Tim | TBI

  • Velocity of Renewal: Full-Circle Moments & New Horizons

    Thriving in Stride

    For a long time, writing these updates meant documenting the heavy lifting, the boundaries, and the uphill battles of recovery. But lately, the narrative has completely shifted. Things have been fantastic, I’ve felt incredibly good, and for the first time in what feels like forever (even before the TBI), everything around me is clicking into place.

    From professional achievements at the office to meaningful milestones in my personal life, this chapter is all about renewal. Here is a look at what has been fueling this positive momentum over the last couple of weeks.

    Professional Growth & Stride

    Work has been an incredible source of energy lately. Hitting a consistent stride at the office, seeing my productivity scale up, and feeling genuine professional growth has provided a massive boost to my confidence. Growing professionally and watching these efforts translate into tangible success feels amazing, especially when looking back at where this journey began.

    Full-Circle Moments

    A week ago, I had the absolute joy of reconnecting and hanging out for hours with two incredible speech therapists, Laurin and Jess, whom I first met through my time at Mid-America Rehabilitation Hospital and AbilityKC.

    When you go through a traumatic brain injury, your therapists see you at your most vulnerable, fighting through the hardest cognitive hurdles. Getting to sit down with them as a friend, swap stories, and just catch up for hours was a beautiful reminder of how far the recovery has come. They were there for the toughest parts of the groundwork, and sharing laughs with them in this healthier, happier season meant the world to me.

    Another Year, Better Momentum

    This past weekend kicked off an early birthday celebration, and my sister absolutely outdid herself. She brought her signature massive heart and creativity to the party, designing custom Cybertruck-themed decorations that had me laughing and feeling incredibly celebrated.

    From tiny cutouts of me driving my truck pinned into the snacks to an exceptional custom birthday cake featuring the truck and its binary code accents, the details were incredible. It was the exact kind of creative, grounding environment that highlights the strength of family support.

    A New Chapter & A Person of Interest

    After the birthday festivities wound down, I was fortunate enough to finally meet someone in person that I’ve been corresponding with for a while. I want to keep the finer details private out of respect for him and the meaningful connection we’ve established so far, but I can’t hide the genuine happiness it’s bringing me.

    He is truly amazing, and a definitive person of interest in my life right now, and I am genuinely looking forward to seeing how we continue to build on this momentum. It has brought a fresh, exciting wave of happiness into my daily routine.

    Why Joy is a TBI Milestone

    You might wonder how celebrating professional wins or exploring a new personal connection relates to TBI recovery. The truth is, it relates to everything.

    Early TBI recovery completely drains your emotional bandwidth, social stamina, and capacity for vulnerability. Most of the time, your brain is working on pure survival—managing sensory overload, light sensitivity, and basic cognitive processing. Dating, open-ended socializing, and maintaining hours of deep conversation require immense emotional and cognitive energy.

    Being able to navigate a meaningful connection, engage in deep dialogue, and genuinely feel a sense of future potential means my brain is no longer just surviving—it is thriving. Joy, connection, and professional fulfillment aren’t distractions from recovery; they are the ultimate proof of it.

    The recovery continues. Less glare, more clarity, and looking forward to the great road ahead, with so much positive potential. Thank you for reading, and let’s get back to the summer! ❤️

  • Going the Distance: Community, Awareness, and Good Tears

    I hope everyone has been enjoying a long, safe holiday weekend. First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude and respect to those who have served, or are currently serving our country, since today is the actual Memorial Day.

    I’ve been having an awesome, relaxing weekend, and I really wanted to share this morning’s activity. The sunrise was absolutely perfect, and the weather couldn’t have been better. Today, I was proud to be a part of the Going the Distance for Brain Injury Run! My sister used her huge heart to quickly set up a small family team so we could all participate together. Today was finally the day, and it was a truly great event.

    To be completely clear, we didn’t tackle the full 5K or 10K runs—lol. Instead, we took the Walk for Thought route, which is a 1.5-mile walk I knew we could all handle and endure. Here’s a picture of our incredible team (and yes, a stroller was absolutely a crucial part of the team lineup!):

    Oh, and Taylor even made the kiddos their own custom team t-shirts, featuring the site domain right on the back! I absolutely love how they turned out. Take a look:

    After we crossed the finish line, we all received these incredibly cool medals:

    I am definitely going to hold onto this medal tightly to remember one of my very first events raising awareness about brain injuries, and getting to network with others directly within the TBI community. I’ll admit, there were a few tears out there today, but they were the good kind. 🙂

    I also want to extend a huge thank you to the Brain Injury Association of Kansas and Greater Kansas City for hosting such a wonderful event and bringing us all together.

    The journey continues—one step at a time.

