I'll Carry the Fork!: Recovering a Life After Brain Injury

by Kara L. Swanson

This is the long-awaited 3rd Edition!! Long an industry standard, "I'll Carry the Fork! Recovering a Life After Brain Injury," has helped countless survivors, loved ones and professionals in the traumatic brain injury/stroke community. Kara Swanson's journey is one to learn from, to cheer and, even, to laugh with along the way. Her honesty and willingness to share her struggles and triumphs have been changing the lives of survivors and their loved ones for more than 20 years. This book has been named a suggested and must-read resource for survivors and professionals in every rehab and neurological field, and even in college TBI-related studies. It has been translated into Japanese and Kara has made her book available on Kindle and in an audio format. Her accompanying speeches and award-winning blog have circled the globe. This book enlightens with vital information from TBI professionals in medical, rehab and legal arenas. Kara's book is a wonderful inspiration and, with each edition, she has continued to mold it to help those in the TBI community. This new edition is brighter and cleaner. Kara has inserted more blank pages for notes and she has reduced the price so that more survivors can obtain all of the wonderful input from professionals throughout the book. The audio version of this book was completed by the author in order to offer a pace and cadence for those survivors struggling with audio processing speed and/or challenged by the written word.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir

235 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Nancy Sweeten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was very informative. It was funny, but still it made me want to cry. I never gave much thought to closed brain injury and what is all involved in a recovery from such an accident. Safety first. I do not want to get on that bus. I am passing this book on for others to read.

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insight into some of the happenings of someone living with a TBI. I enjoyed reading Kara's funny commentary on her own life. I can't imagine what she continues to go through but am glad to read she continues to grow during her post-injury life. There were some powerful nuggets of advice from Kara and her support team.

[Clint Scollon]

I thought the book had some good life situations however they were dealt with by a non brain-injured caregiver. I would have liked to see how he brain-injured party dealt with it, in fact I would have liked it so much I wrote a book about how I handled similar situations; entitled "1, 2, 3 JK or Humour Conquers Brain-Injury". More on the book later.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in hope of learning what I might attain after brain resection and near-fatal stroke. I did not read critically, but found hope for my future of becoming somewhat independent and functional. All this was 8 years ago.
By the way, I maintain that every brain injury is traumatic, and take offense in characterizing only a certain sub-class of such injuries as traumatic.

[Karen Janulewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a must read for me, after an acquired brain injury. Helped me understand a little more about how my life was going. A must read for anyone with a brain injury or a family or friend of a survivor.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book by an amazing woman! I had the pleasure of meeting Kara at a Brain Injury Association event a few years back. She was the keynote speaker. I was astonished by her story and sense of humor and couldn't wait to read her book. I'm honored to have a signed copy.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story that shares with humor how a woman deals with the tragedy of a traumatic brain injury before much medical knowledge has been gleaned. She gave me a glimpse of the “new normal” and how revealing a brain injury changes the scope of our lives.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

No all Traumatic Brain Injury is equal. Each day and each person is a new adventure in relearning and developing compensation skills.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved that the author was from michigan and described places I have been... I think the story she tells is very good at explaining what these people go through.

[The Miracle Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny at times but still disturbing. I wasn't sure what to think when I started reading this book, but I laughed and sometimes chuckled about this author's antics.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book through an inter library loan as it is hard to find now and the few copies for sale are outrageously priced. I have been a reader of Kara's blog for the past year and found her writing to be comforting because she finds the humor in her story of life, despite the tragic injury that changed the course of her life. She gives me hope that though my daughter's brain injury has changed her, her path will still have lots of love and a healthy dose of humor to make the hard parts palatable.

For me, one of the difficult aspects of reading this was the ongoing balance issues that Kara experienced as this is something we continue to work on, but is quite prolonged. I wonder if it will ever get better. And I know this is an area that scares me because of the safety factor.

