All of her education and job successes came to a screeching halt in 2014 when she was diagnosed with obstructive hydrocephalus (a rare brain condition) and a brain tumor. She has since survived several brain surgeries but has been left with permanent brain injury and memory loss.
She struggled and began feeling “less than” or “not adequate” because of the brain injury. For a short time, it had gotten the better of her. In 2017 she was briefly admitted to the hospital for depression.
Since then, Marianne has learned a lot and takes advantage of recovery resources and supports that she has discovered along the way, many more than she ever knew existed.
“I know I am not the same person I used to be. I can not remember the specific changes other than the obvious things, inability to work, drive, and use my memory. I have started re-writing my life. My new life, my new chapter because my book wasn’t finished. I didn’t understand that I was no closer to being finished with my life than when I was phasing out of kindergarten. Was that the end of my educational career? No!
There is still a whole life ahead of me. It will not be determined by my past, but by my current set of skills, desires, needs, and dreams. I started out small by volunteering to regain my confidence, and then I started working a small part-time job. Right now, that is all I can handle, and that is okay. I know my limits, and I know what I want and don’t want. I no longer have to live up to someone else’s rules or expectations. I am happy being me.”
Marianne Jensen
- Board President, Recovery Innovations for Pursuing Peer Leadership and Empowerment, Inc
