The Compassionate Side of Compromise: A Journey Through Traumatic Brain Injury; A Compilation of Life Events by Gary Bulmer

At the age of 20, Gary Bulmer had a hemorrhagic stroke. Technically, an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that ruptured. He and wife, Elaine, were just naive enough to listen to the professionals and follow their advice. Gary was told to develop a hobby...he did. All the artwork in this book was created by Gary. Additionally, he has worked as an advocate for the American Heart Association. They have flown him to Washington, D.C. to speak to a Senate sub-committee a few years back. In October 2019, he addressed Congress about stroke issues, including my story. He would encourage all survivors to explore some kind of hobby. He is grateful for the fantastic marriage that he and Elaine have achieved and for the wonderful family that they have. Most importantly, Gary has a good life.The purpose of this book is to help those who have found themselves on a journey of brain injury recovery. By reading stories of how even the simplest of activities has been altered by this brain injury, other survivors can choose stories that may resemble an experience or emotion they are feeling. Then share that story or stories with those around them to improve conversation and to help create a balance of this new lifestyle adding some clarification and understanding. While the brain injury itself may have only happened to one, it can impact every dynamic of everyone around.