Flooded Anthology – Get Aboard!

Helllooo everybody and happy Monday!

I feel like I can say that because I’ve just finished cleaning the house (yuck!) and I have this blog post ready to go on time. I’m excited about putting this post up, because I’m really excited about getting involved in the ‘Flooded’ project.

‘Flooded: A Creative Anthology of Brain Injuries’ is the pet project of Victoria Griffin, a writer and editor at Blue Pen Editing Services, who suffered a concussion while playing softball in early 2016. Now, I’m fairly sure most people have heard of concussion. You get them from hard hits to the head and in tv shows, they always shine a light in the concussed person’s eyes to see whether his or her pupils exhibit the correct dilation response to stimulus. The other tips I’ve picked up from tv are that the concussed person has to be kept awake (for some reason), and they’re typically not that serious. Like you have a few weeks off and you’re careful, and then you’re good to go.

Guys, that pretty much covers what I know about concussions… And both my parents are doctors (further embarrassing confession: my mum’s a neurologist).

That leads me to assume that most of us have fairly limited knowledge of the risks of concussion, or the possible impacts of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) on people’s lives. It only becomes real for us and important to us when either we, or someone we know, is involved in an incident that results in a brain injury. Hopefully, that will never happen to you or to someone you know and love.

Hopefully.

Because statistically speaking (according to this very informative page of the CDC), 2010 saw 2.5 million ER room visits, hospitalisations or deaths associated with TBI in the US alone. Unintentional blunt trauma – like, for instance, being hit by a softball at practice as Tori was – was the second leading cause of TBI in the US from 2006-2010, according to those same statistics. That means that it could happen to anyone. A softball, a football collision, a fall (these account for over FORTY PERCENT of total TBI injuries), a motor vehicle accident… These events happen every day, all over the world, to normal, everyday people. People like you and I. Yet we have a very minimal knowledge of what exactly the consequences of that event could be for us. A TBI disrupts normal functioning of the brain, ranging in severity from mild to severe.

The long-lasting effects of that seemingly ‘insignificant’ concussion for Tori would horrify most normal people. In fact, if you think you’re strong enough to read exactly how debilitating this concussion was, jump on over to her blog post about it at http://www.victoriagriffin.net/blog/lessons-from-hell, but I warn you… It’s not for the faint of heart.

“… It lasted four months. The injury stripped away my entire identity. I couldn’t read, write, or understand words that were spoken to me. I couldn’t turn on lights or walk across the room.”

Tori’s response to her injury and the resultant trauma associated with her recovery is nothing short of inspiring. Not only did she guts her way through to complete her degree (with straight As), she’s now working her butt off to put together this incredible anthology – Flooded.

This 200-page paperback anthology will include both fiction and creative nonfiction about brain injuries and will consist of work from approximately twenty different contributors. These writers will be victims, their friends and loved ones, or anyone else who has researched brain injuries in order to put together a piece of work that accurately represents the trauma and challenges of TBI. Submissions are open from 15 November 2016 and anyone can put forward work for inclusion, including people who have never suffered brain injuries. It’s an exciting and inspiring opportunity to learn about TBI and put together a fiction or non-fiction piece to continue educating people and raising of brain injuries.

Spread the word! Get excited and get involved. Either draft something to submit, donate to the Kickstarter Campaign opening 10 November or help promote Flooded on various social media platforms. Anything you do can help to raise awareness and get support for this project.

If you’re interested in learning more about Victoria Griffin, her work or the awesome work she’s doing in putting together the Flooded Anthology, head over to her blog at victoriagriffin.net or check her out on Facebook at Victoria Griffin. To me at least, this is something awe-inspiring, educational and beautifully creative that I want to be involved in. I hope you do too.

— Ana.