  • Stealth Mode: Filtering the Glare and Finding True Focus

    I originally planned to write a full “April Summary,” but the truth is, last month was a bit of a blur. I was preoccupied with navigating some personal hurdles, which is just part of the reality of this recovery process. It isn’t always a straight line, and some months require more mental bandwidth than others.

    But if there was one massive highlight that grounded me, it was Easter. Getting to spend that time surrounded by my huge family was exactly the reset I needed. There is a specific kind of chaotic, grounding energy that comes from being with the fun, loving people who have been in your corner since day one.

    On top of that, it was a crazy, busy month at the office. Honestly, feeling my productivity ramp up and realizing I am accomplishing a lot more feels amazing. But part of this recovery is also realizing how much a TBI shifts your perspective on where your energy goes. You naturally start to re-evaluate what—and who—really fits into, or even wants to be a part of, this new chapter.

    Some relationships naturally evolve or take a backseat when your daily focus shifts from just having fun and making memories to doing the actual heavy lifting of healing. It’s a transition, but I’m adapting by focusing on the things that motivate me, drive me, and result in increased happiness and success in so many ways.

    Speaking of moving forward and minimizing distractions, I am making a quick adjustment to my daily commute. Tomorrow I’m taking the Cybertruck to Midwest Tinting to have the front windshield brow darkened and brought further down. On the surface, it just looks like a stealthy mod, but it actually ties perfectly into my new normal. Brain injuries can make you crazy sensitive to harsh light and audio/sounds. Dropping that brow tint lower (and legal) is just a simple way to reduce the glare and make it darker inside. Then, I can keep my eyes focused strictly on the road ahead (even with FSD 😉). It’s gonna look cool AF!

    The recovery continues. Less glare, less noise, more focus. I hope to update this post with pics of the Cyber with the updated brow!

    Friday Update: Promise Delivered

    I visited Midwest Tinting today for my brow update. Even with the rain rolling in, I wasn’t going to push this off. I had the brow extended even further down the windshield, and the difference is immediate and looks even better than I expected!

    It was a bit of a challenge to get a clear pic with the weather, so I enhanced the interior lighting to show exactly how much more coverage this provides. It feels like a completely different cabin now—much darker, private, and shielded.

    It’s a big win, and everything is much darker and stealthier when you see it in real life rather than on camera.

  • Wrapping Up March & Feeling Amazing

    March was an incredible Brain Injury Awareness Month for me. Since my last update, I officially published this site, and the response has been wonderful. Having so many open, honest conversations with others about the importance of brain injury awareness has meant the world to me. A lot of people have been reaching out to ask how I’m actually doing, and it is such a massive blessing to honestly be able to tell them: I feel amazing. I have overcome a lot to be where I am today.

    One of the biggest highlights of the month was going to a Brain Injury Awareness family event hosted by MidAmerica Rehabilitation Hospital—the very first place I stayed when my rehab journey began. My mom, sisters, brothers-in-law, and the nieces and nephews all came out to support it. While we were there, I was so blessed to run into one of my former occupational therapists. I instantly recognized her face, but my sister actually had to jump in and remind me of her name! It was such a joy to reconnect with Meredith.

    Beyond the recovery milestones, the past few weeks have just been genuinely happy. I’ve been working on my overall diet and fitness, and I can really feel the positive impact it’s having on my day-to-day energy. Work has also been going fantastic, and I’ve felt very appreciated there lately.

    On a more personal note, I’ve been connecting with an amazing person. Just having him always be there is definitely one of the things I look forward to every day. It helps so much. I really hope I can share more in future updates. Fingers crossed!

    Everything finally feels like it’s moving forward in the best way possible. Thank you all for following along on this journey with me.

  • Binary Awareness: 1010.1101.11000

    March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, a time usually marked by blue ribbons. But as someone who spends my days in the world of IT, I wanted to create a symbol that felt a bit more “me.”

    This past Saturday, with the weather finally hitting that perfect Kansas spring vibe, I pulled the truck into the garage for a project I’ve been planning for a while.

    1010.1101.11000 TimTBI.com

    The Code on the Quarter Panel

    If you see me driving around Lenexa, you’ll notice a new string of numbers on the rear quarter panel: 1010.1101.11000.

    To a passerby, it looks like a factory serial number or a piece of tech specs. But if you speak binary, you can decode the most significant moment of my life:

    • 1010 = 10 (October)
    • 1101 = 13 (The Day)
    • 11000 = 24 (The Year)

    Why Binary?

    October 13, 2024, was the day of my TBI. It was the day my “operating system” was forcefully rebooted.

    It took forever to find this font, but I love it because it fits my truck well. When people ask what the numbers mean, it opens a door. It’s not just a date; it’s a conversation starter about the reality of TBI recovery, the importance of awareness, and the fact that even after a “system crash,” you can come back online stronger and more customized than before. So much is just different.

