From Broken to Blessed in 2025: How My Concussion Became God’s Greatest Lesson
My honest concussion recovery journey – from dark days to full healing. Real strategies, setbacks, and breakthroughs that brought me back to life in 2025.
Introduction
Nobody prepared me for how lonely brain injury recovery would be. Everyone around me saw someone who looked normal, while inside I battled an invisible storm of crushing fatigue, memory fog, and emotions I couldn’t control or explain.
My concussion happened while I was doing what I loved most on what seemed like an ordinary Tuesday. One moment I lived my passion, completely in my element. The next moment, my entire world ripped apart and shattered into a million pieces. I found myself thrust into a confusing world of silence where even my own thoughts felt like strangers, wrapped in thick numbness that muffled everything I once knew. The person I used to be suddenly felt unreachable behind this wall of confusion and pain.
But here’s what I wish someone had told me during those darkest moments: healing IS possible, even when you feel completely lost. My journey took 10 months for the majority of my healing, countless setbacks, and more tears than I care to count. Yet today, I’m not just back – I’ve transformed in ways I never expected, stronger and more grateful than I ever imagined possible. I still do maintenance healing today to protect my brain and prevent lasting effects, but now I heal from strength rather than desperation.
The Moment Everything Changed: My Concussion Story
I’ve been an equestrian for four years. In the beginning of 2024, I bought my first horse and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Little did I know, our relationship would be cut short only 6 months later.
On July 9, 2024, everything changed. One moment I was riding my horse just after he had recovered from being sick, and the next moment I woke up in the ambulance. I don’t remember the accident because my brain shut out the trauma. What I’ve learned is that I landed head-first in a metal barrel—and yes, I had a helmet on—got knocked unconscious, and had a seizure.
Waking Up to a New Reality
Waking up felt like a fever dream. I don’t remember much after the accident. All I know is the doctors told me I had an extremely severe concussion. My brain took such damage that the left side of my body could barely function. I remember having to tell my brain to tell my body to drag my left leg. I stayed bedridden for weeks. The accident had misaligned my entire spine, including the atlas bone at the top of my neck.
I went from being a completely independent person to relying on everyone else for daily needs like walking to the bathroom. I couldn’t read anything or look at anything electronic, so I spent those first few weeks staring at the wall. As someone who hates feeling weak and helpless, this crushed me.
The Emotional Shutdown
I shut down when something traumatic happens. I don’t remember feeling much of anything the first few weeks. The trauma overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t deal with the emotions or even decipher them. I’ve never been great at dealing with my emotions, so this challenged me in ways I never expected.
I became just numb all over, a shell of a person. I didn’t even recognize myself.
Saying Goodbye to My Horse
Before my accident, I had planned on selling my horse since he was a project and I had finished training him. I loved this horse with everything in me and felt completely safe with him. I know the accident wasn’t his fault or mine—it was purely a freak accident. But having to sell him when you’re barely alive hurt so bad it felt like my heart was ripped apart.
Luckily my trainer handled all the work. It broke my heart to get the text: “Your horse is sold.” Thank the Lord, I got to visit him one last time. I looked into his eyes and knew that he understood it was over and I was saying goodbye, but I didn’t let myself cry. Looking back, I wish I had let myself feel the emotions then and there, but I wasn’t ready to face them.
Navigating the Medical Maze: Finding the Right Help
I stayed in Florida at the time while my family had just moved to Alabama. I was about to join them when the accident happened. After the doctors released me, I went straight to my new home. My family has always been holistically minded and has never fully trusted the medical system. So we sought other avenues.
Finding Our Holistic Team
We had a trusted friend who worked as a chiropractor and brain specialist. Because of her help, I made a lot of progress quickly. Not only did she help with physical adjustments to reset my spine and brain—she did this slowly—she also helped with nutrition. She put me on a super low-carb, no-sugar, high-protein and high-fat diet. I cannot emphasize how much this diet influenced my healing for the better.
