Always Running
By: Emilio Fuentes III
In Always Running, Emilio Fuentes III brings a unique and first-person account of living with a traumatic brain injury. The experiences he writes about deal with the time he spent at a transitional learning center helping patients with TBI's regain whatever independence their cognitive function will allow. He began documenting his journey to recovery from the first day he walked through the doors of that facility.
Emilio shares his experiences as viewed through his eyes, the eyes of someone with an invisible disability. His story is raw and unfiltered, filled with humor and pathos. His observations of how the more severe TBI patients were sometimes treated by the staff are enlightening, which made him appreciate his higher level of functioning.
In this revealing autobiography, you are inside the mind of someone with a traumatic brain injury as they navigate their path into a new reality. Someone with a bright future but because of one poor decision, the trajectory of his life changed forever. This story is more than his journey to recovery, it is about rebirth. A second chance at life. Perhaps not like the previous life, but life, nonetheless.
About the Author
Emilio Fuentes III is a young man in a relentless pursuit of regaining the independent living lifestyle that he was robbed of when he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Prior to the accident, he was attending college with a goal of having a career in law enforcement. Outside of the classroom he enjoyed daily trips to the gym and working on producing music in the evenings. He enjoyed an active social life which included family and friends.
His big dreams turned into a nightmarish future due to bad decisions that culminated in a tragic accident. Running across an expressway while under the influence of halogenic drugs, he got hit by two vehicles and lay braindead on the pavement until paramedics arrived to transport him to the nearest trauma center.
So, at the young age of 23, he lay comatose plugged to a ventilator, clinging to life. His prognosis was that if he did not wake up from his coma, he would have to be placed in a long-term care facility. He confounded all of his doctors when, seven days later, he was taken off the ventilator and rejoined the land of the living. Today, after extensive rehabilitation and a stint at a transitional learning center, he lives with his grandparents in Amarillo, Texas. Emilio continues to pursue his twin passions - writing about his experiences as a TBI survivor and expressing himself through his music.
