Stories

Ruben Lugo has been roping cattle for more than 10 years. But what started out as a normal day of practice for the Soledad resident quickly turned into a life-altering experience. The horse Ruben was riding lost balance, causing both Ruben and his horse to fall and hit the ground hard. Soon after, he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

"I'm lucky to say that I survived," Ruben says. "I don't have any memory of those first 23 days."

Ruben's doctor referred him to Central Coast Language and Learning Center, where speech-language pathologist, Jennifer D'Attilio guided him through speech therapy. "Jennifer is very good," Ruben says. "With Jenn it's always interesting for me to come here, learn some new things, go home and practice them, and come back and show her what I did."

While Ruben was first anxious about going to therapy, he says those feelings quickly diminished after meeting with Jenn. "It was easy to come in and relax and go right into the therapy program," he says. "She explained everything to me and told me that as long as I kept trying, I would see progress."

Ruben explains that after his accident, his speech and memory suffered. "I saw people and recognized them, but I didn't know their names." While not being able to communicate clearly was frustrating, Ruben says his therapy sessions have been encouraging. "Moments of progress just started coming, and they kept coming," he says with a smile.

And his advice for others recovering from a brain injury? Look forward to those moments of progress. "Don't quit, just keep going. Keep looking forward and you'll get your reward."