    It’s a small public “Easter egg” for a very big personal journey. The weather this weekend is supposed to be amazing! So get out and enjoy it.

    1010.1101.11000 TimTBI.com CYBERTRUCK

  • The Number 7: Understanding the Severity

    When people ask about my TBI, they often ask how “bad” it was. In the medical world, they use a snapshot called the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) to measure consciousness.

    On that scale, I was a 7.

    What does a 7 actually mean?

    • The Category: It’s officially classified as Severe.
    • The State: Anything 8 or below is clinically considered a coma. At a 7, I wasn’t just “asleep”—my brain had essentially shut down its arousal systems to protect itself.
    • The Fight: A score this low usually means you can’t protect your own airway or respond to the world around you. It’s the point where doctors and machines have to take over.

    Why I’m sharing this

    I mention the “7” not for the shock value, but for the perspective. Looking at where I am today—back at work and building this site—compared to where I was on that scale is a reminder of how far the human brain can travel.

    Recovery isn’t just about getting back to “normal”; it’s about acknowledging how deep the hole was and celebrating every inch of the climb out.

  • The “S” Word Struggle: Mapping My Aphasia

    If you’ve talked to me lately, you may have noticed a few “glitches” in my speech. I might get stuck on finding a word, or I struggle to physically say a word that starts with the letter “S.” For a long time, I just knew it was frustrating. But after looking closely at my brain MRI, I finally have a “why.”

    First, What is Aphasia?

    Before we get into the details, I want to define the word I’ve been using a lot: Aphasia.

    Aphasia is a communication disorder that happens when the language centers of the brain are injured. It’s like a disruption in the “translation” between your thoughts and your voice.

    The most important thing to know is that aphasia does not affect intelligence. My brain is still “me”—I understand everything you say, I have the same thoughts, and I’m still the same guy you’ve always known. The injury just makes it harder to get those thoughts out into the world.

    The Evidence on the Map

    I wanted to share a piece of my medical journey with you. If you look at the MRI image below, you’ll see a small, lighter, brighter section on the right side of the image. Because MRI images are mirrored, that is actually a scar on the front-left lobe of my brain.

    That specific spot is called Broca’s Area. It acts as the “Command Center” for speech delivery. My “internal dictionary” is still perfectly intact, but the “wiring” used to ship those words out was damaged during my TBI on October 13, 2024.

    It’s Not My Memory; It’s My “Search Engine”

    There are two specific ways this injury shows up in my daily life:

    • Anomia (The Locked Door): This is that “tip-of-the-tongue” feeling. I know exactly what I want to say, but the gate to that word is temporarily stuck. It’s like my brain’s “search engine” is just running a bit slow.
    • Apraxia of Speech (The “S” Struggle): This is the physical side. My brain sometimes struggles to send the “motor plan” to my mouth to coordinate difficult sounds like “S.” It’s like my mouth’s “GPS” lost the signal for a second.

    How You Can Help

    The coolest thing I’ve learned is that my brain can be “jump-started.” If you see me struggling with an “S” word, making a “Sssss” sound for me actually gives my brain a blueprint to follow. I learned this during rehab with Chris and Derrick. It’s been somewhat embarrassing, but also funny to experience, knowing what’s going on. It helps me find the physical movement I need to get the word out.

    My intelligence hasn’t changed, and I’m still the same Tim—I’m just working with a slightly different operating system these days.

    I’ll keep sharing updates as I learn more about how my brain is rewiring itself. Thank you to everyone for being so patient and supportive as I navigate this.

  • March is TBI Awareness Month!

    Update 3/9/26: MY BAD! It’s BRAIN Injury Awareness Month!

    Going through rehab, I met so many incredible people recovering from their own severe brain injuries, whether from strokes, aneurysms, or accidents. It really opened my eyes, and I want to make more people aware of just how life-changing a head injury really is.

    I’ve been wanting to write about my TBI experience for a while now, both to document it for myself and to share it with others. Honestly, I had never even heard of a TBI until it happened to me—and it can happen to anyone.

    Since it’s Brain Injury Awareness Month, I figured there was no better time to finally launch this site, share my story, and hopefully help others. Welcome to my first UPDATE, lol!

  • Welcome to my reboot!

    This space is dedicated to the realities of recovering from a traumatic brain injury and navigating life after October 13th, 2024. Whether you’re here to check in on my progress, read up on the invisible side of a TBI, or just see how I’m moving forward, thank you for stopping by.

    Oh, and yes, I did take that photo in Nevada at Red Rock Canyon. I have a wide, full-color print of it, which I LOVE because it brings back great memories!

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©2026 Timpossible

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