Caroline Wilson! Caroline is a 19yo college student, positive human, and survivor of a traumatic brain injury. I met Caroline while coaching crew in New Hampshire for Great Bay Rowing, and she served as a right-hand coxswain for the team. During one of our dryland practices, she fell and hit her head on cement. This caused a 2wk-long Elmer Fudd stutter and a long road to recovery. Luckily, she had her grandmother nearby, who underwent chemotherapy at the time. In this lovely conversation, we discuss the plastic nature of memories especially when you have impaired long-term memory, how a positive reframe of a situation can change your outlook on life, and the nature of social crutches and how they help us function.
I hope you enjoy! :)
Caroline is...
Caroline,
from Durham,
a student at UNH,
and a kind person.
Before Caroline dies, she wants...
to make other people happy,
to be happy herself,
and to travel.
When Caroline dies, she wants...
people to remember the positives,
and to not be sad.
After Caroline dies, she wants...
people to look back at the memories,
and people to be kind to each other.
In conclusion, Caroline says...
“Be a kind person. Go out tomorrow and make someone happy because it’ll make you feel better as a person.”