Our Story of An Unexpected Journey…
Ours began on August 13, 2001 with a phone call from the Chaplain of St Joseph Regional medical center. Our son Jordan, who was 18 at the time, had been in a car accident and was unconscious in intensive care.
When we arrived at the hospital Emergency Room Jordan was sleeping, no visible signs of an accident except a small cut on his elbow. He remained unconscious for the next 4 days. We spent days & nights watching over him because he would try to climb out of the bed and remove all of the medical equipment that was attached to him. He had several small brain bleeds they continued to monitor. The medical doctors and nurses prepared us for what may be… he may not know you, he may not be able to walk, talk or feed himself. Your brain can’t comprehend it…he’s just sleeping. On day 5 he woke up! The relief that washes over your heart is indescribable. He knows you, he walks, he talks, he feeds himself, all's right with the world. They send him home with you.
We think, let’s take some time to rest and then get back to living, all is well. As the weeks went by memory issues remained, irritability set in, anxiety took over and you realize life will never be the same. With TBI, PTSD, challenges with suicidal ideation becoming a constant life cycle, Jordan hangs on and becomes the strongest person I know. He faces every day knowing that it will be different, some good, some bad and always changing.
In 2016 we embarked on a mission to take all of the information we had learned over the years and apply it to a mobile app designed to help others who are struggling with life challenges or who are looking to improve their life through connection and structure. Jordan was our designer of features/services and I managed the development team and wrote checks! :-) We chose to transform tragedy into hope.
Our first version of the app is completed and we are excited to share it with others who can benefit from using it. The Lightbridge App is configurable to fit each individual member's life, build your own life routines, practice emotional awareness, get support from your selected support contacts and join a community that has a similar life experience or similar interests.
As we developed the app we remained focused on TBI, PTSD and suicide prevention since that is what we knew and lived each day. As we began sharing the app with others we have come to realize that what we have built can benefit many other people who are trying to live their best life.
This year we celebrated 21 years of living with our son. We are so grateful for that! Our hope is that others will be able to both face the “brutal facts” of life while at the same time retain the real hope and unwavering belief that in the end you will prevail and live your best life.
It is our hope that through our story you will be inspired to carry on and join us in living your best life!