Tbilaw.com has been at the cornerstone of the web advocacy of the Brain Injury Law Group since it went online in 1996.For a full treatment of the topic of brain injury, and recovering adequate compensation for those who have survived such injury, please visit our other pages.
Waiting.com, a page designed to assist those with issues regarding coma, especially in the acute phase when the doctors are saying "I just don't know."
Vestibulardisorder.com addresses vertigo and dizziness resulting from trauma as well as information and resources for vestibular disorders.
Subtlebraininjury.com focuses on all aspects of concussion and non-coma injuries.

Adapted from an Alaskan Native Tale

In ancient Alaska, in the land of the rain forests and totems, a young native boy lived near the edge of the sea. The boy's love for the wonder of the sea, helped to feed his family. He reveled in its mysteries and learned from the elders, and dreamed of becoming his village's greatest fisherman.

Each day he would go to the place where the rushing mountain stream flowed into the sea and watch for the salmon. Much of the year, the salmon would be far out past the mist covered islands, so he would cast his line for the strange and wonderful tasting fish that lived in the deep channels between the islands. When he was six, he caught a giant halibut, the strange fish with eyes on only one side of its head, a fish that was far bigger than he and his family feasted on it for weeks.

His mastery of the the sea and all its treasures not only made him a legend with his people, he became the favorite of the clever Raven and was accorded respect by the majestic eagle. While the eagle would soar above, the Raven perched nearby and talked to him, telling him of the greater mysteries of the sea and of the thousands of islands beyond the mist and the endless ocean that lay beyond. Many was the day he caught more fish than he could carry, so he would just sit and listen to the Raven, dreaming of the great tree he would carve into a canoe, to some day journey to the sea beyond the mist, so that his people could eat fresh salmon year round.

To his people, the Raven was more than a god. He was a combination of good, evil and cunning, that held the key to knowledge, not only of the world, but of the hidden spirits. So for the Raven to teach him was not remarkable, but showed the special place he held amongst his people.

But one day something truly amazing happened. When all his fish had been caught, and the Raven's stories had him gazing into the deeps of the channel, a massive, but beautiful salmon appeared. The salmon did not just leap from the waters, it suspended itself above the water, pausing to speak to the boy.

The great salmon said, "My name is Katstlilane. You must not dream of the ocean, for it is only the salmon that are meant to live both amongst your mist and in the place of the big waves. Be content with what you are, your people need you and my people cannot share our ocean with you. If you promise to protect my people, you need only come to the sea and say my name, and I will always find you other fish." With a mighty splash, the salmon returned to the deep.

The Raven explained to the boy the miracle of the salmon cycle, born in the rushing mountain streams, swept out to sea while still young, only to return as the large majestic beauties he waited for each year, to spawn and continue the cycle. The Raven also explained that if the boy were to lead his people on a quest to follow the salmon into the big waves, there would soon be no salmon to return each year.

The boy was wise of the ways of fish and the sea and he understood. But he was so excited by what he learned, he ran home as fast as he could. As he ran, he repeated the fish's name so that he would not forget. But in his haste, he fell. When he brushed himself off and started to run again, he realized he had forgotten the great salmon's name. The boy ran back to his special spot, but because he had forgotten, he couldn't call out to the great salmon.

But the Raven remembered. So after the Raven told him Katstlilane again, he ran back towards his village. But he had gone only a short ways, before he stumbled again. When he got up, he had forgotten again. Angry that he had fallen and frustrated that he could not remember something so precious and simple as this great salmon's name, he returned to the sea.

Once more the Raven shared the precious secret with him. But the Raven also told him to be more careful, to not run so fast. He was more careful this time, but when he got to the door of his house, he'd forgotten again.. He was very tired, more tired than he had ever been. His stomach hurt and he felt dizzy. Yet he was determined to go back to ask the Raven again, but now he couldn't remember what he was to ask.

But as the boy took his first faltering steps back to the sea, the Raven appeared out of the mist. As the boy looked up at this familiar creature, searching for the question which he so needed, he fell dead.

The Raven was so saddened by his friends death, he spoke not of the great salmon, nor ever again of the secrets of the sea. The Raven shared his silent sorrow with no one. And henceforth the Raven called no man his friend.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is freely adapted from an Alaskan native story, recorded by Edward L. Keithahn, Alaska Igloo Tales, Seattle: Robert D. Seal, 1958 and Emily Ivanoff Brown, Tales of Ticasuk, Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 1987. The primary adaptation is that this story is told as a Tlingit story - the totem builders of Southeast Alaska - rather than as an Eskimo story. (The author and his illustrator just returned from a trip to Ketchikan, Alaska, Tlingit country). The brain injury components of this story, the boy's inability to remember the great fish's name, and his sudden death after the repeated concussions, without any reported loss of consciousness, are true to the original Eskimo legend.

NEXT: PASSOVER PRAYER

"No head injury is too severe to despair of, nor too trivial to ignore."- Hippocrates

 

Understanding Subtle Brain Injury

The concussions that disable, are almost always more symptomatic at 24 hours, than at the 2-4 hour time frame when injured persons are evaluated in the emergency room. Brain injury symptoms escalate over the first 24 hours, because brain injury involves a cascade of events. It is critical that if you are still symptomatic the day after your injury, go back to the same Emergency Room, don’t wait for a doctors appointment. It is critical that the Emergency Room personnel see that the symptoms still persist or have gotten worse.

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This site is brought to you by the advocates of the Brain Injury Law Group, a community of plaintiff's trial lawyers across the United States united by a common interest in serving the rights of persons with traumatic brain injuries and a common commitment to fully understanding the anatomic, medical and psychological aspects of TBI.

The Brain Injury Law Group is involved with a network of plaintiff's trial lawyers across the United States united by a common interest in serving the rights of persons with traumatic brain injuries and a common commitment to fully understanding the anatomic, medical and psychological aspects of TBI, so we may be of better service to the survivors of brain injury. This network of lawyers are not part of a national law firm. We have separate law practices and are licensed to practice only in our home states.

The Brain Injury Law Group is here to listen and for that reason we maintain an 800 number and a staff willing to discuss your case and legal information where appropriate. There is no charge to call. We only represent people on a contingent fee basis and charge a fee only when we recover for the client. For more on Attorney Gordon Johnson, click here.