Flowers for Leontien

~Prayers and best wishes for Leontien~

To learn more, or to participate go here:

Making a Difference

I've mentioned before that my dad is a member of the American Legion. This great organization provides countless hours of service to the community. Have you ever attended a funeral where Military Rights were performed? You have the American Legion to thank for that.
Right now, the American Legion of Utah is asking for our help~ they are supporting a contest that is being sponsored by Home Depot, and will benefit the Utah State Veteran's Home.
Please go to www.facebook.com/homedepotfoundation Click on the "Aprons in Action" icon to be taken to the voting page, and vote for the Utah State Veteran's Home You can vote every 24 hours now through March 31st.
Won't you please help us out?

Brain Injury Rehabilitation

This video is a news piece that was done about Kuna Williams, a friend of ours from Arizona.  He is a brain injury survivor too.  We met him and his family at a support group for young adult TBI survivors and their families.  He and Curtis attended the same rehabilitation program, Center for Transitional Neurorehabilitation (CTN).  Dr. Klonoff  is the director and she and her staff are incredible at what they do.  We feel so fortunate that we were able to attend therapy at CTN.
Kuna and Dr. Klonoff did a great job with this interview!

Holistic Approach to Brain Injury Recovery

Kisses For Amy

I have started a blog for my sister-in-law, Amy.
You can find it at Kisses For Amy or click on the picture to the right.
Please feel free to spread the love! (And the Awareness)
I will post updates as well as information about fundraising efforts.

Brain Injury Awareness

March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month.
You can click on the banner at the top of the page (no longer active) for more information.

I am involved with Brain Injury because our oldest son, Curtis, suffered a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) in a car accident in 2006.

There are a couple of publications at the AZ Governor's Council website that you can print off and keep with medical/first aid items. They are not just specific to Arizona. I give these out quite a lot.

These are pdf files. Click on the links below. (Links have been fixed)

When Your Child's Head Has Been Hurt
Post-Concussive Symptomatology Checklist

Are You Worried About Your Head or Brain?

Brain Injury~ Get Involved!

Brain Star
Support * Treatment * Awareness * Research

This past weekend, Curtis and I participated in a Bowl-A-Thon hosted by the Brain Injury Association of Arizona, in conjunction with a fundraising organization called Brain Star.
Brain Star was started just a few months ago, by several very motivated and passionate TBI family members.
The Bowl-A-Thon was the first fundraising event, and it was a smashing success. We were able to raise $10,000!
I am so grateful to be able to associate with so many wonderful people in the brain injury community. It’s wonderful to see so many people rallying together to support such a wonderful cause.
I am also grateful for those dedicated family members and TBI survivors who have worked tirelessly to take a great idea and make it a reality. Otherwise, we would still just be sitting around talking about how nice it would be to start a fundraising group!

In March 2010, the group plans to host a Golf Tournament.

5.3 Million Americans –a little more than 2% of the population- currently live with disabilities resulting from brain injury.

If you are interested in donating much needed funds, please contact your local BIA, or contact me for further information about Brain Star.

Brain Injury: Get the Facts

March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month

This year, the focus is on awareness and prevention of sport related concussions, specifically relating to youth sports.

Learn more about Sports & Concussion at the Brain Injury Association website

A few facts about Brain Injury:
(These statistics are national averages, and vary by state)

1.4 million people sustain a brain injury every year in the United States
Nationwide, a brain injury occurs every 23 seconds (every 14 seconds in Arizona)

Leading causes of brain injury include:

*Falls (28%)
*Motor Vehicle Accidents (20%)
*Struck by/against events (19%)
*Assaults (11%)
*Blasts are a leading cause of injury for active duty military personnel in war zones

Brain injury is a silent, serious epidemic, affecting some 5.3 million Americans

Each state has a Brain Injury Association office

Find your state affiliate office here: BIA State Offices

And for more facts and statistics, visit the

Utah Brain Injury Association or

read more About Brain Injury here.