Sarnia-Lambton Brain Injury Association marking 30th anniversary

Ethnee Roodt remembers glamour: wearing high heels and walking on stage with her violin.

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But the former International Symphony Orchestra musician, classically trained and from a musical family, said she doesn’t play anymore.

Almost 18 months ago, she was walking through an accessible door, held open electronically, on her way to teach youth music, she said.

It slammed shut on her unexpectedly, hitting her head, she said, calling it a freak accident.

“That is what caused the concussion,” she said.

Bright lights, and loud noises are still jarring, she said.

She has difficulty multi-tasking, and even picking food among different labels in a grocery store can be overwhelming because it’s hard to filter information, she said.

The injury shifted her midline — normally vertically, down the body’s middle — causing perception issues, she said, noting she needed vision therapy and prism glasses to compensate.

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She still wears a weighted vest when she’s not in familiar surroundings, helping her feel like she’s grounded and secure, she said.

She wears flats, she said.

Reading sheet music, and paying attention to what she’s doing playing violin, and others at the same time, is difficult, she said.

She recalls picking up her violin and playing a relatively simple song from memory once, and later feeling repulsed but not understanding why, she said, until someone explained it was post-traumatic stress.

“I played violin for all my life in South Africa, in the US, on the west coast of Canada and now here,” said Roodt, also a Lambton College-educated early childhood educator.

“Now, it’s just not part of my existence any more,” she said.

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Unable to work, drive in traffic, or do the things she normally did was jarring and made her think of suicide, she said.

“Coming here pulled me out,” she said about the Sarnia-Lambton Brain Injury Association.

She’s one among about 100 members with the group that holds informal support groups Tuesdays at the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) building on London Line, said Lori Girolametto, the non-profit’s executive director.

On Thursdays, members create art, go swimming, or hold other activities, like a Thanksgiving dinner that was planned Thursday, she said.

The group provides comfort and a sense of belonging for people, she said.

“I think they would see themselves very much like a second family,” she said.

It has a partnership with the Women’s Interval Home of Sarnia-Lambton for referrals, she said, noting the need for caution and sensitivity when dealing with head injuries has become more widely accepted.

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“The prevalence is becoming larger, with sports injuries, domestic violence, motor vehicle accidents,” she said.

Nevertheless, the group isn’t well known, said Roodt.

She was referred by a friend, but others she knows in the group spent years in isolation before finding it, she said, noting there was no mention of the group from health care providers when she was being treated for her injury.

“It’s the highlight of my week to come here for the support group and coffee and just be able to exhale,” she said.

That means not having to worry about how others perceive her, she said.

“Everybody here, this is just the norm. So, everyone is just accepting because we understand.”

She’s lost friends who couldn’t understand why she wasn’t able to do certain things, she said, or why her capabilities sometimes changed day to day.

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“I found myself thinking, ‘if only I’d broken an arm or broken a leg, this friend or that friend would be more supportive,’” she said, encouraging people to be patient and consider what someone might be going through if that person seems off.

The association is marking its 30th anniversary Oct. 17 from 3 pm to 7 pm at the 1705 London Line VON building, with information about programs and with survivors on hand to explain them, Girolametto said.

“Just a really great opportunity to let the community know that we’re here,” she said.

Roodt, who said her husband and children have also helped her, including keeping her seasonal ice-cream business, Bubbles, going, added learning her post-concussion symptoms might never go away was freeing for her.

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“Because I was told ‘Oh, soon. Get better soon. Feel better quickly. Speedy recovery,” she said.

“And I held onto that hope until somebody from this group, who is an occupational therapist and a survivor… said ‘you might never get better, so you have to start loving yourself today.’”

More association details are at sarniabiasl.ca.

[email protected]

LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS

• Bluewater Health withdrawal management services: 519-464-4487
• CMHA Lambton-Kent: 1-800-307-4319
• St. Clair Child and Youth Services: 519-337-3701
• Family Counseling Center:
• Crisis line for youth: 1-833-622-1320
• Distress line for adults: 1-888-347-8737

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