United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

For our next Straight Talk panel in Outreach we would like to interview teens with TBPI's. I would like to stick to ages 13 to 19 for now, If I dont get enough participants in that age range we can open it up some. But for now any one who is 13-19 and traumatically injured and interested in participating in the Straight Talk panel please email me at amy@ubpn.org
Thanks,
Amy 20 years old ROBPI from MN
UBPN Board Member

Amy,
Dustin was injured at 18 but just turned 20 in May. If you would like I think he can help you out.
Sue

Sue, thanks for the offer, I will keep Dustin in mind if I need to expand the age range! Hopefully I can get some more of the teens to participate.
Hugs,
Amy

Hi Amy
Because of the nature of tbpi (mainly high impact injuries) the commonest age range is late teens, early 20's. There are tbpi of all ages, but the largest number are young men in their early 20's, so it might be worth expanding because it's likely that the majority of tbpi reading the article Outreach will be older than their teens.

Thanks Jenny,
I will expand if I dont get replies from teen but I had specific requests to do teens this time so that my goal. I will give it a bit more time and see how many participant I end up with. Thanks again for the suggestion!
Hugs,
Amy

I guess that's what I was getting at-the age group in tbpi that really feel the pain and need the help are the newly injured young ones who lost their jobs and insurance as a result of their tbpi, and they really need a voice. There are far too many here with no access to proper medical help and they feel hopeless, they read of all the help and progress the lucky ones get and altho kids up to 18 can get help through Shriner's, there's nothing at all out there for some of the older ones. It's a tragedy and it would be great if they had a voice, for some reason people seem to ignore the posts begging for help to see a doctor. I know for me there isn't much I can say, I can't offer financial help and the only thing I can offer, which is an awareness that life with a non working arm is as good as it was with two, is often not what newly injured want to hear. I lost my arm aged 21, nothing anyone can say can make that feel better at the time. Being unable to acess a specialist would have made that just so much worse. Young adults (which of course includes teens) are those most affected by tbpi. I look forward to reading the end result tho, because the people in this age group I've supported are among the most truly inspirational there are, even those who have little or no hope of recovery.Great idea to do this panel.

Boy, Priscilla, you hit the nail on the head with your post. Melanie was 20 when she had her accident. I was the one who found out, via internet, what trearments were available and suggested it to the neurosurgeon here in PA. She then referred us to Mayo. Melanie relies on me to keep up with things. I don't know if she doesn't like talking about it or if she is afraid or a little of both. That's why I am the one here and not her. As a mother I guess I feel as if I should try to fix everything and sometimes it's worse because I'm a nurse and I feel so helpless. So I keep searching... Sue

my injury was 1 week before my 18th b-day. Without my parents directing me in the direction of Mayo clinic I would not have an arm. The doctors here were ready to amputate. Older teens, like myself at the time, go into denial or depression and ignore the injury. If I didn't have my parents who knows where I'd be. Just 18-no money, no spouse, friends went to college and NO ARM. The worst time of my life...................

the young teens need the most help!!!! I'm 38 now.

I would love to help anyone out there that needs someone to listen to or get advice or just someone who knows what its like to have an arm all your life and then during the most impressionable time of anyone's life its taken away from you; right before your life is going into your own independence. You're ready to go on your own but can't.................where do you go? what do you do? How do you accept it? What will you do for living? Who will love you? Those questions ran through my mind for several years as I laid in my bed at night-alone!