Southern hospitality truly does exist. Kelly was invited to be the keynote speaker at the 2023 Life With Brain Injury Conference in July. The conference is made possible through the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina and the South Carolina Brain Injury Leadership Council. It was the first in-person conference since 2019 and the organizers hoped attendees would be excited to see each other again following the few years of virtual events. They were pleased as more than 200 people registered for the one-day event in Columbia, SC.

The conference featured a number of different sessions for professionals working in the brain injury field, caregivers and family members, and survivors. There was also a large room filled with various vendors and service providers from across the state. No one could be at a loss for information.

Kelly spoke immediately following lunch so the crowd was ready to listen. Some of the comments following the conference included:

• “Powerful session on advocacy and resilience as a family/community”

• “Very good speaker/very informative/excellent”

• “Understanding the impact of the process of caregiving for a person that has a TBI and importance of advocacy”

• “Excellent to hear from someone who is an advocate, survivor, and parent”

When we tell our story and the lessons learned, we never know who will be impacted by them. A small piece of information may inspire another to pursue a different tactic or look into other services. Someone else may get the encouragement and motivation to keep trying. The conversations that develop after the presentation are also filled with connection and empathy. Many approach and share their struggles and result is a community built brick by brick.

Everyone has a story or stories. Sharing them helps us to feel less alone and enables us to collaborate and grow. Brain injury is devastating to so many. The lives of our loved ones may never be the same but we can help them work towards new goals and dreams. We must never lose sight of the joy on our horizon.