About

Deborah Brandon, PhD was a professor in the Mathematical Sciences Department at Carnegie Mellon University 1991—2020. She has participated nationally and internationally in dragon boating. She is a mother, an award winning author, and a respected textile artist, as well as a brain injury survivor. Deb is a popular speaker and presents short programs on textiles and raises awareness of brain injury. Her books include But My Brain Had Other Ideas: A Memoir of Recovery from Brain Injury, and Threads Around the World: from Arabian Weaving to Batik in Zimbabwe. Her essays have appeared in several publications, including HandEye Magazine, Weaving Today, Dragonboat International, and Psychology Today.

Featured Work

But My Brain Had Other Ideas: A Memoir of Recovery from Brain Injury

2017

When Deb Brandon discovered that cavernous angiomas—tangles of malformed blood vessels in her brain—were behind the terrifying symptoms she'd been experiencing, she underwent one brain surgery. And then another. And then another. And that was just the beginning.
Unlike other memoirs that focus on injury crisis and acute recovery, But My Brain Had Other Ideas follows Brandon’s story all the way through to long-term recovery, revealing without sugarcoating or sentimentality Brandon’s struggles—and ultimate triumph.

Other Works

  • Threads Around the World: From Arabian Weasving to Batik in Zimbabwe

    2019