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PAN PIPES • FALL 2017 • sai-national.org 16 RECOVERY L ife can sometimes take roads that you may never even think of as a possibility. A huge change can seem ludicrous. ose two thoughts are very much the way my brain processed one horrible day in July 2016. I was driving to work when I turned too quickly and couldn't readjust my car in time. e car hit a tree on the passenger side, crumpling in. My face hit the steering wheel incredibly hard, and I became unconscious. When the police officer found me shortly aer the accident occurred, he responded quickly and made sure that I was sent somewhere where I could receive the best care. roughout that process, music played a large role and continues to be my underlying drive to heal. e oddest part about this incident was that I lost a lot of memories not only from roughly a year or two before the accident but also random memories from all over my life. For instance, I have no memory of my husband proposing to me. I remember us dating; next we were looking across from each other, which I believe was our wedding. I also don't remember adopting one of our cats, Gershwin, from the animal shelter several years before. It is exceedingly strange to think there is so much in life one can miss. e most exciting set of memories that I was unaware of was discovering that I had finally purchased a new flute, something that needed to be done during my undergraduate degree, and that I had been accepted to do my doctorate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England but hadn't started the degree yet. While I was in the rehabilitation hospital, my husband would put flute music on and I would, oddly enough, finger along by memory. e musician in me was clearly not impacted in the accident. Music has been arguably the most influential part of my life so it is no surprise that I pursued it in college. Whether listening to a Beethoven symphony or enjoying Louis Armstrong soloing on trumpet or scatting, music is the biggest healing power for me. What I would discover aer leaving the rehabilitation hospital was that many things that were simple to me before the accident were incredibly difficult now; but, who I am was not affected, and for that I am incredibly grateful. When we came home, I had no recollection of moving to Missouri or our house. I stayed in certain places on purpose so I could help my brain remember how I got there and how I could get back when I wanted to. e difficult part about coming home was that my energy level was almost nonexistent. I'd try to do something, forget what it was, and get incredibly tired while I was trying to remember what I'd forgotten and have to nap. Between my physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy, I was struggling to do even the simplest task aer coming home. ankfully, my energy increased over time, and that meant I could do more during the day and attempt to bring my life back to normal. It took about a month or so of being home but I was finally able and willing to try playing flute again at the end of October Using Music to Recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury SAI Mira Spenner used music to recover after an automobile accident. PAN PIPES • FALL 2017 • sai-national.org 16

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