When the accident took place, however, Ruby said that continual treatment and medication did not help. She could not show emotions or feel them. In addition, she was exceptionally confused. She found herself cursing, which was out of character, and she struggled with simple things like fitting a box of pizza into the garbage can. The problem became so bad …show more content…
She also wanted to help other people to feel better. Her treatment plan did take a while because she often forgot about what she was thinking, and sometimes, she had a hard time with answering more complex questions. However, her plan with pictures and quotes worked. Over time, she started to feel better.
After a period of time, Ruby discovered a couple programmers, and she had them create an iPad and iPhone app that combined both pictures and quotes together. She decided to call it Smope, which is a blended word for smiling and hope. They launched the app in mid-September of 2015. Currently, Taylor receives disability benefits, but she says that she hopes Smope will become a new way of earning money. Regardless of the financial reward, however, Taylor says that the main objective of Smope was to uplift people who have felt depressed because of a brain injury.
People who have worked with those who experienced a TBI have said that depression becomes a common state for many of them. In fact, evidence suggests that approximately 30 percent of individuals who have suffered a brain injury will struggle with extreme depression at first. Having this app serves as one of the methods that people can use to help combat their depression and feel better.