Whatever happened to Regina's concussion?

 I have a love-hate relationship with a Million Little Things. It's good storytelling, but also...how many tragedies can one circle of friends possibly go through? 

The goal of the show seems to be to relate to as many people and their struggles as possible. So I was thrilled when one of my own struggles, the effects of TBI, became a storyline. Regina sustains a concussion during a BLM protest, and in the episodes following, we see her have memory problems, which in turn begin affecting her career, and a quest to find what's wrong. We see her mother advocating for Gina in a doctor's office the way many of us who are chronically ill or disabled have had our loved ones advocate for us. It was refreshing. It also paved the way for an interesting storyline pursuing the changed dynamic between Gina and her husband Rome, who throughout the series has been the partner who received more support. How would Gina balance caring for herself and supporting Rome?

This story had such potential. Until it didn't. I've been waiting almost an entire season now for any kind of mention of Regina's struggles with recovering from her TBI, which is frustrating because they had so much material waiting to be used. Did she cope any differently with the trip to Miami than she did pre-concussion? Does she have any lingering effects?

I know most people don't have lingering effects from concussions, but to dangle the possibility in front of us and then take it away has been incredibly frustrating. Of all the struggles that this show sees and brings to light, it seemed that brain injuries was finally one of those. I felt seen. I felt hope that awareness of TBI  was about to take a major step forward, but the story faded quietly with no more mention of the struggle at all. She's fully healed, I suppose, but the writers had such a good opportunity to showcase what happens when you don't fully heal.

 It took me years to reach a place where I can drive several hours in a day, or navigate an airport without feeling completely overwhelmed. And yet I have my days even still. There are still days that I have too much sensory input, days when sounds and crowds and unfamiliar settings make me anxious. 

I thought television was finally going to tell stories like mine. But I was wrong.

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