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Murray Lunberg

Updated: Jan 30, 2021

Murray Lunberg

70, accident happened at 68


I’m 70 years old now, 68 when I got injured. I was doing a lot of wilderness hiking at the time, and I fell on one of my hikes on August 7th 2019. Over the next three days, I developed many problems which I initially thought were just swelling back, but then it was really fuzzy, so I came back home. I signed up for a foot race, and I went to meet with my race team. By the end of the meeting, I could not even drive home. I went to the hospital emergency and they checked me immediately. I ended up spending a week there while they tried to find out what was wrong with me. I ended up transferred to the spinal injury unit at Vancouver Coastal Hospital. I spent six weeks there when they did every test known to man. The summation was that we don’t have a name for it, there will be no therapy nor treatment, but I will become better.


It turned out that none of the things were true. I did not become better. I then found an osteopath a year ago exactly. She kept me basically functional, but I was physically compromised, and on bad days, cognitively as well. On bad days, I’m barely functional: I can’t do anything. I have a bunch of high school kids coming in every two weeks to help me, because there is a lot of stuff I can’t do. Even trivial things like driving have become difficult now. I have spent my life driving: I started driving in the 70s, and was always very proud of how good a driver I was, which is no longer true.


The cognitive side was certainly way worse: on bad days I would lose my speech. A year ago was when I hit the absolute bottom: I was certainly suicidal because I would not do anything. I have not seen my general practitioner for a year time: they gave no support whatsoever. When I had to go from an extremely active lifestyle like I was, to doing nothing, I should have received some support. But there was none. My family was also distanced: my two kids were in Alberta, and I never heard from my brother or sister.


To keep myself busy, I run several facebook groups. My main one was on Yukon history, with 15,000 members. I also have a website on Yukon History for 24 years now. Although it is commonly said that spending too much time on the computer is not healthy, these are the only things I can do. These programs allow me to build connections with the world, on good or bad days. I have a difficult time reading, so I am doing a lot of cutting and pasting for my group chat. I can not do anything complicated. I just can't get my brain to work. Even a few weeks ago I was trying to text someone, I gave up. I just could not do it.


People often don’t think basic things like texting are complicated. But when you have a brain injury they are.


I don’t make a big deal about my brain injury, but I mention it from time to time. People need to understand I am not who I used to be. Luckily I have had a few old time readers who've been with me for years. Sometimes when I post a blog, or outside doing something, I receive comments like “It is so good seeing you getting better now.” I am not actually. But I force myself to get out. What usually planned to be a day trip turned out to be a three days trip, because I needed to take breaks along the way. The mental power needed to take pictures was also gone. I used to be a good photographer, but now, I have a difficult time taking anything more than snapshots.


My life has been changed drastically. I can’t fix things, and when I get people to come to help me do work, I am often taken advantage of. For example, I told a couple of guys I hired to help with my firework that I wanted to have the price straight upfront, but they refused. I can’t negotiate with them because I have a brain injury. I told them in advance, and it turned out that I was badly taken advantage of.


I can’t negotiate, I can’t argue, I can’t trust anybody I hired.


It was so amazing when a bus full of 23 high school kids showed up in front of my home. They were all over the property. It was fabulous. But obviously they were not a long term solution. But at this point of time, I don’t even know what the long term solution is.


I really don’t look at tomorrow anymore, because I don’t even know where I am going to be tomorrow, nevermind ten years. Eighteen months ago, I would have said I would still go out, wandering in western Canada with my automobile. But now, I really don’t know.


I have no clue where things are heading to.


Interviewed and recorded by Vivian Liang


The content on this website is intended solely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon for medical guidance, diagnosis, or treatment.
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