Erika

I edited my profile with Thomas’ Myspace Editor V3.6 !
------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ --About me…hmm, there really is too much to write, but if you want to get a glimpse into my world, check out my book: I’m Going to Dance: A Memoir about Traumatic Brain Injury.It can be found on my website: http://www.SurvivingDancer.org (There are also pictures from the fundraser I mention a little further down, & if you go to the Merchandise page, you can read the "blurbs" that people who read my book wrote about it.) ----------------------------------------------------------- Yes, I am a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivor. For the sake of brevity, I’ll sum my life up with a list: ----------------------------------------------------------- I sustained a TBI after having a head on collision with another vehicle, being thrown out of the passenger-side window, and colliding headfirst into a telephone pole. (My seat belt saved me from flying through the windshield, but came off.) ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------- I wasn’t expected to come out of the coma, and the best prognosis given was for me to exist in a vegetative state. ------------------------------------------------------- I slowly began to recover, having to re-learn how to do everything. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------- I went back to school, earned: AS, BA, & MA. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------ I wrote a book about my experience with TBI. ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------- I learned how to dance. (There are articles written on my story posted as blogs, as well as the 1st chapter of my book, & an article I wrote for Violet magazine.) ------------------------------------------------------------ ------- I organized a dance/fundraser to raise money for the Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS,) and this first time event, created by a brain-injured girl, raised over $16,000 for BIANYS. (A video of me & my dance teacher dancing at the event is in the video section.) ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------ I started my own motivational business & am working bring everything that is supposed to happen, to fruition. I'm having a little trouble b/c I wasn't born with instructions but I'm making every effort I can think of. ------------------------------ I received a certificate of registration from the Writers Guild East, upon submitting my screenplay in the beginning of March '07. ------------------------------------------------------------ --- I do need help because there is so much that I want to do, & I expect when my life begins to transition into the composition it was meant to, it will be necessary for my business to be organized, functional, & accessible. ------------------------------------------------------------ -- I am also trying to raise awareness of TBI, an often silent killer & disabler, that according to the Centers for Disease Control, in a report to Congress in 2002, an estimated 5.3 million Americans were currently suffering from injuries resulting from a TBI. ------------------------------------------------------------ ----- I have been trying, pretty much by myself, to get my life moving in the direction I feel that I need to be going in. I don't want to do it alone & I have tried to get people involved, but I am unwilling to have anyone on my "team" who I will end up having to carry. I have a hard enough time getting done what I need to & can't get occupied by needing to re-do things. I have asked certain people for help but haven't gotten any positive responses & no one I know can see what I do. (Well, 3/08- I do have one actual friend & 3 My Spacers encouraging me. - I'm not quite sure why George Clooney hasn't gotten back to me, yet. Soon.)Anyway, I invested in a coach through Professional Educational Institute (PEI) & these coaches are taught by Jack Canfield & they use his Success Principles. I have sent many letters to Jack to try & get his attention. - I actually met Jack at one of his Ultimate Life Experience conferences the weekend of 2/8/08. The conference was great, with Jack & Jim Bunch speaking & it allowed me to realize that I am doing exactly what I supposed to & gave me an even further conviction that I am going the correct route. I have encountered opportunities, that most people would have taken b/c they believed that's the best they were going to get, but I believe my story needs to be told the way I see it because it will allow for the greatest possible audience & will be able to help the most people. Jack is totally the type of person I would love to learn from & be supported by. (I am a perfect example of what he teaches: perseverance, ask, ask, ask, believe it’s possible, believe in yourself, practice persistence, exceed expectations...) I have been living by these “principles” or “the secret,” unknowingly, for years. They are known, trusted, & proven concepts that have been re-named & packaged differently.I didn't choose to have a brain injury, but I did, & I am able to successfully articulate my thoughts, & therefore feel obligated to be a voice for this community that often goes unheard.If anyone can offer suggestions that will help me make a definite move to encourage my goal coming to fruition, I would totally appreciate it.