Season for Caring, Anatole Lee: Trying to get back to work after brain injury, pandemic
Anatole Lee had just finished his delivery driver shift and was biking to a friend’s house along Cesar Chavez Street when he was struck by a vehicle in summer 2005. The crash threw him off the bike and into a ditch, shattering his collar bone and parts of his skull.
Lee, 58, woke up in a hospital a few days later and had a traumatic brain injury that left him with memory and speech problems.
Sitting in his Northeast Austin studio apartment, Lee can still remember the places he worked 20 years ago, and can share dozens of stories of his time working as door security for bands and downtown Austin bars, but he sometimes forgets people’s names and sometimes struggles to find the word for which he is looking. He also can tell the difference in the way he talks.
The traumatic, life-altering event has left Lee with several insecurities, he said, but most of all his body just hasn’t been the same since. That has made it harder to work like he used to.
“I’ve never been unable to support myself,” Lee said. “And living in Austin, you can’t not work and be able to live and pay rent.”
Lee started out as a young musician who moved to Austin in 2000 to be in the Live Music Capitol of the World. His primary job was working security, and as the capitol of Texas, a lot of security work is available across the city, he said.
When he could not find work as a security guard, Lee turned to food service jobs, worked door security at various Austin bars and clubs, and did handy man jobs.
Even when he became homeless for about a year in 2019, Lee continued to work.
Want to learn about more local news you care about?: Subscribe→
“The only way to strive is to achieve,” Lee said before sharing his favorite quote. “Endeavor to persevere.”
When the pandemic shutdown the world and forced social distancing and several businesses to shutter, Lee lost his main streams of income, and soon after his apartment to remodeling.
Things have not gotten easier, he said, but he continues to find help where he can.
Through Family Eldercare's rental assistance programs, Lee has been able to find a relatively affordable apartment, but it is far from the areas he used to work. Some jobs also require employees to have their own vehicles.
His security licenses also expired during the pandemic — another thing he is working to get taken care of with the help of the Texas Workforce Commission.
With a roof over his head and a renewed license, Lee hopes to soon rejoin the workforce full-time. The need for better transportation complicates that as does a need for a double knee replacement, which is necessary after his days of playing rugby, running and his bike accident.
He realizes that might mean a complete career change, and a lot of perseverance, but with a little more help he is ready to do what it takes to get back on his feet and be independent.
“I want to get back to work and be self-reliant, and with some help I think I can do it,” Lee said. “I just need the necessary tools to do it.”
More:Read more Season for Caring stories
Anatole Lee's wish list:
Used van; tools to pick up handyman work: paint brushes, rollers, airless sprayer, painters whites, power saw, drill; financial support; size 5X shirts; size 52 x 38 pants; size 15 tennis shoes and steel toed boots; backpack; cleaning and organizing service for his apartment; desk; desktop computer; comfortable chairs; sheets, towels, linens (bed, bath, kitchen); television; kitchen utensils; pots and pans; Dutch oven; chef knife; wooden cutting board; hair clippers; bicycle; comfortable folding chair; recliner; gift cards to H-E-B, Walmart, Target and Destination XL.
Wish list available on Amazon.
Nominated by: Family Eldercare, 1700 Rutherford Lane, Austin, TX, 78754. 512-450-0844, familyeldercare.org.
Its mission: Family Eldercare thoughtfully partners with older adults and people with disabilities to create stability, dignity, and well-being.
Donate here
Use the form below or click here: https://statesmansfc.kimbia.com/statesmanseasonforcaring
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring, Family Eldercare, Anatole Lee
