Joe lay in a coma in a nursing home for two months, and then he went on to rehabilitation at Children’s Care Hospital and School. 

He tried to transition back home with his family but due to the complicated effects of the brain injury this was not beneficial for him.  This was when Joe and his family made the painful realization that he needed specialized care to address his brain injury and all that encompassed it.  So, Joe move to Sheldon, Iowa, where he lived at Village Northwest and received the much needed brain injury services.  In June of 2005, Joe was able to move back to South Dakota, closer to his family and friends when South Dakota Achieve opened up the Terry House; a home specializing in brain injury services. 
 
It has been a lengthy journey for Joe, but he has come a long way since his accident nearly 10 years ago. His determination is remarkable. He has worked extremely hard to regain many of the skills that the brain injury took away from him.  Joe is currently employed at Sunshine Foods where he has worked in their bakery department for about a year and a half.  He also attends the brain injury program at South Dakota Achieve where he works on enhancing his cognitive abilities.   Joe is a social person and is very active in the community. He enjoys going out to eat, going to church, shopping and attending sporting events to name a few. 

A brain injury is a very powerful, life-altering event. The only cure is prevention. Joe likes to remind people, “…make sure you strap on the helmet you are wearing.” Even though Joe’s life has changed, his dreams have not….only the path to achieve them.