Once my body got back in alignment—we had x-rays done to know what needed fixing—we focused on constant treatment. And again, I kept eating this diet. I’ll be fully transparent and say that the diet sucked. I felt miserable restricting everything and not being able to eat my favorite foods. But I will say, it worked. I know that the way I ate contributed to why I healed so quickly.
Vision Therapy: A Game-Changer
I also took part in vision therapy. This proved vital in resetting all of my body’s systems. It required a large commitment and started out as twice a day, every day of the week for a couple of weeks. Then it lessened and we moved onto the other phases. We went to a place called Snider Therapy. While I didn’t love always having to be in therapy, it played a major role in my healing.
The Dark Days: When Recovery Felt Impossible
I had my low moments. Honestly, through most of my healing I struggled to find joy. I thought my life was over. For me, very little physical pain existed after the first few weeks. It was all mental. I looked fine from the outside, but in reality a war raged inside my head.
Faith as My Anchor
The only thing that saved me and got me through that trying season was my faith in God. I’ve always grown up in a Christian household and have been saved for many years. But that season stretched me and pulled me in a billion different directions, and if it wasn’t for my faith—but more importantly His faithfulness—I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be writing these posts.
Learning to Feel Again
The trauma brought me past my breaking point. I didn’t think I could mentally endure that much. Like I said, I’ve never been good with emotions. I’ve always held them in and didn’t reconcile with or show them. But this concussion taught me that I have to be honest with myself and accept each and every emotion I feel.
I felt angry, happy, sad, and joyful—all at the same time sometimes. I had to learn to let myself cry. I had to let myself feel angry or sad or feel happy and joyful. Because after the numbness subsided, I felt all the emotions at once. I got angry at God and took that out on other people. I felt happy with my friends but also miserable inside. I had to learn how my body and brain and mind function.
Building My Personal Recovery Toolkit
Creating a Flexible Routine
I had no routine because at first I could do very little, but a month after my accident I started dual enrollment classes online. I learned how to go with the flow. If I felt exhausted, which I always did, I let myself sleep as long as I needed to. After about 30 minutes, my brain would need a break from the screen and I let myself take breaks. It required constant evaluation of how I felt and doing what my body needed me to do.
Overcoming Sleep and Sensory Issues
I could barely sleep at first. My brain injury badly affected my hearing so that I could hear decibels as intense as those special dog whistles. Because of this, my body stayed constantly on alert. My vision therapist told me it was as if I was in a forest and knew a bear was there and kept constantly looking for it. My brain was trying to protect itself. After some time in therapy, I finally managed to sleep again.
Gradually Returning to Movement
I could not exercise for the longest time. After a couple months, I started stretching, going on walks, and doing very low-intensity at-home workouts. Before my accident, I lived extremely actively. Between riding horses, working out, and just daily life, I was always moving. So it sucked when all I could do was lay in bed. After about 6 months, doctors allowed me to go back in the gym, but I had to take it slow.
Evolving My Diet
I ate that really intense diet for about three months. Then the holidays came around and I started adding more balance into my diet by letting myself have a small bit of sugar or a few extra carbs. After about 6 months, I started eating more like I used to—still very high protein, but I lowered some of the fat and didn’t count carbs anymore.
The Breakthrough Moments That Changed Everything
Small Victories That Led to Big Progress
Two weeks after my accident, my family went to Disney World. Originally, I wasn’t supposed to go because I should have been with my horse, but the accident changed that. After that trip, at about 3 weeks post-accident, I started watching small bits of TV from a distance. I started reading a couple of pages. Then it just got better from there.
What I’m Grateful For
I will say, I’m very grateful since I didn’t lose any memories. The only thing I don’t remember is the accident itself. The first few days and weeks are all a blur, so I remember small parts but not the whole picture. Apparently, I had really bad headaches right after, but I don’t remember them or the pain. Now I get very light headaches every once in a while.
