Program at Sinai Hospital helps brain injury patients get back to life

BALTIMORE - We are the masters of multi-tasking. You've got the TV on, dinner on the stove, the laundry going, and helping the kids with homework.

But all this changes for people who suffer a brain injury.

Mitchell Treger used to be a trial lawyer and live life at lightening speed. He says, "I used to read 10 faxes, 50 emails and a 50 page brief in the course of an hour."

But all that changed 2 years ago when he was in a skateboarding accident. Mitchell says, "I got on it and started going down the street and then the only thing I can remember is oh my god how am I going to stop and that was it."

Mitchell suffered a traumatic brain injury. When he woke up at Sinai Hospital, he had no idea he would have to relearn almost everything. How to type, how to stand, and how to balance on his feet.

Mitchell says, "My head wanted to believe that everything was fine. I wanted to take out the tubes."

After the injury, Mitchell got help at Sinai in a program called RETURN!. Therapists work with brain injury patients to teach them how to carry on a conversation, manage simple tasks, and get back into the community.

If you know someone who could benefit from the RETURN! program, you can call Lifebridge Health at 410-601-9355.

Did you know that 1.7 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury each year?  Read more here .