Lindsay Caron Epstein

Activist, Agnostic, Change agent, Concerned citizen, Entrepreneur, Environmentalist, Event planner, Explorer, Jewish, Musician, Project manager, Single, Social entrepreneur, Startup, World traveler

I created a filterable directory of Adaptive Sports, called Adapt2Play. I was introduced to Adaptive Sports while healing from being victim of a hit-and-run, acquiring a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) & Hydrocephalus. Aspiring to get into public speaking about: the trauma, my miraculous healing, neuroplasticity, and historical adventures. Prior to that incident, I was a Software Product Owner, a mountaineer, backcountry skier, into kitesurfing, cycling, and living on a boat.

Entrepreneurs with Disabilities New experiences Other cultures Communities designed for cyclists and pedestrians rather than cars Create a Unique Life Path Manifest Dreams Living on a Boat

Adaptive Sports provides opportunities for people of all abilities to be active in their lives. If you love being active outside, and helping others, volunteering is both impactful and a fun adventure!

Future TED Story: I should've died last year. In April 2021 was cycling in San Diego and was hit from behind by an SUV going over 40mph. I split my head open. My body was wrecked. So was that vehicle --- but it still drove away. I have no memory of that day or the next four months. I had a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, wtih a Glasgow Coma Scale of 3, multiple broken bones, and many surgeries - including 3 brain surgeries. Glasgow Coma Scale is used to rate the severity of a Traumatic Brain Injury. It measures 3 attributes: eye movements, ability to speak, and motor / motion responses. The lowest score possible is a GCS 3: one point for each of those attributes indicates you are brain dead. The highest score is 15: five points for each attribute means you are fully functioning. With a GCS of 3 (which I had), 89% of patients die within 30 days, 7% are permanently comatose, 4% are physically and neurologically damaged forever. Doctors informed my parents I would not survive. I acquired Hydrocephalus, and now have a Shunt implanted: a pipe that runs from my brain down to my pelvis to remove the liquid that is building up in my skull. My pituitary gland was damaged and now I have Hypothyroid. My pelvis was fractured and now is 'pinned' with a 6" long screw. I was in a medically-induced coma for several weeks. Once out of it, I had to re-learn to walk, talk, dress myself, and recognize my family. I was in the hospital for five whole months. I had feeding tubes in my stomach the whole time, and a tracheostomy for some period of time. For all five months I was kept sleeping in a tent on my bed that was locked. I had to push a button on the wall to page a nurse if I needed to be let out to go to the bathroom. For several weeks my hands were enclosed in huge mitts that looked like boxing gloves, and my arms and ankles were tied to the bed posts. When I was discharged from the hospital at the end of September 2021, doctors told us I would always need a wheelchair, stay on feeding tubes, and require an at-home Nurse. Fortunately, this was inaccurate. I very quickly started to go for long walks, take the stairs, read books.... I was astounding Neuro practitioners. When I walked into their office they did a double-take. They looked at the chart, looked at me, and inquired "Are you Lindsay?" I nodded. "I thought you recently had a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury?" I nodded again. They said "Can you please walk across the room? Can you touch your toes? Can you speak?" I could easily and elegantly accomplish all three. I wasn't supposed to survive. I wasn't supposed to walk again. They were shocked. After a TBI, most survivors are not allowed to drive for at least a year, nor ride a bike. Heck us survivors are also 50 times more likely to have seizures than healthy people. Eleven months after my injury occurred, I went in for a Neuro-Psych exam. I passed well above average. My Neuroscientist thought this seemed concerning because he assessed I was incredibly intelligent and that my score should be higher, but... I was able to drive again and ride a bike! So I quickly returned to such activities. I also went to a "Love Your Brain" retreat for TBI survivors in Maine, and met with the assistants to the co-founders of the Congressional Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force in DC and gave them a presentation. In July, I left my parents house in New Jersey and flew to Seattle to return to Independent Living on my houseboat. Soon thereafter, I went to Europe for my first time to travel for two months. The rate of my recovery and successful healing is unprecedented. I feel it is critical to share this story, and the stories of the other medical miracle survivors I'm meeting. There are many of us out there! It is key to believe that miracles occur frequently. That knowledge is possibly the best medicine for future victims, their caregivers, and medical practitioners. Medical practitioners are heroes! And we all need to believe in their powers.

Singing, Travelling, Skiing, Getting Shit Done