TAMPA, Fla. — When Vincent Lanci woke up from a coma, he said his mind was not all there.
“When the nurse asked me my name. Hey Vincent, what is your name? What school did you go to? I knew my first name. My school response was Pulaski Road Elementary. I was taken so far back I thought I was a kindergartner again,” he said.
Lanci was a student at the University of Tampa in 2013 when he got hit by a car while walking home after a night out.
“From the impact, I went as high in the air they say as a basketball hoop,” Lanci said.
Lanci suffered a traumatic brain injury and a serious fracture in his leg, where he now has a titanium rod.
There were months of physical rehab, and he said it took about six years to get his memory back.
Lanci met me near the spot where the hit-and-run crash happened.
That road happened to be getting repaved when we stopped by.
“I definitely think about it. But it doesn’t hit me the way it used to where it would be more traumatic every time,” Lanci said.
The experience led him to ditch a career in finance even after getting an MBA.
He’s worked with a traumatic brain injury support group at Tampa General Hospital and continues to help others deal with mental health issues through writing books and producing podcasts.
“I learned from that brain injury that it’s not a crutch. I can use it to propel me forward. All things, forming study habits and new daily routines.”
Lanci said part of getting his mind strong includes a regimented morning routine without electronics.
He finds ways to lower stress that can apply to anyone.
“Talking walks throughout the day, reading.”
Simple things he said go a long way because he takes care of his mind before anything else.
For more information on Lanci’s projects, go here.
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