Brain Injury Life: A Journey of Healing

Our Journey & Our Work

Adel and Sarah Shadi are a father-daughter team shaped by decades of lived experience with neurological trauma. Adel’s journey evolved from survivor to caregiver, while Sarah’s path grew from survivor to expert. Together, they transformed a deeply personal story of brain injury, stroke, and seizures into a book — and into a broader mission centered on connection, recovery, and hope.

Their work is grounded in lived experience, guided by research, and driven by one core belief: no survivor or caregiver should walk this road alone.

About the Book

Explore the Mission

A peaceful desk with an open book, soft lighting, and a cup of tea nearby.

Our Story Begins Here

Sarah Shadi’s journey changed at age 12 when she suffered a sudden hemorrhagic stroke caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). The stroke left lasting cognitive and physical challenges that shaped her life, and over the next 17 years she underwent five Gamma Knife brain surgeries — resulting in a complex, multi-stage acquired brain injury (ABI).

Her father, Adel Shadi, understood the road ahead in a deeply personal way. Years earlier, he survived an accident that resulted in a leg amputation and a long-term traumatic brain injury (TBI). That lived experience became an unexpected source of insight — allowing him to mentor Sarah through recovery, school, setbacks, and the long process of rebuilding identity after trauma.

Despite seizures, cognitive fatigue, and years of limitations, Sarah persevered — earning a Master’s degree and ultimately a PhD in Psychology focused on brain injury, neurorehabilitation, and social isolation. When seizures later returned and driving became impossible again, isolation reappeared — but it also became a catalyst. Over time, the story began to reach beyond the pages of a book — becoming a doorway into a larger purpose rooted in connection, meaning, and shared experience.

Get Involved

Brain Injury Life is the story. End Social Isolation is the next chapter.

Moments That Changed Everything

1. The day everything changed

A childhood stroke became the beginning of a life shaped by recovery, courage, and reinvention.

2. Mentorship became survival

A father’s lived experience became a guide — not to fix, but to walk beside.

3. Recovery became an education

Seizures, fatigue, and cognitive limits stretched timelines — but they also shaped insight.

4. Isolation became the turning point

When connection disappeared, the mission became clear: community must be built on purpose.

5. A new normal emerged

Healing wasn’t a return to “before.” It became a slow discovery of what could still be.

6. The story became the work

What was lived in private became a public offering — a book, a mission, and a growing community.

A candid shot of a father and daughter walking together along a tree-lined path in autumn.

Get the Book

Brain Injury Life is available soon. If the book is already live, you can purchase it here.

About the Authors

Adel Shadi is a traumatic brain injury survivor who became a caregiver and long-time mentor through decades of lived experience. Sarah Shadi is an acquired brain injury survivor and PhD-trained researcher focused on neurorehabilitation and social isolation. Together, they share a father-daughter story rooted in resilience, research, and a commitment to helping others find connection after neurological trauma.