Some History...

Welcome to TotemWood...

The main purpose of this page is to allow others to view my life-Post Traumatic Brain Injury- and provide a list of resources that may help other survivors and/or their helpers...

[An Over view of my site:]

I came out to the west coast partly to kayak, partly to learn to deal with my Mothers death, and partly to deal my past as an abuse victim. Kayaking seemed a logical step in each of those directions.

Eventually of course I had an accident that changed nearly everything in my young life forever...

I wanted very much to kayak. It was decided by the hospital staff that I required a partner to engage in what had been a very solitary endeavor. I never found a partner willing to transport my kayak and myself so... I did what any other hard headed person [without a drivers license and with the cognitive abilities of a 7 year old] would do-

I made a trailer for my kayak and resolutely walked it the long 2 miles to the water. I paddled for about two hours, learning of some of my new weaknesses and then... I walked my boat back home... More about that in the Kayak and/or TBI section

Did I mention that trip was made after deciding I should "come home" from the adult care home I moved to after leaving the hospital? Yes, well I did indeed move. My new home, for the near future at least, is a 1973 Dodge Tioga Class "C" RV. I bought it, back when I had money from my inheritance. It wasn't just a "move my bags in" deal believe me... I will go into more detail about "a man with a brain injury using power tools" under the TBI heading, as well as some of the necessary "re-design" in the RV section...

The Journal section will probably be where most of the "new" will be found...