Dealing with a Head injury at Nine Years Old

By Henry More

After suffering a severe head injury at nine years old, Henry has embraced the difficulties of his condition. In this book, he depicts what it was like growing up between the ages of thirteen and twenty-five with a small learning disability. His quirky and bold writing style makes the reader engage their critical thinking, as they wonder whether he will win out in the end.

Unlike most memoir writers, Henry chooses not to end his story; he wonders if he will ever need an ending. Brain damage is a tricky topic and Henry certainly isn’t easy on himself. After reading his first-person account of waking up from a coma, the reader may wonder how he has been able to accomplish so much. In the end, and in the light of his parents’ support, Henry will never know how much his head Injury has really affected his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398476691

Henry More

Henry is aspiring to be a full-time writer and has chosen to dedicate a lot of his time to this book and loves the outcome. Born and raised in Invercargill, New Zealand, Henry loves his summers which are spent lakeside. Henry is a bronze, silver and gold Duke of Edinburgh recipient and has completed grade eight speech passing his initial exam with 97% which was in 2005 the same year Henry had his head injury.

Book preview

About the Author

Henry is aspiring to be a full-time writer and has chosen to dedicate a lot of his time to this book and loves the outcome. Born and raised in Invercargill New Zealand, Henry loves his summers which are spent lake side. Henry is a bronze, silver and gold Duke of Edinburgh recipient and has completed grade eight speech passing his initial exam with 97% which was in 2005 the same year Henry had his head injury.

Copyright Information ©

Henry More 2023

The right of Henry More to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

All of the events in this memoir are true to the best of author’s memory. The views expressed in this memoir are solely those of the author.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398476677 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398476684 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781398476691 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank the loving support of my close family, my sister Rosamund More, my brother Charles More and my parents Fergus More and Brigid More.

Mr Hansen’s 2009 social studies class and Mr Dunlop’s 2009 science class.

Chapter One

July 20, 2005

I had a lot of benefits growing up and I never really felt like I struggled. I do not have any disadvantages stopping me from living my life exactly the way I want to. The premise behind this story is not how successful my life is, it is a collection of written passages from me at different ages, trying to be philosophical. I started this book when I was twelve and there is no real structure to it, I just want you to know that I end up at a pretty special time in my life. I intentionally didn’t study other books similar to mine because I wanted to make this experience as real as it can be. Every time I say something broad, think of it as attempting to be special and unique, because after more than eight years of trying to write this book, I sure as hell know that I am not special.

On July 20, 2005, I suffered a head injury resulting in being flown from Coronet Peak Ski field to Dunedin intensive Care via the Wespac Rescue Helicopter. The description of my injuries included concussion, diffuse brain injury, pneumonia due to streptococcus, open fracture mandible (site unspecified) traumatic pneumothorax.

It was the first season I wore a helmet skiing; I was nine years old and lucky to be alive.

Should it matter that hours before a helicopter ride from Dunedin paediatric ward to Starship Hospital, I started moving my arm, resulting in the cancel of a surgery that many doctors organised because of my hemiparesis condition, post right side head injury. Not to me, that wasn’t really a big deal, although it certainly made headlines in the Invercargill Newspaper. I just wanted to be a normal nine-year-old boy. This head injury didn’t make me feel different; the only real exposure I got were the side effects off of the drugs I got in hospital, such as steroids. I was prescribed steroids because in turn my left arm and left leg were having trouble gaining movement after hemiparesis which is a complete loss of strength and movement on one side. A common side effect of steroids is a very hairy back: to me that was cool and the only cool thing I got out of this experience. Also, there were all the newspapers about me and headlines I