New Memoir Reveals the Hidden Battles Behind Traumatic Brain Injury – Download for Free through September 19, 2026

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – As disability awareness turns toward conditions people cannot see, Shelley Picard shares what recovery really looks like after the visible wounds disappear.

Gilbert, AZ – September 14, 2026 — Writer, playwright, and former travel consultant Shelley Picard never expected one step off a raised platform in Spain to alter the course of her life. In Broken Brain: Recovery and Remapping Life After Brain Trauma (Redemption Press), Picard recounts the traumatic brain injury that followed and the long, often invisible road through cognitive impairment, anxiety, memory loss, physical limitations, and a crisis of faith.

Her story arrives as National Disability Employment Awareness Month brings renewed attention to disabilities that are not always apparent. For Picard, that reality became painfully personal: as bruises faded and she could once again walk and talk, people assumed she was well – even while she continued battling tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo, short-term memory impairment, sensory changes, anxiety, and cognitive challenges.

Broken Brain moves beyond the medical story to explore what trauma can do to a person’s identity, relationships, work, and faith. Picard writes candidly for survivors who feel misunderstood, caregivers walking beside them, and believers who wonder where God is when healing takes longer than expected. Rather than offering easy answers, her memoir traces a journey from feeling broken and abandoned toward recognizing that pain does not define a person and that spiritual and emotional restoration can unfold even while physical recovery continues.

“My broken brain was not the end of my story. It was the beginning of God’s restoration,” Picard says. “I want people living through trauma, and the people who love them, to know that the battles others cannot see are still real, and they do not have to walk through them alone.”

Shelley Picard’s print copy will be available on September 15, 2026; with the e-book free to download on Amazon for 5 days through September 19, 2026. Early readers are already sharing how much the story has touched them—here’s what a couple of reviewers have said:

Sandra Weaver – The Body of Christ needs “Broken Brain!”
Families of individuals who have sustained a brain injury desperately need this book. For the most part the brain injured person looks exactly the same. However, beneath the surface there are numerous changes that cause struggle hardship and often relational pain for both those with traumatic brain injuries and their families and friends.

Kindle Customer
5 Stars – When God holds your hand
Imagine being in the beautiful city of Spain with a group of friends and the unthinkable happens…that is where the story begins. Shelly shares with grit and honesty, the story of her injury while in a foreign country, the medical trauma she endures and most importantly the healing as God shows her that he is with her every step of the way… This beautiful story is meant to be read and to be shared; you are invited to walk some of her path and discover the depths of the Father’s love for his children despite the circumstance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelley Picard is a writer, playwright, and former travel consultant whose life was forever changed after a traumatic brain injury. With honesty and faith, she shares her story to encourage others who feel broken or unseen in their suffering. A lifelong performer and storyteller, Shelley lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, where she continues to write, inspire, and point others to God’s unfailing presence.

For interviews, contact: spicard1116@gmail.com
Website: www.shelleypicard.com