Bruce's Personal Journey Through Grief, Resilience, and Recovery

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get.”

Dear Mom,

I watched Forrest Gump today. Not all of it, just my favourite bits; the bit when Lieutenant Dan appears on the dockside and him and Forrest fish for shrimp together; the bit when a storm hits them and Dan sits in the rigging and screams at God for taking his legs; the bit when Forrest’s beloved Jenny comes back and tells Forrest that he has a son and that his son isn’t stupid; the bit when Forrest starts to run because of his grief at losing Jenny to AIDS; I especially like the bit when, after 3 ½ years, Forrest stops running because all that grief that he doesn’t really understand is behind him.



‘I’m tired’ he says.

I don’t know why I cry a lot. I think it might be because I’m tired. I dread these days and wonder if I will cope. But I do cope. I take one of my Ritalin and I lie down for a bit. Nala, my dog, she lies with me in a dark room.

When I’m ready I’ll get up again. That’s how it is sometimes having a brain injury. Pain and sadness and falling over and crying.

That’s OK. It’s fish and chip Friday tonight, just me and Anita.

I’ll have another go at the other stuff tomorrow.

Lots of Love,

Forrest ‘Bruce’ Gump.