Bob Restivo
Read Tara’s husband’s take on how concussions affect us
We thought we were helping my wife by making sure that she continued to stay in darkness, rest and avoid stimulation. In fact, after about eight days of this, it was clear that we were actually impeding her ability to get better. She was getting depressed and it seemed to me that she needed to get outside and start moving. Once she started engaging her brain, we saw improvements. I wish someone had told us sooner that the brain needed to start getting engaged after only a couple of days of rest.
It was hard to watch my wife struggling with her speech, and not knowing if I was doing the right things and if she was ever going to be better. As her caregiver, it would have been tremendously helpful to know more about what I should or could expect to see from the outset.
I had no idea that her condition was so serious and that she had such a long journey ahead of her. As her husband, my heart wanted her to get back to normal quickly, but I learned that there are things that you can’t rush – like driving, normal conversation and other everyday activities that we all take for granted.
Her brain wasn’t ready. More education in the early days would have been helpful, rather than learning as we went along. I didn’t know a lot about concussions beforehand and had to learn the hard way.
In my generation, when we got concussions as kids, we were told to fight it off and get back into the game. Even today, I don’t think the general population – or even a lot of the medical community – understand how significant and severe concussions can be. I hope our story saves others from having to go through what we experienced and that as a society we focus more on education that informs about the potential long-term effects of a concussion.
We wanted a quick fix, but there weren’t any. We had to take a step back. I had no idea it would take months for Tara to start to feel and function better. For companies, like Oxeia that are working on a therapy to help treat concussions and prevent months of suffering, I say, 100% go for it.
“I had no idea it would take months for Tara to start to feel and function better. For companies, like Oxeia that are working on a therapy to help treat concussions and prevent months of suffering, I say, 100% go for it.”
— Bob Restivo