By Amanda Collins

Although March is set aside each year to bring awareness to brain injury, Josh Hill has been dealing with it for more than half his life.

Hill was 16 he suffered a severe head injury during a head-on collision with an impaired driver.

That was on November 10, 2001. Since then, his life has not been the same.

Hill, now 33 and of Vesta, continues to deal with the aftermath, as does his family.

Josh Hill must use a special device to stand up, according to his dad, Rick Hill. A lift also is needed to help get him in and out of bed.

He also has ongoing therapies, Rick Hill said, adding the cost of medical supplies and living expenses for his son total more than $4,000 each month.

To gain some semblance of independence, Josh Hill relies on a motorized wheelchair, Rick Hill said, and added that the family bought a used van that is equipped with a lift. It was needed to transport their son.

Immediately following the crash, Josh Hill spent a total of 59 days at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. for treatment of his brain injury and other issues as a result of the crash.

“Brain injury is a real strange thing. Josh may not remember something you told him 10 minutes ago but can remember some song that he hasn’t heard since he came out of a coma and he sings along, every word,” Rick Hill said.

In addition to his other injuries, Josh Hill also suffered a stroke at some point while hospitalized.

Treatments for those initial injuries cost $500,000, Rick Hill said, and added that his son also temporarily lost his speech, part of his memory and his independence.

He missed countless milestones as a high school student because of the injuries he sustained in the crash. Josh Hill struggled to relearn and regain his mobility, according to Rick Hill, who said it took more than four years of intense therapy just for his son to relearn to use his arms.

It also took a toll on his speech, part of his memory, his junior and senior proms and his goal of playing varsity basketball at Patrick County High School – something Josh Hill had looked forward to achieving since elementary school.

His injury also cost him his high school diploma and his dream of attending Duke University to pursue a career as a high school coach, Rick Hill said.

He shares their journey publicly and also created a video on YouTube titled, “How much does a carton of beer cost?”

The video is a recitation that begins early in Josh Hill’s journey, and ends with a heartfelt plea from his father: “You don’t have to drink. You don’t have to give into peer pressure. A six pack holds more than a brief high. It holds your future” and the futures of innocent people, Rick Hill said.

The price “of a carton of beer is very deceptive,” Rick Hill said. He encourages people not to drink and especially not to drink and drive.

In addition to vehicle crashes, brain injury also can be caused by falls, assaults and even sports injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/index.