65 million people in the world will suffer a brain injury this year, writes St. Vital author Blair Leggatt in the dedication to his forthcoming book.
Leggatt is one of many people living with a brain injury. His memoir, Exploring with Brandy: A Journey of Discovery and Recoveryis a personal project triggered by the memory loss he experienced.
“I wanted to document things that I experienced in the past,” he said, adding that he felt the process would benefit him and allow him to share his memories with his family.
Photo provided by Blair Leggatt Brandy, author Blair Leggatt’s black Labrador companion, was the trigger for his memoirs. Walking with Brandy: A journey of discovery and recovery
After regaining most of his strength through surgery and rehabilitation following a road accident in 2006 and a serious shoulder injury a few years later, Leggatt suffered an electric shock in 2017. This potentially fatal accident resulted in his permanent brain damage.
After his injury, he began keeping a personal journal and his interest in photography was revived. The catalyst for his memoir was his daily walk with the family’s 14-year-old black Labrador, Brandy.
Leggatt writes, “Although Brandy had never been trained as a service dog, she had an intuitive understanding of my needs. When we were walking in the woods and I needed a break, Brandy would come and sit next to me until I was ready to go. More than once I became disoriented on the trails we walked almost every day. Brandy would lead us out until I could think clearly again.”
Leggatt and his wife Lisa live near the Dakota Forest, and in this small piece of nature, he and Brandy walked for up to an hour every day for two years, regardless of the season or weather.
Leggatt freely admits that he occasionally fell due to a sore knee and bumpy or slippery trails. In such cases, Brandy would wait until he was back on his feet before continuing.
“Brandy could sense my emotions and the stress I was under.”
At 14, Brandy developed arthritis, which forced her to walk more slowly to match her owner’s. As they strolled along the trails together, Leggatt said he could see natural details around them and hear birdsong. The leisurely strolls gave him the time he needed to take some pictures with his Nikon camera.
He remembered that when Brandy picked up his camera and hung it around his neck, it was his signal to go for a walk.
Brandy died in May 2023 at the age of 16, but Leggatt’s book is full of thoughts and experiences with his beloved dog, as well as many photos of her.
He said he was surprised and pleased that an American company was willing to publish his book and offer it as an e-book, hardback and paperback, and at a later date as an audiobook. In the interview, he did not give a release date, but said it will be available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. He hopes local booksellers will also add it to their shelves.
Leggatt describes himself as a storyteller rather than a writer and hopes On a voyage of discovery with Brandy will inspire others. “I want people who have survived trauma to understand that they are not alone.”
Andrea Geary
Parish correspondent St. Vital
Andrea Geary is a community correspondent for St. Vital and was formerly a community journalist for The Headliner.
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