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I was thrilled when Roshini gave me a last-minute call asking if I was interested in being on her show last night, I will never turn down an opportunity to talk about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion. Roshini is a great host, and I always have a lovely time chatting with her.

This segment is a real quick listen, about 10 minutes long. So give it a listen, and let me know your thoughts on some of the content we talk about!

I have an exciting announcement!

I was inspired by a fellow author friend, Katelyn Mariah, who also has a book relating to health and healing, “Empowered Health and Wellness“. She recently went through some serious health issues, and wanted to give back to the community to helped support her by giving away a few copies of her book. She sent one to a dear friend of mine who is battling breast cancer, and I am so honored that she selected my friend to receive a copy ~~ So I am following suit and paying it forward to my awesome community!!

I have FIVE copies of my book, “Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury: Finding the Road Back to Normal”  that I am going to give away ~ complete with free shipping! 

What YOU need to do is send me an email with a brief (2-3 sentence) statement of who you think would benefit from reading my book. Include their name and address so that I can send it to them if they are selected! (amyzellmertbi@gmail.com)

My TBI Tribe has been such an awesome community of support, encouragement, and inspiration to me as well as 4100 other TBI survivors and their loved ones. I am thrilled to do this as a small token of my appreciation for each and every member of the Tribe!!

I will be selecting winners on Sunday, June 12th!!

I had the honor of being a guest on Dr. Dennis Lenselink’s show, “To Your Health” on 950am Minneapolis Radio.  Dr. Dennis is the owner of AdvaCare Clinics in Bloomington, MN.

During this hour long show, we talked about Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Concussion, what they are, how I acquired mine, my symptoms, my advocacy efforts, my book, and my recovery.

It’s a great show and worth the listen!

Yesterday I could tell my eyes were off. I felt off balance, slightly woozy, and just “off” in general. Reading was giving me a headache, and I didn’t even feel like watching tv.

I now have enough self-awareness to know that something is amiss so I took a selfie. Sure enough, my eyes are fucked up. I remember early on one of my Doctors telling me that he could know how I was feeling just by looking at my eyes. Then after MONTHS of explaining it to neurologists and others, I finally went to my eye doctor who knew something wasn’t right. (read about that here). 

I am thankful that I am starting to feel better after 2 years and 4 months. It’s been an incredibly frustrating and long road. Recovering from brain injury is hands down the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.

I’m definitely feeling better physically, but still deal with cognitive challenges on a daily basis. I have no idea if these will improve, or if they are permanent.

I hope that through my advocacy efforts, I am able to 1. Help other survivors know they’re not alone or crazy 2. Help educate the public in case they or a loved one ever are faced with it 3. Bring more awareness to medical professionals who don’t fully understand the scope of what we deal with.

I am honored and completely thrilled to have one of my articles featured in Yoga + Life Magazine! It turned out absolutely lovely!!

Awareness is growing, one baby step at a time!! To all my survivor friends out there, please consider giving yoga a try. It’s not at all about flexibility or balance ….. you can modify poses to fit you! Yoga and meditation get your oxygen flowing to the brain, which we know helps the healing process!!

To read the full article please click HERE.

I have begun the process of seeking sponsorship for Faces of TBI. Sponsorship will allow me to expand my reach and advocacy efforts, while doing some amazing things for the TBI community. As you’re probably aware, I put a lot of time and effort into writing posts for Huffington Post and other blog outlets, host a weekly podcast, produce a YouTube channel, and have recently had pieces published in The Challenge!, Yoga Life Magazine as well as Wagazine.

I will be keynoting at numerous conferences this year,  and I have also been speaking to MANY groups about TBI including Rotary groups, survivor groups, healthcare students, as well as professional groups. I do everything I do to help raise awareness, and help other survivors understand they are not alone. All of this takes an enormous effort (keep in mind that I suffer from fatigue easily, and am not able to organize myself like I used to) as well as time and resources. As you can imagine, most of these groups I speak to and other activities I am involved in do not pay or cover travel expenses, so I am doing everything I do out of my own pocket and through supporters like you!

