Permanent hell: life with a traumatic brain injury

As protective casing for the brain the skull is strong and sturdy, but it's far from indestructible. The organ it safeguards is infinitely fragile; a delicate mass of wires and fibres that control not only what we do, but who we are. A single punch can inflict disastrous, irreversible damage to the brain as the force of impact causes the organ to ricochet around the skull, irreparably tearing and bruising.
Head of Neurosurgery at The Royal Melbourne Hospital Professor Andrew Kaye explains why living with a catastrophic brain injury is akin to dying a death every day.