May 10, 2021

Hey you guys. Welcome to the blog where I talk about the present.

So, as you know, this past weekend was Mother’s Day weekend. Sunday was Mother’s Day. I was reminded that I had a great mom. She was a force of nature. She’d come into some pretty rough stuff as well as (as part of) raising me. She helped me get through therapy. You know, this whole brain injury thing. You know, as a matter of fact, I’m gonna dedicate this blog to her. She was a great mom. My sister’s also a great mom. My friend here, whose writing this for me, is also a great mom. As a matter of fact, let’s dedicate this blog to all the great moms out there.

Now, going back to the brain injury thing, I used to say this to my mom, “Oh man, why is this happening to me? Why can’t I do this, or why can’t I do that?” Now, she’d reply with something that still resonates with me to this day. She said, “Well…I don’t know why this has happened to you, but don’t think about what you can’t do. Think about what you can do. You’re lucky you’re still alive.” And that’s true. I remind myself that I’m pretty lucky. There’s a lot more people out there less fortunate than me. I’m lucky I made it so far.

Now I’m gonna be a mom right now. There’s two words that will get you far in life, and those words are PLEASE and THANK YOU. As a matter of fact, there’s one other word that will get you far in life and that’s PROMISE. I say this because my mom made me promise I’ll never tell you a story I have from a certain photoshoot I worked on in the late 80’s. Therefore, I’m not gonna tell you. How’s that for a cliffhanger?

Love, B. Nice

April 21, 2021

Hi you guys. Welcome to the blog where I talk about the present.

Oh man! I can’t believe I survived all this traumatic brain injury stuff just to face this stupid pandemic. I called my doctor cause I wanted to get my shot through them and they directed me to my local pharmacy, who in turn directed me to go to the local fire station. I thought this was crazy. I thought what kind of circus is this? And then I got there and I saw how serious it was. I mean, it was like a military operation. I was pretty impressed at how organized it was. Between my county and the drug store, they did an awesome job. It was pretty cool because I’m handicapped and they came out and gave me my shot. I didn’t even have to go inside. It was cool. I definitely had some side effects though. The minute I got the shot, I had a tingling on my lips, my tongue went a little numb at the tip. And every since I had the shot, I’ve been really tired.

But, the most remarkable thing was, I became more handsome. LOL.

Anyway, it was no big deal getting the shot. I just feel like I have a little cold. Yeah, I was on the fence about it, but I think everyone should get the shot. After all, it is going to be science that saves our ass, right? But everyone’s got their own opinion. That’s just mine.

Talk to you guys next week. Love ya and miss ya, B Nice

P.S. Will someone please come and get me and take me on vacation?!

April 14, 2021

Welcome everyone, to the blog where I talk about the present.

Hey, I’m working with my sister on a project for EARTH DAY. It’s cool. We’re gonna incorporate my father’s work with an idea my sister had. It’s cool. I’ll keep you all posted on what’s going on before Earth Day. My Father was big on the environment, so this is appropriate. I’ll share the link with you when it’s ready.

She might have posted something already. Check out DonNice.com. Anyway, I’ll keep you posted.

Love, B. Nice

April 8, 2021

Hi everybody. Welcome to the blog where I talk about the present.

Oh man, my frustration level is at an all time high. You see, someone I care for very much has covid. They are far away. When I was normal, I would just hop on a plane or hop in my car and just hit the road, you know, for moral support and any medical support I could lend. But things are different now. The best i can do is just have someone pick up the phone for me. It’s all very frustrating. Just another thing you have to cope with when you have a traumatic brain injury, I guess. It’s interesting, I’ve been watching no news, and I watch romantic comedy. No action films or suspense dramas. Because of all this, I don’t have auras, like I used to. Auras are a precursor to a seizure. But I’m on anti seizure medicine which will basically stop a seizure from happening.

