Meet James Ouimet
Meet James, a happy go-lucky, family man living in Fernie, BC with his loving wife and adorable child. What many don’t know is that James suffers from the lasting effects of a traumatic brain injury. In the year 2003 James was traveling home from work with colleagues when they were in a collision. James suffered bad whiplash, but when he was forced forward by the impact his brain was moved and hit the front of his skull. At this moment James was unaware of the deliberating effects that would haunt him for years to come.
James noticed his things weren’t right as things progressed after the accident. He started experiencing episodes of blank stares, unrealistic fears and more. As things progressed James started to lose himself.
“ I wasn’t James anymore” ,he tells us during a recent live interview on Kuzen.ca Instagram account. James' brain function continued to dertitate. He experienced headaches that would progress into migraines that would last for days. Eventually things took a turn for the worse and James experienced his first seizure. Things would progress to twenty seizures a day.
James would go on to experience episodes of sleepwalking that would take him out of his residence and into unsafe situations. He would have no recollection of these phenomena and would come to areas a fair distance from his home. As things progressed, his symptoms only got worse. Irrational fears developed, James had to drop out of college at the time due to symptoms progressively getting worse.
One night James left his house in a state of disassociation. James ended up far away from home while sleep-walking and had no recollection of this happening. When he came-to he was laying on a pile of rocks in a set of unfamiliar woods , he was able to use his phone and contact his family. James had no idea where he was, or how he got there. This was a terrifying moment in James' life and his family. After this incident, James would go on to require round the clock watching due to his deteriorating symptoms. James hit an extreme low in his life and felt as if he was a burden to his family.
“James wasn’t there anymore and I lost everything but my wife”-James
After this accident, things were fast-tracked and his condition was at a point where he had no control over his basic bodily functions. James was checked into the Hamilton, Ontario brain injury clinic to begin to rehabilitate. Doctors came to discover James' front part of his brain was damaged. The area that was damaged is responsible for emotional function and this caused significant dysfunction in his life. James' wife was his rock during this trying time in his life. Their love for each other kept James going. She supported him through his healing journey and is a true saint. Their marriage is truly admirable and what a relationship is to be, “ through sickness and in health.” James family was there for him as well, though his wife truly was the saving grace for James.
James went through a vigorous rehabilitation program to help rehabilitate him back into society. James had to re-learn how to be in social-situations again and how to function in society. James was on a plethora of medications to help his symptoms. As time progressed, James' wife introduced him to the cannabis plant. James was able to find relief in using cannabis. Though it wasn’t a cure-all and took many years to find what works best for him, James was able to successfully wean off medication and switch to a plant-medicine regime. James' wife and himself craved a new start. After all the turmoil and tragedy they experienced in Ontario, A new start was needed. They packed up and started over in Fernie, BC.
James is truly an admirable human. Despite the curves life has thrown him he has persevered and flourished into the cannabis industry. Recently James was appointed the director for www.Kuzen.ca . This is the perfect position for him as he knows the wonder of how well cannabis medicine can help aid a person. James' passion, determination and continuing perseverance are truly remarkable. His accident shows us how quickly life can change. His story also shows us that with the love and support from the right people, anything is possible.
Follow James on Instagram below;