Juron's story
One winter day, 30-year-old Juron Brown sustained a traumatic brain injury after a horrible fall.
He was rushed to Cooper University Hospital where a series of tests including a CT scan and MRI revealed blunt head trauma left him with bleeding and swelling in the brain. He underwent a decompressive craniectomy – a surgical procedure that removes part of the skull to allow the swelling brain room to expand – to release the pressure. He was required to wear a helmet when he was out of bed to protect the unshielded brain from injury.
After a week, he was medically stable and transferred to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) – Marlton to begin his journey back to independence. Although Juron didn’t remember much about the fall or his hospital stay, he was grateful for his mother’s choice to send him to Kessler. “This is a good hospital. If I knew someone that went through something like this, I would send them here,” he said.
When he arrived at (KIR) – Marlton, Juron had difficulty with balance and coordination impacting his ability to walk, climb stairs and complete daily activities on his own. He was also left with attention and memory impairments. His physician-led team of rehabilitation nurses, occupational, physical and speech therapists, and other brain injury specialists developed a treatment plan to address his range of medical, physical and functional needs.
At the start, Juron had difficulty staying alert, and he was confined to his bed. Soon, he embarked on the challenge to rebuild his strength. With the support of his care team and a focus on providing treatment activities that were important to him, Juron began to participate actively in his therapy sessions.
Occupational, physical and speech therapies were crucial to his recovery. Physical therapy activities aimed to strengthen his body and increase his endurance and activity tolerance. Occupational therapy focused on refining his fine motor skills and completing household tasks such as cleaning, laundry and cooking.
His therapists included hands-on treatments and innovative technologies including high-intensity gait training, aquatics, yoga and a virtual reality system.
“Everything I did with you was a thumbs up,” he said. “I enjoyed it all.” Through hard work and dedication, Juron progressed to walking without assistance and completing daily activities on his own, including cooking meals in the kitchen.
After only two weeks at Kessler, he was discharged home with his mother.
Juron offers advice for other brain injury survivors: “My advice is come to Kessler…. They’ll set you right.”