Tammy’s Story

Extraordinary Perspective

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Before the accident, Tammy Jensenโ€™s typical day was a busy, noisy, go-get-โ€™em affair. The mother of two zipped back and forth from Buhl to Duluth, Minnesota for work, where she saw orthodontics patients each day.

Besides being busy raising her children and traveling to and from her job, Tammy sang in the community choir, volunteered for a youth program and organized massive church events. Then, suddenly, everything slowed down and spun aroundโ€”a feeling that continued long after the deer jumped out in front of her car on that fateful summer day on Highway 53.

โ€œAfter Polinsky, the light turned back on and showed me there was hope.โ€

โ€”Tammy

โ€œLife has not been the same since. Itโ€™s been a long slow heal since the concussion,โ€ Tammy says.

She followed all the recommendations: resting for days in the dark, hot and cold packs, no screen time. But the nausea, buzzing and sirens in her head wouldnโ€™t stop. And despite trying to do work and life as sheโ€™d always known, her sensory system wouldnโ€™t let her. Five weeks after the car crash, she was referred to Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center. And the healing began.

โ€œPolinsky staff helped me identify what was wrong, and what I could do,โ€ she says. โ€œThey taught me to say โ€˜if,โ€™ not โ€˜when,โ€™ and gave me strategies to work in the now. They taught me that if it all doesnโ€™t come back, I can be prepared, which was so helpful.โ€

The insights gained from physical, occupational and speech therapy gave her vital coping mechanismsโ€”for balance, noise, speaking and other stimuli. Tammy learned that brain injuries can disrupt the way you process language; whispering while reading helped her remember the text. She learned her sense of โ€œfloating on a boatโ€ wasnโ€™t crazy, nor was the helmet-like heaviness on her head. If her eyes felt drunk, tape on her eyeglasses grounded her.

โ€œAfter Polinsky, the light turned back on and showed me there was hope,โ€ she says. โ€œTheyโ€™re excellent. I credit my recovery to being there.โ€

Tammy says sheโ€™s back to 75 percent of her old self. Thereโ€™s more time to take walks and explore her crafty, artistic side. Sheโ€™s taking things slower, because she still gets overwhelmed easily. As a fast-talking multitasker, itโ€™s been a challenging adjustment. Yet sheโ€™s grateful for the healing that has occurred, for the support of family and friends, and for the gift of awareness. 

A gift to Miller-Dwan Foundation helps support and sustain vital services and access to innovative care for people in our regionโ€”be the force for good.
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