Brain injury awareness

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) - March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. The injury can betraumatic, caused by a blow to the head. Or it can beacquired, caused by an infection or medical condition. The type and length of treatment also varies.

It has been a long road towards recovery for Kate Parizek.

"I got sick," she recalled. "My friends took me to the hospital and called my mom and dad up and said, guess what? We've got Kate here and we don't know what's wrong with her."

In 1991, she was diagnosedwith viral encephalitis. Her brain swelled, causing coordination and memory problems.

"It just throws you all off and you don't know if you knew things or didn't know things," said Parizek, "It's just very confusing."

Brain injuries can happen to anyone at any age.

"The injuries can beminor and they can berecoverable," explained Steve McCarthy, President of N.E.W. Curative. "or can be pretty traumatic and take a long, long time and only see incremental improvement."

At N.E.W. Curative, treatment programs are designedaround the individual.

"For some people it might be a few months," said McCarthy. "For some people it might be years."

Classes often focus on re-establishing the basics through memory games and language tests.

Originally posted here:
Brain injury awareness