For Caleb Potter, his family and friends, there is no going back to life before July 4, 2007. During the annual parade in his hometown of Wellfleet on Cape Cod, Caleb, dressed in his customary 'Yellow Beard' pirate outfit and riding on his skateboard, grabbed onto a friend's pickup truck to be towed down the road. The skateboard got caught under the truck and propelled the charismatic young man forward. The impact caused a near-fatal traumatic brain injury and set Caleb and his family on an arduous journey of perseverance and recovery.
Caleb spent months at Massachusetts General and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospitals before returning to his mother's home. In November 2007, he began outpatient therapy at the RHCI-Orleans Outpatient Rehabilitation Center. At every step of the way, dedicated teams of physicians, nurses, therapists and others guided Caleb and his family through the stages of brain injury recovery.
Lee LaCroix, SLP at RHCI's outpatient center in Orleans, has been Caleb's speech therapist for the last year. She remembers the day Caleb first walked into RHCI-Orleans. 'He was confused and couldn't pay attention. He didn't know where he was or why.' The once gregarious young man was silent, withdrawn and overwhelmed. Predictable effects of his brain injury.
'Over the year, Calebs cognitive skills have improved by leaps and bounds,' says Lee. 'Attention, writing, socialization, use of pragmatic language he has come so far.'
Today the lasting physical effect from his injury is blindness in his left eye, but otherwise he is strong. With the help of a dedicated network of friends and the constant support of his family, Caleb has reconnected with the world. He goes surfing, kayaking, bowling, works out in the gym and helps his mom and brother in their landscape design business.
Caleb's biggest remaining challenge is to improve short-term memory. Though questions remain about the future, everyone who's worked with him is impressed by his progress. His personality has also finally emerged. 'He understands humor, can carry on a conversation, and understands nuances of expression and body language. He's a great guy and its wonderful to work with him,' adds Lee.
printer friendly