Iain's story

Iain Sutherland tells the story of his recovery from brain injury.

My name is Iain Sutherland. I was the victim of an unprovoked attack on the 23rd December 2003.

A person used his boots and a baseball bat twice to inflict some major brain injuries to myself. From what I can understand I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and near someone who has many previous convictions. He was sentenced to seven years in one of Her Majesty’s prisons.

My injuries amounted to some broken ribs, bruising on my face and left eye, perforated ear drum and two fractures to my skull which left major swelling from the brain.

Psychologically the effects were somewhat more extensive. I had no knowledge of who I was, my memory had been completely moved from its usual place of standing, so simple things like where I lived were completely unknown to me.

Positive outlooks

The many functions that we all take for granted, reading, writing, speech and thought had left me with somewhat of a challenge, without the means of the complex communications system we have I was aware that the times ahead would need a huge amount of support and positive outlooks.

My family have been an undying support for me and that area of safety and comfort is where I could start. My wife, Melanie, has never questioned her or my belief in my recovery however long it takes or to adapt to whichever changes or challenges we encounter.

My children have helped with my memory. My reading and writing are also a source of support and focus. I also have my speech therapist who has been a constant source of help and support over the last nearly two years with my reading and speech in all areas.

Priorities

My life has changed as I am sure you can imagine. My life has been recalibrated with regards to the priorities we all have in our lives, the importance of my family and the future. How we conduct ourselves and treat other people and the things we all take for granted, talking, seeing, hearing, smelling.

My main focus was realising that recovery would mean differences in the way I talked, the way I thought about things and how I acted on things. Accepting the changes and adopting the mental props I now have were part of allowing me to be comfortable in who I am now.

Back to work

Going back to work was a massive challenge. The company was very supportive so I had looked for the positives. Finding out where I worked, what I did for a living and communication with other people each day brought about new challenges and fears.

I was introduced to people that apparently I had known for several years and I didn’t even know their names. But if you look hard enough the positives can be found. My thinking style is more detailed, more thoughtful, more astute.

Court case

The court case was my biggest challenge. I have adopted a culture or focus in life which allows me to move on in life and not stay rooted to the past with frustrations bubbling up inside. So the court case was not a huge concern but more a place for me to look for the positive part of a situation and move on in life.

My aim was to be able to communicate with 12 jurors, two barristers and a judge and be understood.

Looking for positives in life is sometimes very difficult, I would say more difficult than finding the negatives which are easily found but the positives allow me to move on. I can find a comfort zone within myself. It allows me to do and achieve the goals in life that we as a family wish to achieve.

Looking for the positives

Each day is challenge, communicating with people and groups of people is not something that everyone feels comfortable with, so looking for the positives and even with the injuries I have sustained I can use my experience to better myself and develop myself in different ways.

I did have a job as a warehouse manager on nights. It was a 24 / 7 operation which was quite demanding. Again, looking for the positives in life’s challenges, I have some very good communication skills and experiences which I can learn from and develop to my and other people’s benefit.

I will find a role which I am comfortable with and is appropriate for the family/work balance I am looking for now in life.

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