never played before. I even played just five
minutes and it was very difficult and tiring.”
But impressively, as the years have gone on,
she has been able to return to playing the
violin professionally, and she credits her
music and art in general for helping her push
herself forward.
Even though she’s made essentially a
complete recovery, she still feels some
residual symptoms. “Sometimes when the
weather changes or it is rainy I feel a bit more
in the clouds than normal. My memory is
a bit worse, and I get tired a bit more than
I used to. But nothing that really gets in
the way of my normal life. Very rarely I feel
dizzy, maybe a handful of times per year,
and it’s usually if I have not had enough
sleep.” She also had to overcome a fear of
being in cars and driving because of the
traumatic experience she endured. “I had
fears of distance and speed. I still think I
tighten up unconsciously when someone is
driving. I never learned how to drive from fear, and actually this
summer … I finally got a learner’s permit.”
Overall, Caroline says she’s grown from having made it through
the ordeal. “Going through this accident and recovery has made
me stronger … more mature, and most of all, I appreciate life
and all the things I am able to accomplish every day. When I
have difficult moments in my life or career, I try to remind myself
how lucky I am to have survived that day. I consider it my
second birthday.”
On giving advice to others:
Caroline believes that others facing similar situations should try to
stay positive and patient, and recognize the importance of family
and friends in providing support. “If there is anything that I could
say to a family in this situation, probably the best advice is to
stay as calm and happy around the sick person as possible … I felt
the best when I saw my parents happy and relaxed (if relaxation
is at all possible during these times). But honestly, just don’t
think about what happened, and try to stay strong in the moment.
Positive energy and laughter is the best medicine.
To the people who are recovering from the accident, I would say
a few things. My approach was not to ask too much information
of what happened — to this day, I don’t really know details. I
think it is not important, after it happened, to know the negative
details. When I was recovering and it took such an effort and
energy to even go to the restroom, I remember thinking ‘Wow,
how amazing is the human body?’ We do so many things during
the day: wake up, shower, go to school, spend all day at school
… You never realize all this until you are not able to do it … But
believe that you will gain everything back with a little
bit of patience.”
Michael Reznik, MD, is Assistant Professor of Neurology,
Alpert Medical School, Brown University/Rhode Island
Hospital. Michael is a very active member of NCS and
an invited guest writer for the Stories of Hope section in
Currents.
Alexandra Reynolds, MD, is a Neurocritical Care Fellow
Columbia University/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NY,
NY. Alexandra is an invited guest writer for Currents.
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