A Patent Attorney’s Triumph Over Brain Injury
Jinesh Patel, a 39-year-old lawyer, had been working at his dream job as a patent attorney for a software technology company in Austin, Texas for just over a year. But on February 12, 2023, when he was at a Super Bowl party with his wife and two young children, Jinesh went into cardiac arrest. He was in a coma for weeks, and a lack of oxygen to the brain caused an anoxic brain injury. Jinesh was left with severe cognitive impairments, including an inability to read and short-term memory loss.
“A doctor told my wife early on that I would never return to work again,” said Jinesh.
Jinesh was dedicated to overcoming his deficits and was more motivated than ever to return to work. He was also determined to improve quickly to care for his two young children, relying on his wife to keep track of everything in the early months of recovery. Within his first couple of months of acute rehabilitation, he regained his balance and coordination.
In May 2023, Jinesh was admitted to the Centre for Neuro Skills’ Day Treatment program in Austin, Texas, where his therapists designed an individualized rehabilitation program to address his needs. With his home being 45 minutes away from the clinic, Jinesh utilized CNS’ transportation services to travel to the clinic five days per week to receive daily therapy. During his commute each way, Jinesh would practice therapy exercises that he learned at the clinic and listen to educational podcasts.
Occupational and educational therapists worked closely together to strengthen Jinesh’s memory and reading skills. A variety of methods were used, including memorizing the order of cards pulled from a deck and work simulation drills. Jinesh was assigned a variety of reading comprehension assignments to reach the high caliber of reading his work required, like articles about patent law.
“But there were moments in my recovery where I became more emotionally sensitive,” Jinesh recalled.
Besides the cognitive deficits, Jinesh discovered a range of emotional changes that commonly occur after a traumatic brain injury. As a confident attorney and former stand-up comedian, Jinesh struggled to understand these newfound feelings of loneliness and anxiety. Through counseling therapy and support from fellow patients and therapists, Jinesh navigated through the complex emotions.
Jinesh has successfully returned to work full-time and has begun a driving course. He continues to practice the skills he learned at the clinic every day and is excited to return to his daily routine with his wife and children.
