Sheila Ashdown

Ride on Sheila Ashdown

In 2011, a motorcycle accident left Greg Nordfelt with a traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones. When he rejoined the world after eleven days in and out of a coma and nearly a month of memory loss, Greg found himself radically changed. Formerly an athletic adrenaline-junkie and successful banking executive, he could no longer walk, speak, read, or write. As he worked earnestly to relearn these fundamental human skills, his wife, Laura, was getting a crash-course training in her new role as Greg's full-time caregiver. To complicate matters, while Laura was overwhelmed with grief, worry, and post-traumatic stress, Greg was having a very different experience. No one knew it, but a near-death experience had landed him into a state of euphoria, where no negativity or pain could penetrate his blissful "safe place." The story follows Greg and Laura through the gruesome accident and its long-term aftermath as they work to rebuild their lives and nurture their marriage. Along the journey, they meet with hardships, isolation, and pain-but they also find unexpected turns, surprising gifts, and a new sense of community with others whose lives have been affected by traumatic brain injury.