TJ’s Helmet Campaign
Donation protected
Hi all! My son, TJ, suffered a severe Traumatic Brain Injury in 2010 at age 7 when riding his bicycle without a helmet. He underwent emergency open brain surgery and spent 63 days in the hospital. TJ was not suppose to walk again, yet he is with assistance for short distances. He had to re-learned everything from walking to talking to eating again. TJ has made remarkable strides and has defied many odds. He still struggles daily with safety and cognitive issues, balance and coordination, communication and attention, memory, seizures risks, and the list goes on. He goes through life with a smile and a lot of laughter. If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting him, you are sure to have laughed at some point. TJ and our family have been so blessed.
We’ve had an amazing support system from family and friends. We have tried to raise awareness for brain injury in our community. We’ve met many who have helped us along the way. We decided it was time to give back! We are raising money to purchase bicycle helmets for our first helmet giveaway to children in our community. We are in the process of planning this event, but the first one will be in Louisville, KY with a date TBA in the near future. Our team will keep everyone updated on here. All that said, first thing is first. We need to raise money and purchase the helmets. Keep in mind the more we raise the more helmets we can purchase! All money will go strictly to helmet purchases!
Finally I would like to add, TJ recognizes the importance of wearing your helmet and he is really excited to get out in the community to give helmets away to children. TJ has helped raise a lot of awareness the best he can, but this event will be the one dearest to his heart by far. His excitement about this is off the charts! Thank you all for the support and let’s make this giveaway a smashing success! Remember there is no cure or fix for brain injury. Prevention is our best defense through awareness and being proactive.
FACTS ABOUT BRAIN INJURY:
* Traumatic Brain Injury is the single largest cause of death from injury in the United States. One million people with TBI per year in the US: 230,000 were hospitalized, 50,000 died (1/3 of all trauma deaths), 80-50,000 with long term disability. There are over 5 million people in the US living with disability from TBI at an estimated cost of over $37.8 billion yearly. ****
* Children Ages 5-14 and 15-19 have the highest levels of non-fatal bicycle related injuries, accounting for more than 1/3 of all bicycle related injuries seen in the U.S. ER Departments. *
* 384 Children die annually from bicycle crashes and 450,000 more are treated in ER Departments for bicycle related injuries. Roughly 130,000 are head injuries. **
* In 2016 there were 54 deaths from Pedal-Cycle collisions in Kentucky***
REFERENCES:
*CDC Bicycle Safety 2017
**CDC PPEO 2011
***KIPRC TBI Report 2013. P. 56
****NVIPC at CDC Fact Sheet
COMMON STRUGGLES FROM TBI:
* Cognitive Issues
* Memory Problems
* Speech and Language Struggles such as Apraxia/Aphasia
* Seizures
* Safety Awareness Struggles
* Reasoning Issues
* Physical Issues
* Tone and Spasticity Issues
* Migraines
* Trouble Controlling Emotions and Behaviors
* Struggles With Personal Relationships
* Attention Span Struggles
We’ve had an amazing support system from family and friends. We have tried to raise awareness for brain injury in our community. We’ve met many who have helped us along the way. We decided it was time to give back! We are raising money to purchase bicycle helmets for our first helmet giveaway to children in our community. We are in the process of planning this event, but the first one will be in Louisville, KY with a date TBA in the near future. Our team will keep everyone updated on here. All that said, first thing is first. We need to raise money and purchase the helmets. Keep in mind the more we raise the more helmets we can purchase! All money will go strictly to helmet purchases!
Finally I would like to add, TJ recognizes the importance of wearing your helmet and he is really excited to get out in the community to give helmets away to children. TJ has helped raise a lot of awareness the best he can, but this event will be the one dearest to his heart by far. His excitement about this is off the charts! Thank you all for the support and let’s make this giveaway a smashing success! Remember there is no cure or fix for brain injury. Prevention is our best defense through awareness and being proactive.
FACTS ABOUT BRAIN INJURY:
* Traumatic Brain Injury is the single largest cause of death from injury in the United States. One million people with TBI per year in the US: 230,000 were hospitalized, 50,000 died (1/3 of all trauma deaths), 80-50,000 with long term disability. There are over 5 million people in the US living with disability from TBI at an estimated cost of over $37.8 billion yearly. ****
* Children Ages 5-14 and 15-19 have the highest levels of non-fatal bicycle related injuries, accounting for more than 1/3 of all bicycle related injuries seen in the U.S. ER Departments. *
* 384 Children die annually from bicycle crashes and 450,000 more are treated in ER Departments for bicycle related injuries. Roughly 130,000 are head injuries. **
* In 2016 there were 54 deaths from Pedal-Cycle collisions in Kentucky***
REFERENCES:
*CDC Bicycle Safety 2017
**CDC PPEO 2011
***KIPRC TBI Report 2013. P. 56
****NVIPC at CDC Fact Sheet
COMMON STRUGGLES FROM TBI:
* Cognitive Issues
* Memory Problems
* Speech and Language Struggles such as Apraxia/Aphasia
* Seizures
* Safety Awareness Struggles
* Reasoning Issues
* Physical Issues
* Tone and Spasticity Issues
* Migraines
* Trouble Controlling Emotions and Behaviors
* Struggles With Personal Relationships
* Attention Span Struggles
Organizer
Heather Sivori Floyd
Organizer
Pendleton, KY
