Meeting trauma head-on

Kim Pilato seems like any other college student. The 25-year-old is studying psychology at Community College of Southern Nevada and enjoys going to clubs and concerts.

But Pilato, 25, can't drive and needs someone to take notes for her in class because she is one of many Las Vegans dealing with the effects of a serious head injury.

The Head Injury Association of Southern Nevada is hoping to get the word out about traumatic brain injuries such as Pilato's at Saturday's National Disability Awareness Day information fair at Lorenzi Park.

"The population doesn't realize the number of people that are affected by these types of injuries," association President Dennis Luck said. "On top of that, many people that have these injuries don't realize they are not alone, and there are others that are going through the same things."

The association will be one of about 60 disability organizations providing information about support groups and treatment during the fair from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Statistics gathered by the Nevada State Brain Trauma Registry show that more than 2,500 people a year are admitted to Nevada hospitals with brain injuries, and about 70 percent of traumatic brain injuries are caused by car accidents.

Pilato was 22 when her life was changed by a car accident at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue. Pilato's head slammed into the driver's side window, compressing her brain and knocking her into a coma.

Pilato woke up a month later in a bed at University Medical Center, where she ended up staying for five more months.

Since her release from the hospital in spring 1997 Pilato has had to relearn things that most people take for granted.

"When I first tried to eat I was using a fork and I ended up throwing corn all over the place and stabbing myself with the fork," Pilato said. "I had to learn how to put my makeup on again and even how to walk. It has been hard, but I've come a long way since I started rehab."

Pilato suffers from a partial loss of muscle control on her right side, which makes it difficult for her to write or drive a car because of her slow reaction time. The shakiness of her right hand especially has kept her from returning to her former job as a cocktail waitress because she is unable to hold a tray.

Pilato's disabilities are not uncommon among victims of traumatic brain injuries, which can result in physical, emotional, social and vocational difficulties, Luck said.

In short, these kinds of injuries change a person's life.

"Because of all the different functions that the brain controls a traumatic brain injury can cause any number of problems," Luck, 55, said. "It's not like a broken arm that heals in a few weeks. A head injury changes who a person is and the victim has to deal with the fact that the old you isn't coming back."

Some problems that head-injured people can experience are a loss of depth perception, reduced energy and memory, loss of muscle control and reduced vision and hearing, Luck said.

Luck says he knows he'll never get back the life he had before suffering a head injury in September 1996 when a pickup hit him while he was riding his scooter.

"It was like growing up all over again on just about every level," Luck said. "Whether you're talking about my loss of depth perception, the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) suspending my drivers license, the medical bills or my marriage ending, they were all changes the accident forced on me."

Shortly after his release from the hospital Luck's doctor told him about the head-injury association. He has been a member ever since, and was elected president in December.

"The association was started about 12 years ago by families and victims who were having a hard time getting information about head injuries," Luck said. "The association allows for victims and their families to share information with each other and professionals in the medical community. We also provide a place for social interaction and try to get the word out about the injuries so they can be prevented."

The group meets twice a month and has about 40 active members, including victims, therapists, registered nurses, educators and doctors.

Kerry Wilson, a Clark County School District homebound teacher, donates his time to the association hoping to raise awareness of the numbers of head injuries suffered in Nevada every year.

"As a homebound teacher I teach kids that have disabilities and can't go to school, and every year there are about five to 10 kids that I teach that have suffered head injuries," Wilson said. "When I heard about the association I was able to bring these kids and their families into the group and now they realize they aren't alone."

Besides the physical problems that brain-injured people must face they also often have psychological and emotional hurdles to clear, and talking to someone that has been through the same things can help, Pilato said.

"I had a friend that had an injury and we talked about our experiences and it helped us both to deal with it," Pilato said. "The hardest thing for me is I don't like people thinking that I'm handicapped and giving me extra help I don't want.

"The accident has made me realize how important it is to be independent. I use to be real mousey, but now I don't have time to be that way because I'm trying to get back to where I was before the accident."

Pilato works every week with a rehabilitation counselor from Rehab Without Walls, a local therapy organization that works with head-injured and disabled people in their homes.

"We work on a lot of hand-eye-coordination exercises and on using the muscles on her right side," Pilato's therapist Carri Peterson said. "We use video games and writing exercises to improve her coordination."

Pilato had always wanted to be a biologist, but her injury has made her choose another field of study.

"I was always very good at biology in high school, but now I find that I have to read things several times and study longer to get them to sink in," Pilato said. "The formulas and math is tough to remember now."

Pilato is taking about three classes a semester, and is also hoping to regain her driver's license by the end of the year.

"It's a big goal to get my license back," Pilato said. "I've come a long way and I still have more to do, but even though it may take me a little extra time I know I can accomplish whatever I want."

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