Adapting to New Limitations
When going outside, I had to always wear sunglasses because as a blue-eyed person, I already have sensitive eyes. But when you pair that with the concussion, sunglasses become absolutely necessary. I couldn’t wear headphones until 6 months after my first therapy appointment because it would have ruined my progress.
Learning Patience and Gratitude
I had to learn how to take every little small win and be grateful for it. I had to find joy in the little things so that the dark parts didn’t outweigh the good parts. It meant learning to be content with every victory and realizing that if I don’t get one victory yet, it will come. It was a season of patience and waiting.
What Actually Worked: My Recovery Game-Changers
The Foundation: Diet and Supplements
My diet worked. In addition to food, professionals muscle-tested me for various holistic vitamins that would help aid my healing. Those proved fundamental. It’s all about laying the foundation. Once you have a solid foundation, everything else can be easily built on top. But if you don’t have a solid foundation, everything will crumble.
The Ultimate Game-Changer
The ultimate game-changer was God. Through all of it, He remained faithful. He was there with me in every extreme low and high. I know that this all happened for a reason, and now looking back, I’m grateful for the accident as it has shaped me into who I am today. Because of this, I’ve learned how to conquer the darkness and have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. He is my rock, my strongest foundation.
Setbacks and Relapses: The Reality Nobody Talks About
The Crushing Disappointments
Most of the time it followed a pretty straight line forward, but many setbacks occurred. I would think, “Oh, I’m healed,” and then doctors would tell me I can’t work out when I asked. The constant “no” from medical professionals crushed me. It made me feel like no reason existed to ever hope for complete healing.
How I Handled the Lows
I cried. That was how I handled the disappointment. I cried and I cried and I cried. Never in public, but I cried. I had to seek the Lord constantly to keep me grounded and sane in this mental battle. I had never been told I can’t do something and never felt like something was holding me back. This absolutely crushed me.
The Hard Truth About Recovery
I learned that nobody is perfect and no one can have this worry-free, easy healing. We live in a broken and fallen world and life is going to be hard. There are going to be moments where we feel stuck in darkness and think there will never be a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a sad reality, but that is our reality.
Life After Concussion: Stronger Than Before
Coming Back Better Than Ever
I felt recovered long before I finished therapy. But I didn’t want to just recover from my concussion—I wanted to come back ten times stronger and better than before. I wanted to come back as the best version of myself. And now I can say that I did. I look back at who I was before and I don’t like her. Now, I look at my life and who I am and I have not only bounced back, I am better than ever. I can confidently say that I am the healthiest, strongest, and fittest that I have ever been.
The Gifts That Came from Trauma
I’m grateful for that season of my life. While I’m not perfect, I can regulate my emotions so much better now. My body and mind are so much stronger because of it. But most importantly, my relationship with the Lord is the best it has ever been. I cannot express how much that has affected my life. Again, when you’re standing on the strong foundation you built, everything is better.
Moving Forward with Wisdom
I still stay very careful of my head. I will throw a football but protect my head. My greatest fear is another concussion. While I conquered this one, it was so miserable and painful that I don’t want to have to ever go through that again.
I simply wanted to share my story so that others might resonate but also might see more of where I’m coming from in my healthy living journey.
Conclusion
If you’re reading this while struggling with your own concussion recovery, please know that you’re not alone in this fight. Yes, it’s hard – harder than most people will ever understand. There will be days when you feel like giving up, when the old you feels like a distant memory, and when hope seems impossible to find.
But here’s what I know now that I wish I knew then: healing happens, even when you can’t see it. Your brain is incredibly resilient and wants to heal. The key is patience, the right support, and most importantly, believing that better days are coming.
Don’t compare your recovery to anyone else’s timeline. Trust your body’s wisdom, advocate for yourself fiercely, and celebrate every tiny victory along the way. You’re stronger than you know, and your healing journey – though uniquely yours – doesn’t have to be walked alone.
What part of recovery are you struggling with most right now? I’d love to connect with fellow survivors in the comments below and continue supporting each other on this journey.
