Taylor Today

Chances are, Taylor is not the only person you know with a brain injury. It is also likely that their respective recovery challenges are very different as well. Traumatic Brain Injury is different for everyone, and all anyone can do is continue to reach – and fight – to maximize potential.

It is often said with published data of TBI rehab/recovery success, that one of the most important factors – if not the most important factor is the love and support of family and friends. And thanks to all of you Taylor has an abundant supply of loving support, and cheerleading.

Recovery Status

The roller coaster ride of medical progress and setbacks is mostly over. He has had only one hospital-stay for a medical issue over the past year, and very few instances of the need for any emergency medical care for fevers or other illness, which is handled by his Primary Care team.

Because of the issues with his jaw, and his teeth not yet having contact in the back for chewing, he is receiving all nourishment and meds via a g-tube port in his belly. He was wearing braces for a while which helped pull things around quite a bit, but we were unable to find “a continuation of care” for his orthodontics in MN and the braces were removed this past September. In January he will go under full sedation for some dental maintenance. After which he will consult with an orthodontic team here, specializing in reconstruction orthodontics, and see about getting the braces back on to finish the job. The uppers are fine; the lowers still have one segment that is rotated inward, which needs to be up-righted for chewing surface. His swallow of liquids is good.

There will be no more facial reconstruction. It is simply too dangerous for him for such an invasive procedure around his brain/face.

Taylor is legally blind, and at this point has little light perception as well, which is likely permanent. (But who knows?) You may notice in photos that he keeps his eyes mostly closed. This is partly because of the nerve damage from his facial reconstruction and brain surgeries. This is also because his pupils are both quite large due to the brain injury, and although he has no real light perception, his brain/retinas are very sensitive to light. He often wears sunglasses for comfort and protection.

Physical Fitness – Taylor is just over six-feet tall, weighs 180 lbs, walks/jogs a minimum of 1 mile per day as a part of 1 hour per day of cardio. He enjoys pool exercise/therapy a few times per week at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute and multiple other physical fitness activities. He will revisit his love for Martial Arts and begin Karate this winter.

Assistive Technologies – He attends morning classes four days a week at Vision Loss Resources, where he works on computer access /keyboarding for the blind, Braille, and others. He enjoys frequent outings with the school, which has included MN Twins, bowling, a visit to an apple orchard, etc. He loves it.

Taylor is blessed to have speech without slur; a smooth walking gate (with swagger) 😉 -he has never had a seizure, or any kind of the mood-swing/aggressive behavior stuff common with TBI. – He does still require 24-hour care for meds, feeding tube,and although he can do most things independently for self-care, he does require verbal cues to keep him moving through a series of tasks. That’s the brain injury.

Taylor loves living in Minnesota where he is out-and-about on hiking trails, enjoying his interactions in school and the Courage Center, and all his family and friends.

Stay tuned for photos, etc. and we are having fun working on the Holiday cards!
If you have a new address, please forward to 4starkrecovery@gmail.com

There is a new mailing address for correspondence for Taylor Stark, Lisa Ansay or Stark Recovery –
P.O. Box 41043
Minneapolis, MN 55441

Love and Blessings,

And Happy Holidays!