Abstract

An enviable life. That was how one would describe the life of an active, popular 16-year-old teenager from Rodney, Ontario, Canada. AJ Fordham participated in sports, raced cars at a speedway, played drums in a band, went boating at the family cottage and was surrounded by family and friends. Life drastically changed on a snowy day in January 2007 when his vehicle went off the road and crashed. The phone call his mother Andrea Fordham received that day changed the life of her son and family forever. Suffering a traumatic brain injury, orbital trauma and multiple fractures, this video created by AJ and his family chronicles AJs life before and the journey to recovery he has been on in the 3 years since that eventful day from his resuscitation, critical care stay, rehab and adjusting to life back at home. This moving video provides a unique insight into this process, as told from the patient and family perspective. The photos presented depict his progress, the gains he has made from his coma to his high school graduation. His amazing family support has been instrumental to his success. AJ takes a positive spin on his traumatic experience to teach youth about making informed choices, to never give up and that they are not invincible. AJ has presented his video and motivational talks to high school students, teachers and health care professionals to inspire and raise awareness about the importance of injury prevention. Never Give Up is the motto AJ always lived by and he persevered and stuck with that motto while relearning to walk, talk, eat, etc. Being able to share his story on the international injury prevention stage at Safety 2010 would be a dream come true for AJ and truly inspirational for conference attendees.