ABSTRACT
The second year after the accident is oftentimes an important symbolic date for road traffic victims, as this is the year by which the final severity of the impairments can largely be understood. Stijn explains the importance of this second year before assessing the damage which he will have to learn to live with. From a chronological sequence of events (the memorial service of a pupil, medical examinations and interventions, work resumption), he derives and identifies a daily functional reset, feelings of depression, irrational time pressure, social alienation, the reinvention of his identity and his diminished load capacity as permanent complications. At the same time, he also describes ways in which he made the most of adversity and took direct steps to overcome the impairment (concerts with his band, goals at work, his interaction with his family and philosophers, running, …). Next, his ambitions for the future are outlined: reintegration into his family, a valuable perspective on life for his children, goals as a long-distance runner, making a difference through his writings and thanking the health professionals who have helped him. Finally, the chapter is concluded with a recapitulation of the core principles of Stijn’s mental resilience reflex.
