real life
dean woodland's brain injury makes life challenging but, he tells mm, the love of his son - and the memory of his own father - have inspired him to face that challenge...
A father’s love for his son
syndrome: a form of brain damage that prevents him from enjoying many of the activities of his peers. Dean developed frontal lobe damage due
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to head injuries, which he received in his mid twenties. 'I got my first head injury when I leſt the
local night club and was attacked by a gang of guys. Te attack leſt me with a broken jaw and severe concussion. Several months later, I started having seizures which the doctor thought was epilepsy, so I was sent to see a neurologist for tests. Despite the fact that no results indicated epilepsy, the fact that I went on to experience several more seizures saw me diagnosed as 'epileptic'. 'A short time later, during a football
match, I went up for a header and collided with the goalkeeper, which leſt me with a broken nose and - once again - concussion. As a result, over the last two years, my health has steadily gone downhill. I now regularly experience seizures and my memory has become very bad. I also suffer very badly too from mood swings and anger issues, which became such a problem that they caused me to lose several jobs. Aſter several scans and other tests, the doctors discovered the damage to the leſt frontal lob, so it's now more a matter of management of my condition rather than 'cure'. Life is, as they say, a challenge. 'Te major shining light in my life is my
son, Lewis, who is six. He is my world and the relationship we have is simply amazing,
10MODERNMUM Autumn 2016
“You may not be able to physically see them(the brain injuries), but so many people suffer fom it every day!”
I love him more than life itself. Over the past few years, there have been many times when, as a result of my problems, self doubt has arisen, but, each time I've had these thoughts, all I have to do is to look at the pictures of Lewis which hang upon our walls to see what I've achieved in my life. 'Lewis' middle name is Bartholomew,
which was also my dad's name. Lewis was born aſter my dad passed away from a heart attack, so I just had to use his name. My relationship with Lewis mirrors that which I had with my own dad. We were best friends, and, aſter he passed away, I wrote a basic poem in his memory. 'My book, 'Journey of a Feather', is the
story about a feather that travels from place to place, experiencing friendship, loss and ultimate happiness, before being blown into the hands of a little boy (Lewis) who
believes that feathers are angels watching over us. In a way, the story very much reflects the realities of living with frontal lobe syndrome and its related brain damage. Tey say people suffering from my condition can’t be creative, so I’m out to prove that my condition is no bar to breaking new ground and excelling in life. 'I guess for me it's also a way of getting
away from the daily struggles but also raising awareness regarding both brain injuries and mental health disabilities. You may not be able to physically see them, but so many people suffer from it every day! 'Te entire project is dedicated to Lewis,
for whom I write first and foremost, and foremost, and who makes every day worth living. He is my pillar of strength and is quick to show me just how much life is leſt in us all.' „
very single moment of every single day, 40-year-old Dean Woodland lives with the debilitating pain and stress of frontal lobe
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