For more than two decades, I have explored brain injury recovery through various CBC articles and documentaries. Listen to the journey, the science, the stories, and the practices that helped me rebuild a life.
In this CBC First Person personal essay, Allan Boss reflects on the role music played in his recovery from a severe traumatic brain injury. He describes how returning to the guitar helped rebuild memory, confidence, identity, and a sense of possibility—one song at a time.
In 1990, at the age of 24, Allan Boss suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and fell into a coma. He wasn't expected to recover, but he did. In this show, Boss will explore the odds of recovering from such a severe injury, picking up where his 2004 Peabody-nominated Ideas episode on the topic left off. He will interview experts as he shares his own story of steps he took to achieve a recovery that has been called a miracle.
-- 51 Minutes --
Hear Against the Odds on
In 1990, Allan Boss was in a car accident and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. His family was told that if he didn’t die, he’d likely never recover. But he did. In part two of Against The Odds, Boss explores how goal setting, art and drama therapy, and Post Traumatic Growth all played a role in helping him beat the odds.
-- 54 Minutes --
Hear Against the Odds Part Two on
Written and narrated by Allan Boss about his experiences recovering from a brain injury, Updrafts was originally broadcast nationally on CBC Radio's Ideas program. Updrafts received international recognition, earning nominations for the Peabody Awards, the Prix Italia, the New York Festivals Awards, and the Gabriel Awards. It was then broadcast internationally on BBC, ABC, and PBS. It remains one of the most innovative and personal documentaries ever produced about the experience of recovering from a severe truamtic brain injury.
-- 56 Minutes --
Broadcast Courtesy of CBC Radio.
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