It was supposed to be a routine parent-teacher meeting on an unremarkable day.
It turned into years of pain and disability.
It also turned into years of learning, day after day, that there is no such thing as a “mild” traumatic brain injury.
That was over 20 years ago, and Lynne Melcombe still has daily headaches (not so bad now) and vision issues.
Here’s what advance readers have said about No Such Thing: A True Story of “Mild” Traumatic Brain Injury and My Twenty-Year (so far) Recovery:
“With devastating detail, No Such Thing shows the enormous damage a single concussion can cause, be it from a simple fall, a common car accident, or (as in my case) a few seconds of street violence on a sunny afternoon … generous, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring.”
Havard Gould,
award-winning broadcast journalist (retired)
“An empowering story that challenges everything we think we know about concussion.”
Ken McGoogan,
award-winning author of Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Tyranny
“Beautifully written with raw honesty … a vital call for empathy and understanding.”
Julia Nunes,
author of “The Next Hit” in Impact: Women Writing After Concussion
“In this painfully personal but powerful memoir, Lynne Melcombe recounts her journey to heal after a random choice leaves her with a “mild” traumatic brain injury—a concussion. From the gaslighting, indifference, and ignorance of too many healthcare professionals to the gotcha tactics of the shareholder-driven insurance industry, No Such Thing is a must-read for anyone who might one day make a similar choice. Which is to say all of us.
Stephen Kimber, ONS, award-winning journalist and author