Les Paul Morgan could have spent the rest of his life in a sad condition of self-pity after suffering a brain injury from an aneurysm in 1984 while working on a machine at the factory where he was employed. He didn’t isolate or feel sorry for himself. Instead, the Georgia resident, after undergoing seven surgeries on his brain, has dedicated his efforts to raising awareness and improving the quality of life for others with conditions similar to his own.
Morgan was in a coma for six months after his aneurysm and doctors expected him to never make it back to conscious awareness. His coma ended the moment he heard music playing over the hospital intercom system. At first, he couldn’t walk or talk at all, and doctors expected that he might never regain full control of his body. Morgan had a different outlook. ‘One by one, everything they said – I somehow beat it,’ he told the Metro Spirit. He can now walk, drive, and talk again. He accomplished all of it even after suffering another aneurysm in 1994.
On March 27, 2010, many of Morgan’s rehabilitation efforts paid off. He coordinated and organized the Brain Injury Awareness walk in conjunction with Brain Injury Awareness Month. Morgan also runs the CSRA Dream Catchers support group for survivors of brain and spinal cord injuries to share their stories of struggle and recovery with one another.
For some people, returning to work and making themselves useful is a matter of paying the bills and getting by. For Morgan, it has been a quest of returning to confidence and using courage in the face of terrible odds. While many people around the country search for work, Morgan was finally offered a job with computers. He had to take classes to learn to use them, but he never backs down from a challenge. Morgan continues to do what he loves. Instead of just surviving, he has chosen to thrive.
References:
Bishop, Barclay. (March 27, 2010) ‘Brain Injury Awareness Walk.’ Retrieved on March 30, 2010 from the ABC News Channel Six Web site:http://www2.wjbf.com/jbf/news/state_regional/georgia/article/brain_injur…
Davis, Jonathan. (March 28, 2010) ‘A walk to bring awareness about Brain Injuries.’ Retrieved on March 30, 2010 from the NBC Augusta Web site:http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/89337672.html
Johnson, Eric. (March 25, 2010) ‘Struggling to work.’ Retrieved on March 30, 2010 from theMetro Spirit Web site: http://metrospirit.com/index.php?cat=1211101074307265&ShowArticle_ID=110…