Twelve years after a life-altering car accident, Karen reflects on her road to recovery and how the Glenrose helped her rebuild her life.
On August 10, 2013, Karen Skarra’s life changed forever.
A serious single-vehicle car accident left her with a severe traumatic brain injury, three separate skull fractures, and a spinal fracture. Karen was airlifted by STARS air ambulance to an acute care facility before being transferred to the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital where she began her journey towards recovery.
“I was impressed by how synchronized the facility was,” says Karen. “I was alternating between different specialists everyday.”
As an inpatient, Karen worked with a broad and highly specialized team including a vestibular physiotherapist to help manage dizziness and balance challenges, an occupational therapist, a physiatrist (or rehabilitation physician), a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a speech language pathologist, and a social worker. Not only did her team work with her, but they also worked with her family as well, ensuring that she would be set up for success when she returned home.
“While I wasn’t able to use my brain properly, the Glenrose worked with my family to ensure that I would stand a chance after I was discharged. They provided them a list of guidelines, resources, suggestions, and information on what to expect down the road with my recovery. They were straightforward with them that it was going to be a long and hard road ahead, but that it would be up to me to put in the work when I got home. And I did.”
After a full month spent in acute care, Karen spent another month as an inpatient at the Glenrose followed by two years of outpatient rehabilitation, where she focused not only on her physical recovery but also on her mental strength. Through cognitive exercises, brain games, support groups, and one-on-one therapy, she found tools at the Glenrose that she still leans on more than a decade later.
“It’s taken me 12 years, but I’m finally able to articulate myself so much better. I don’t embarrass myself nearly as much these days,” Karen says, adding that she still grapples with short- and long-term memory loss, aphasia or language impairment, and chronic pain and fatigue. “It’s still a real challenge and I wish more people understood just how far I’ve come and how hard I’ve worked to get to where I am today.”
Despite still recovering from her injuries, Karen’s found purpose through art and her community. A mixed-media artist, her work has been showcased in galleries, businesses, and homes — even as far away as Japan.
Outside of her art, Karen also channels her compassion as a senior’s companion, a role that gives her the opportunity to use her experiences to connect with others.
“The Glenrose inpatient program helped pave the way for my recovery by providing me resources and guidelines for what a good recovery work ethic looks like.”
And the Glenrose outpatient program provided Karen something she maybe didn’t even realize she needed — community.
While the years that followed were still filled with countless specialists, Karen holds the connections she made at the Glenrose close. “Now I have lifelong friends.”
