How One Teen’s Brain Injury Led Her to Her Life’s Purpose: Ellie Altman's Healing Journey

In this episode of The Longevity Formula, Dr. Brandon Crawford is joined by Ellie Altman, a young college student who shares her inspiring and deeply personal journey of overcoming devastating traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and uncontrolled seizures to find a new life purpose.

Ellie recounts how two back-to-back concussions sustained during high school volleyball led to the sudden onset of generalized epilepsy, culminating in a terrifying 9.5-minute grand mal seizure. She describes the inadequacy of the traditional medical system, noting that standard "return to play" guidelines were dangerously insufficient and that subsequent neurologists focused only on medicating her symptoms, rejecting any link between her seizures and the prior concussions. Ellie details the severe side effects of maximal seizure medication dosages, which only compounded her symptoms—memory loss, brain fog, and the inability to read or write—making her life "20 times worse".

The conversation highlights the profound medical trauma Ellie experienced, including the loss of her valedictorian status due to her inability to attend school and being ostracized by peers and faculty who feared her condition. The turning point came when Ellie found NeuroSolution Center of Austin. She shares the incredible moment of divine timing—pulling up to the practice located on "New Hope Street" and seeing the verse Jeremiah 29:11 (a central theme in her life) on the wall. This marked the beginning of her recovery through functional neurology, which offered a fundamentally different, root-cause approach.

The Principles Involved in Her Healing

1. The Energy Crisis: Head injuries cause a neuronal energy crisis, altering the firing thresholds of neurons and leading to chaotic firing (seizures).
2. Central Integrated State: Seizure medications dampen the brain's "healthy idle state," leading to widespread cognitive decline. Functional neurology focuses on restoring the central integrated state and correcting the underlying energy deficiency.
3. Neuroplasticity and Memory: Dr. Crawford addresses the belief that memories are permanently lost after TBI, affirming that they are often suppressed by the fear paralysis response and the hypervigilance of the limbic system, but can be regained through targeted neuroplasticity work.

Ellie’s story is a testament to the power of never accepting "never." Her recovery culminated in achieving complete seizure freedom and successfully making the cut for her university's competitive a cappella group. Inspired by her own journey, Ellie is now pursuing her calling to become a functional neurologist, embodying the principle that sometimes your greatest trial becomes your greatest purpose.

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