I'm always impressed ... at seeing how may of them have lived quite successful lives, having families and kids and working at jobs," he said. They "wind up living, in some sense, an ordinary life."

Click HERE to read the entire article

How is snowboarder Kevin Pearce handling his TBI?

I can't believe it's already been just over one year since Kevin Pearce was injured when he hit his head on the edge of a halfpipe while snowboarding in Park City!

There's a nice article in The New York Times that gives an update on his recovery. Here are two quotes that I can relate to oh-so-well . . .

"Pearce said he was having a harder time than others were in seeing improvements in his brain function." (I think most TBI Survivors remember who they were and what they could do pre-injury, so this makes it difficult to recognize improvements because you are always comparing. Yeah, so I just wrote that in the third person, when really I'm talking about myself "I remember who I was and what I could do pre-injury . . .")

"As the morning wore on, Pearce mentioned taking a nap. He wanted to be ready for this week’s broadcasts, and all the travel had drained him." (I feel for him. Any brain activity wears.me.out. Sometimes I feel like an infant, the way I have to take regular naps)

Click HERE to read the entire article