I am creating some sponsorship opportunities for interested parties. Whether you’re a doctor, therapist, philanthropist, or someone who is passionate about TBI and concussion awareness, I appreciate your support!

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

1. Social Media Sponsor: Receive a write-up on my blog either about you, your company, your mission, or your product. The post will be shared on social media (twitter, facebook, linkedin, instagram) as well as other social media mentions up to four times (in a one month period). I have a combined reach of almost 20,000 across all platforms.
Cost: $250 for one article/one month

2. Book Sponsor: A total of 40 books will be donated to support groups across the US with your business name, a memorial, or your logo on the front cover. Many survivors are not able to afford a copy of my book, or simply don’t have the resources to order it. Your generous sponsorship will put this much needed book into the hands of those who can use it!
Cost: $600 for 40 books

3. Presentation Sponsor: Receive mention as a major sponsor on my presentation slides, on my website speaker page, and an opportunity to have your marketing materials given out at my booth over the course of six months.
Cost: $1200 for six months

4. Group Sponsor: Receive a mention as a major sponsor on the banner of my Facebook group of 8,500 members and growing. Additionally I will host bi-monthly FB live info or Q&A sessions with you in the group … which will be later distributed through my newsletter to all of subscribers over the course of six months.
Cost: $1500 for six months

5. The Ultimate Sponsor Package: Receive all of the above sponsorship packages.
Cost: $3300 ($3550 value!) for six months OR $6500 for 12 months ($7000 value!)

NOTE: there is no exclusivity on any of the above sponsorship levels. If you wish to consider being an exclusive sponsor, please let me know how we can work together for a win-win partnership!

Yoga helped me get onto the path of recovery after my ‪concussion – traumatic brain injury.  It took 15 months before I was ready to try, and at first I couldn’t do it without falling over or lifting up my arms, so I used a chair for assistance.

Now, Tree Pose (left) is my pose of strength and a great reminder of how far I’ve come! Triangle Pose (right) is my favorite pose to do when I need a reminder of how dizzy and miserable I was for so many months. I am told I look beautiful in this pose, and I take that as a sign that it shows my strength!

Top and bottoms by: Lucy 
Headband by: Tranquil Force

I am SO thrilled and excited to let you know that my book “Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury: Finding the Road Back to Normal” was recently awarded a silver foil seal at the Midwest Book Awards in the health category!

Purchase an autographed copy with a silver foil seal on the cover HERE!!

Here is the official Press Release:

The 26th Annual Midwest Book Awards has recognized “Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury: Finding the Road Back to Normal ” by Amy Zellmer as a finalist in the category of Health.

The awards recognize quality in independent publishing in the Midwest. This year’s awards attracted 198 titles, entered in 30 categories. All books were copyrighted in 2015 and entered by publishers from MIPA’s 12-state Midwestern region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin).

Winners were announced at the Midwest Book Awards Gala on May 13, 2016 at the Olson Campus Center at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The competition, sponsored by the Midwest Independent Publishing Association, is judged by experts from all aspects of the book world, including publishers, writers, editors, librarians, teachers and book designers. They select award winners and finalists based on overall excellence.

Life With a Traumatic Brain Injury: Finding the Road Back to Normal is a collection of short stories originally published on Huffington Post to educate and bring awareness about traumatic brain injury.

“Traumatic brain injury causes your world to implode. The effects of TBI are far-reaching and long term; touching every imaginable part of your life, the lives of those you love and those who love you. Amy weaves her own story and the stories of others who have sustained a TBI with important education that provides both help and hope.” ~ Lee Woodruff, New York Times #1 bestselling author and contributor, “CBS This Morning”

“It is thrilling to see so many talented authors and publishers of high quality books in the Midwest,” said Midwest Book Awards Chair Sherry Roberts. “I look forward to the Gala, where we will be recognizing the achievements of all the finalists and winners as well as celebrating the strength and vitality of independent publishing in the Midwest.”

About MIPA

Midwest Independent Publishing Association serves the Midwest publishing community to promote excellence in publishing in the Midwest. Through educational programming and other cooperative efforts, MIPA helps members learn more about publishing and book production, promotion and marketing. MIPA also provides networking