I feel some envy of how Kara's friends rallied for her and provided so much assistance, even from her boss. But I am happy for her too because having the support of others is crucial for thriving instead of just surviving. And she does describe how isolating the injury can be and I get this pain. Others don't see the chaos that exists in the mind and feeling of inadequacy that comes from comparing one to one's previous self. I know we are in the midst of this still and have not fully come to acceptance. A good psychotherapist may help, but we haven't found a psychologist yet to help with that process of moving forward and the ones my daughter has encountered just make her more frustrated. She is so right that others just don't get it unless you've been touched by this personally.

A quote that puts life in perspective: "never forget that life doesn't follow the plans we make just because we make them. We have to allow for change, prepare for it, seek positive results from it. We have to understand that tragedy, sadness and unexpected challenge may wreak havoc at any time, and leave us facing hard work to recover a life....it makes petty fights and silly grudges and those times we leave the house without a goodbye kiss worth reconsidering." While written for the loved ones of those who support a TBI survivor, the words are just as important for the survivor.

Kara's never give up attitude is summed up nicely here, "Today I choose to do it myself. It's not lack of trust in [others]; it's having trust in me. It's accepting the possibility that I might fail because the prospect of succeeding is so captivating, so necessary, so delicious. I will find a way."

[Michele]

Even if you've never given a specific thought to brain injuries, I think this book is worth a look. Reading the story of a woman who's life is changed forever gave me pause to examine my own life. Kara Swanson is strong and brave and has a fantastic sense of humor. She truly made the best of a horrific situation and actually fulfilled her dream of becoming a writer after her accident.

Honestly, one of the scariest thoughts I entertain is that of experiencing a traumatic brain injury or discovering I have a brain tumor. Losing control over my thoughts, my memory, my body... the very thought turns to a lump in the pit of my stomach. But Kara's story reassured me and also brought some needed understanding to a confusing and scary situation.

My own mother suffered from a brain tumor, and after her surgery she was changed forever. Intellectually I understood that these changes weren't her fault, but emotionally I still begrudged the changes. Kara's book helped me accept them more... I hope I can extend this new patience past the first couple of days after finishing the book.

[Joanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this after hearing the author speak at the Brain Injury Association of MA Conference. She was a good speaker and I had high hopes for the book. In the end it wasn't bad-just kind of all over the place. I guess if you take into consideration the fact that she's not a professional writer AND that she suffered a traumatic brain injury before writing this it's actually pretty good. I don't know that I can see anyone reading this if they didn't have an interest in brain injury though.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be informative about what one may be dealing with TBI (traumatic brain injury). I don't envy Kara's or anyone else who is going through this situation. I read this book because it was selected for my book club, but really I read it because one of my good friends is going through a similar journey. I hope that just as Kara was able to make progress, that my friend can too.

[BumbleBrie Bourn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this last night, and as a fellow TBI patient (& I had 3; one when I tried to kill myself, 2 was when I was hit by an attempted hit-&-run student who was going to school to be a Pharmacy Technician {but the taxi cab who had stopped for me ran her off the road. But that made little good for me, as I was out-for-the-count, ie, in a coma for almost 3 months}, and when I was in our Townhouse in Watertown, Massachusetts where my darling kitty, MooMoo (so named because I could say it) tripped me down the stairs and I broke my arms and I hit my head}, and I like on page 105 “You can drive yourself crazy asking “Why me?” or “What did I do to deserve this.” Worrying if we should leave earlier, stay later, take a different flight doesn’t get us anywhere. We don’t know what future awaits each course of action. In the end, there just aren’t reasons for why some things happen. Not reasons we’re allowed to see, anyway.”

That’s a great way to talk to the audience of people who had a TBI, to their loved ones, and even their doctors!

[Padraig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read for someone who has experienced a TBI. It's an easy read as the chapters are so short, and it's unlikely you'll lose focus. You can relate to a lot of what Kara has gone through. It reminds you that you are not alone, and the difficulties you are going through are being experienced by many people out there.

[Caity Valone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read it for school like

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for those who have experienced or work with adults who have had a TBI. I read this with my groups and they all enjoyed and related to the stories within.