Lethan Candlish Part Ten

Lethan gives his caregivers and other survivors some advice after severe brain injury. One of the most dramatic element to his story, Who Am I Again, was Lethan’s countdown to the new millenium. He felt like he had been given another chance at life and did not want to waste it. He wanted to create a successful life for himself, despite his shortcomings. 

“I had banged the gates of hell and I had visited heaven and now it was time for me to share all that I had learned with the world.  And it was going to be good.  It was going to be real good,” he said. “ A new life with a new millennium.  I like that.  Oh.  Five.  Four.  Three.  Two.”

When asked what advice after severe brain injury he would give to his 17-year-old self, he said, “The simple way is to says it is don’t give up. But I mean more than that.  I mean more don’t accept that you are any less of a person.”

He said to recognize that even though you are facing new challenges, that doesn’t make you less of a person. He said he would show his younger self love and caring. Love and caring is the most important part.

Lethan was very grateful for his caregivers. He advised people with brain injury to not lose hope.

Asking him what he would say to his caregivers, he mostly expressed gratitude. His main caregiver was his mother, and he now feels grateful that he can thank her appropriately. He thanks his parents, family, and everyone in the community who was there to support him.

“Thank you for being there and loving me. Thank you for trying to say those things even though I would curse and swear and all the nasty things right back at them. Thank you so much for doing that.” See our next post about Lethan discovering who he is. 

Gordon Johnson

Attorney Gordon Johnson is one of the nations leading brain injury advocates. He is Past-Chair of the TBILG, a national group of more than 150 brain injury advocates. He has spoken at numerous brain injury seminars and is the author of some of the most read brain injury web pages on the internet.

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