♥️♥️🧠 Love Love Brain

When I first sustained my traumatic brain injury, I wasn’t just fighting the injury itself. I was desperately trying to prove that it existed.

I needed someone to tell me, “Yes, you have a brain injury. We believe you.”

That need became almost overwhelming. I saw multiple specialists, underwent countless tests, and spent a significant amount of money searching for answers. Every diagnosis brought temporary relief, but the reassurance never lasted. Deep down, I was still terrified that people thought I was exaggerating or imagining what I was experiencing.

Looking back, I realize I wasn’t searching for another diagnosis.

I was searching to feel seen.

Everything began to change when I found the OMID Institute, a nonprofit organization that offers neuro-informed therapy for people living with brain injuries and other neurological conditions. Their program is overseen by Dr. Daniel Ignacio, who is not only a psychologist and Certified Brain Injury Specialist, but also a traumatic brain injury survivor himself. His life is proof that a brain injury does not have to define your future.

Through OMID, I began working with my therapist, Dylan Serpas.

At first, I felt emotionally stuck. I wanted someone to rescue me. I wanted to be taken care of. I was grieving the life I had lost and struggling to imagine a future.

Dylan never rushed me.

Instead, he gently helped me grow.

Little by little, I moved out of depression. Then came anger, as I began to understand everything my injury had taken from me. Eventually, I reached something I hadn’t felt in a very long time:

Neutrality.

For the first time, I wasn’t living in constant emotional survival mode.

From there, something unexpected happened.

Hope returned.

Today, I’m learning to replace fear with gratitude and to replace a fixed mindset with a growth mindset. My brain may have changed, but my purpose has not disappeared.

In many ways, it has become even clearer.

I may never be exactly the person I was before my injury, but I still have gifts to offer. I can mentor other survivors. I can share the lessons I’ve learned. I can build resources that make the journey easier for the next person.

That’s why I created Love Love Brain.

My hope is that someone newly injured won’t have to spend months or years wondering what to do next. They’ll find practical tools, encouragement, and a community that truly understands.

If you’re reading this and you’re still searching for someone to believe you, let me say what I wish someone had told me earlier:

I believe you.

Your injury is real.

Your grief is real.

And so is your ability to heal, grow, and build a meaningful life again.

Healing doesn’t always begin when your symptoms disappear.

Sometimes it begins the moment you realize you’re no longer walking the journey alone.

With love,

Adeline ♥️♥️🧠