In one moment, a traumatic brain injury can change everything, no matter how great life was to begin with. In the novel, In Search of Wings, Beverly Bryant shares her experience of dealing with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). All aspects of life became a challenge, but accepting her new identity was one of the most difficult. For people who experience a traumatic brain injury, acceptance of their new identity is their greatest challenge.
Throughout the novel, Bryant expresses her emotions as she struggles with relearning basic skills she once mastered. From being one of the top, most well known National gymnastics judges, Bryant struggled greatly with her new limitations. She experienced major cognitive and memory impairments after being in a car accident that left her with the diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury. She became
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The social structures and environment in the novel relate to the social model. The judges assumed this social event would accommodate Bryant’s differences and change the social structure and attitudes towards TBI around the United States gymnastics community. It allowed individuals to hear the story of Beverly Bryant as a survivor and learn about her experience.
One of Bryant’s top three goals were to be able to travel alone on a plane. The day before she “earned her wings,” Bryant was traveling back home with her judging colleagues from another gymnastics conference. The day she got home was the day she set out to travel on a plane by herself to visit her family. Despite the minor obstacles she faced, Bryant had a successful trip; she was able to stay attentive and focused on what she needed to do. She was finally accepting some limitations, such as having to keep her memory book near by and having little notes every where to remind her of