S T A L E Y I N S I G H T

Did you know Harriet Tubman lived with a lifelong traumatic brain injury that caused sudden sleep attacks and blackouts? As a teenager enslaved in Maryland, Tubman was struck in the head by a heavy metal weight thrown by an overseer. The blow fractured her skull and nearly killed her. She was left without proper medical care, and the injury affected her for the rest of her life. Afterward, Tubman began experiencing sudden sleep attacks, dizziness, severe headaches, and episodes historians believe were seizures caused by that head trauma. At times she would lose consciousness without warning. Despite this, Tubman went on to become one of the most daring freedom fighters in American history. She escaped slavery herself, then returned repeatedly to the South to guide other enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. She later served as a Civil War scout, nurse, and spy, helping plan military operations that freed hundreds more. Tubman’s injury did not stop her from traveling long distances, navigating hostile territory, or risking capture again and again. Instead, she carried those physical challenges with her while continuing her work.