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Medical care has advanced to the point that babies with cerebral palsy and children and adults with brain injuries are surviving to live a normal life expectancy. In a good percentage of cases, there are residual problems depending on the area of the brain that is affected. These problems vary from memory loss to paralysis. While part of the brain is involved, the rest is perfectly normal. This leads to an awareness of loss similar to death in those injured after childhood, as well as frustration and limitations to everyone with brain injuries of known or unknown causes. This is a population that may be gifted in several areas, normal in most areas and handicapped in some areas.
When the injured areas cause obvious symptoms, joining “normal” society becomes difficult, if not impossible. Returning to jobs and spouses is not considered “realistic” by society as well. So we have a group of survivors of brain damage who have worked hard to become normal, only to be rejected by our society.
We as parents and friends of those people see the depression brought about by the lack of love and worthwhile labor. The divorce rate is over 90% in those who become ill or hurt between 25 and 45 years of age. There are losses of children, friends and other family ties. Today’s “culture of death” says no one needs to suffer and chronically ill persons who are depressed should be offered and allowed a merciful death.
We offer another solution and pray with your help and the help of the Catholic Church, we may give these people a more merciful and rewarding life rather than death. It is very important that our group exist in a spiritual dimension, visible in the Church.
Because brain injury usually results in family disruption, there is a great need for a caring and supportive community where families can work together to help their brain injured spouse or child reach their full potential, and where they can learn to accept that “full potential” as a gift from God, even is society considers it less than “quality life”.
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