“I’m sure that guy’s dead,” a man told the operator when he called in Gary’s accident. It was 8.8.88, a date Gary will never forget. The accident left him with a diffused axonal injury. His brain was twisted inside his skull.
After a long stay in the critical care unit, including some time in a coma, Gary was released and ready to get back to work as an occupational therapist. He knew something wasn’t right, but he faked being fine for as long as he could.
“I was not going to admit I was wrong, or that I needed help,” Gary says. “I ended up getting fired three different times.”
Family talked Gary into applying for disability, which he was on until he was 66 and a half years old. Then, he could get a job, something he was very excited about doing. To help with the process, he connected with Easterseals Crossroads Brain Injury Services and began working with Jade Cooper, a Resource Facilitator.
Jade assisted Gary in putting his resume together and finding a job he would enjoy. He really wanted to work at one of the state parks.
“I thought, well, I can’t pick up trash, because I can’t walk that far without help,” he says. “I thought, well, I could sit in one of those little wooden boxes at the front of the park.”
Sure enough, that’s exactly the job Gary applied for, and after a trial period, he was hired at Mississinewa Lake.
“I noticed the biggest change after he started this job,” Jade says. “His confidence really grew. In a lot of ways, I think he finally realized how capable he really was.”
Without Easterseals Crossroads, Gary says his life would be depressing. “I owe them a lot. I think they believed in me, and that means a lot.”
Gary’s story is a powerful reminder that with the right support, healing and hope are possible, even after a life-changing injury. Easterseals Crossroads Brain Injury Services helped him rebuild his confidence, find meaningful employment, and rediscover his purpose.
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