On another note, I had a team meeting with all the people who look after me. It was a good meeting. When you navigate through this world with a traumatic brain injury, you know, the medical world, you’ll come across some people that are very cool. They’ll take their time off to meet you and truly advocate for you. It’s rare, but they exist. One such woman is a woman named Lisa Howard. It’s important you know this name, because she’s in charge of the lower Hudson Valley Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver Program. Yeah, like her, there are people out there who will advocate for you. It’s important you have people like this because unlike me, millions of people can’t speak up for themselves. I guess I’m lucky in that regard. I just have one question for all you guys, does anybody out there know when all this BS is gonna end? I need a vacation! Probably everyone feels like that right now.

Hey! on another nother note. My physical therapist came by and I took a couple of steps with a walker. It was very cool. But I was using muscles I haven’t used in a couple of years. It was tough. Just another step towards walking. It was exciting and positive reinforcement. Something you definitely need when you’re like this! It’s amazing how something so simple can make you happy. It was exhausting though. Thank god I used to be an athlete. I used to have strong legs. I guess it’s another reason to stay in shape. You never know what’s around the corner.

I’m gonna go enjoy the sun and the flowers. It’s spring here and it’s nice to hang outside in the sun.

Talk to you guys next week. Love you.

Love, B. Nice

March 24, 2021

Hi you guys. Welcome to my blog where I talk about my present.

I know I talked about it before, but, oh man it’s important we take care of these home health care aides. Yesterday, I was contacted by an organization that’s pushing for more money and acknowledgement for healthcare aides. I was happy to share my story. You know, I live at home. I could be in a nursing home, but I chose to live at home. I was lucky to have the choice. My family took good care of me. One has a better quality of life if one chooses to live at home. After all, what nursing home would allow me to have my smelly dog. It’s true, there are good healthcare facilities, but there is no place like home. It’s true though, these healthcare aides look after you. They should be paid at least what they get in a nursing home. These healthcare aides work their butts off, plus, they’ve gotta put up with me. LOL

I’ve been on the quest. For some reason, this movement resonates with me. I find it all very frustrating. I keep trying to talk to who I think are the right people, but I keep getting mis-directed. I feel like I’m getting the run around. It almost makes me want to go to the media, but that might create a whole other can of worms. After all, who’s gonna listen to a guy who’s had a brain injury twice.

On another note, I’ve been doing more and more therapy. It definitely pays off. I’m more tired, that’s for sure, but it definitely helps me advance. I’m learning how to stand up at the moment. It’s working good. I’m less shaky.

That’s really all I have to report for this week. I hope you guys are dealing with this Covid mess good. And I hope you’re staying healthy. I’m just here in my own little world. It’s actually not a bad place to be. I said to my sister, “See, it paid off, being a hermit.”

Love, B. Nice

P.S. Here a letter I wrote to the governor a while back. You see, I’ve been at this for a while:

May 16, 2018

The Honourable Andrew M. Cuomo

Albany, NY 

Dear Mr. Cuomo,

My name is Brian Nice, and we are connected I'm a way. Your mother liked my father's artwork and bought a piece for the mansion up there. My parents spent time with your mother at the horse races. My father still talks about it to this day. But, the real reason why I'm writing to you is in regards to the TBI Waiver Program you started, thank God.

I'm a traumatic brain injury survivor. I'm mentally OK, but I'm physically messed up. As a matter of fact, my childhood friend is typing this for me as I dictate. The program you instigated (The TBI Waiver Program) is a great program. It basically saved my ass. But, I strongly feel it's underfunded. I mean, you should see the people who come here to take care of me. Some are good, but I go through a lot to get to the good ones. Maybe what's needed is to raise more awareness, like through the NFL, or the ARMY or something like that. Something's got to be done because I'm putting my life in the hands of people who can make more money flipping burgers. As you can tell, I'm kind of fed up with the care I'm getting. Like I said, I'm putting my life in these people's hands. Maybe they can be paid directly from New York State rather than having to go through agencies. It could generate higher quality of care and give them New York State benefits.

I'm reaching out to you in hopes that you will do something. Please feel free to call me if you'd like to talk more about it. I could tell you some stories that would flip you out.

Sincerely

Brain D. Nice

845-265-2705

P.S. I did a movie about traumatic brain injury. Check it at briannice.com/documentary