FREE CONSULTATION - CALL: 512-369-3737
  • 22 Jun 2016

When you think of going to the lake, you think of swimming and fishing. You think of family, and fun times. For me when I was nine years old, going to the lake meant I was going to get a simple mosquito bite. I didn’t worry about the bites, why should I? I had had hundreds of them. The mosquito bite I had acquired from the lake trip that day, caused my brain to attack itself and I was put into the hospital with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM).

I was in the PICU for nearly two months, and I cannot recall what happened in those two months. My brain was so swollen that I have lost valuable memories of my childhood. While I was in the hospital, the doctors had to act fast. They gave me doses of IgG to reverse the swelling, but they told my family to not get their hopes up about me ever speaking normally or ever performing well in school again.

The treatments they administered took effect, and I came out of my vegetated state. I was a fighter and fought to get into speech therapy, which had a long shot of fully working because my brain was so dysfunctional at this time. Over time my speech became more coherent, and I began to walk like I used to be able to walk. This all happened over the course of the summer, and I was determined to be okay by the time school came around.

When school came around, I wasn’t fully ready. Kids made fun of me because I couldn’t talk normally like I used to be able to. That didn’t discourage me, I fought to keep my grades up.

I never had any more problems until I was in middle school, I began having seizures in my sleep as a result of the brain damage I still have left from the ADEM. I went to a neurologist who now has the seizures under control, so I can now go and enjoy my life.

As of now, I am a high school graduate, who graduated with honors and has competed in national level science competitions. I am enrolled in West Virginia Wesleyan College, which is a four- year private college, and I am majoring in Biology. After Wesleyan I want to go to medical school and specialize in genetic pathology.

Struggling with a brain injury most of my life hasn’t discouraged me, it’s made me a stronger person if anything. I’ve overcame a lot more than the average person, and I’ve come to know myself on a whole different level. I’m not any less, or educated because I have a brain injury. I have learned what I can and can’t do at an earlier age, and for that I am grateful. I am thankful to be here, and who I am today.

Legal Notice

This Website is meant for marketing purposes only. The website and communications through it do not constitute a client-attorney relationship. David White is a criminal defense attorney with offices in Austin Texas. David defends clients throughout Austin and the surrounding areas.

Law Office of David D. White, PLLC
608 W. 12TH ST.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 369-3737
Click Here for Directions
s