Help Lauren's Noggin
Donation protected
Please meet Lauren Brem. 4 years ago she suffered serious head trauma (a 60 foot hard softball line drive to the face) that was mishandled and misdiagnosed. She was told no fractures. She was not tested for brain bleeds. She was given no concussion protocol. She was given no treatment plan other than ice, Tylenol and Advil. She was discharged less than 3 hours post injury, and allowed to drive home.
After advocating for herself on multiple occasions, through sheer stubbornness and determination, she got in to see some new doctors - but by then the injury was too far along to avoid much of the damage. And still, no treatment plan for any of the concussion symptoms she's still facing.
This has directly resulted in ongoing out of pocket expenses ($60,000 to date and rising), most of which should have been covered by MSP. Also some major complications which should have been completely avoided had they been recognized and dealt with at the onset. Please see below for a more in depth personal account from Lauren.
Read here --------> Letter sent to the patient care quality review board
This has been tough mentally, financially, and now emotionally. We know Lauren as a giver. She advocates for mental illness. She runs fundraisers for others. She isn't one to ask for herself. Now it's time for us to step up and help her. It took a team of friends, and multiple hurdles (gaming rules ruling out a raffle, etc.) to finally come to terms with, and convince Lauren that a Go Fund Me is our best option.
Lauren's Story:
I have struggled with this for quite some time. I have long preferred to be the giver, rather than the receiver. If nothing else, this has reminded me of the power of community. I will continue to use my platform to find ways to pay it forward in honour of this gracious gesture. The statute of limitations has created a situation that no longer allows me to recoup costs in a legal setting. Should any of this exceed the amount spent, it will be donated to a non-profit committed to mental health and/or concussion research and care for others. It is very important to me that everyone understands that I have nothing but respect for those who dedicate their lives to medicine and the care of others.
As a personal thank you to each who chose to donate, I will be selecting several donors at random to receive a gift. These items will be from my own collection of memorabilia, as well as items donated for this purpose from incredible people throughout the US and Canada.
We are also running a silent auction on Facebook here There will be some larger memorabilia items as well as custom art panels available to bid on in the upcoming weeks. Please feel free to invite anyone to the page who may be interested!
On the Facebook page I have included details of my journey. This situation was unfortunate for me, but does not take away from the gratitude I have for the care we are generally able to access. I have utilized all options I have to make sure this specific incident is investigated by the patient care quality review board and will use any opportunity to advocate for positive change in the way head injuries are treated. For those who know me, mental health advocacy has been an important mission for me. Regardless of the financial aspect of all this, I will continue to use this as a positive opportunity to make change.
After advocating for herself on multiple occasions, through sheer stubbornness and determination, she got in to see some new doctors - but by then the injury was too far along to avoid much of the damage. And still, no treatment plan for any of the concussion symptoms she's still facing.
This has directly resulted in ongoing out of pocket expenses ($60,000 to date and rising), most of which should have been covered by MSP. Also some major complications which should have been completely avoided had they been recognized and dealt with at the onset. Please see below for a more in depth personal account from Lauren.
Read here --------> Letter sent to the patient care quality review board
This has been tough mentally, financially, and now emotionally. We know Lauren as a giver. She advocates for mental illness. She runs fundraisers for others. She isn't one to ask for herself. Now it's time for us to step up and help her. It took a team of friends, and multiple hurdles (gaming rules ruling out a raffle, etc.) to finally come to terms with, and convince Lauren that a Go Fund Me is our best option.
Lauren's Story:
I have struggled with this for quite some time. I have long preferred to be the giver, rather than the receiver. If nothing else, this has reminded me of the power of community. I will continue to use my platform to find ways to pay it forward in honour of this gracious gesture. The statute of limitations has created a situation that no longer allows me to recoup costs in a legal setting. Should any of this exceed the amount spent, it will be donated to a non-profit committed to mental health and/or concussion research and care for others. It is very important to me that everyone understands that I have nothing but respect for those who dedicate their lives to medicine and the care of others.
As a personal thank you to each who chose to donate, I will be selecting several donors at random to receive a gift. These items will be from my own collection of memorabilia, as well as items donated for this purpose from incredible people throughout the US and Canada.
We are also running a silent auction on Facebook here There will be some larger memorabilia items as well as custom art panels available to bid on in the upcoming weeks. Please feel free to invite anyone to the page who may be interested!
On the Facebook page I have included details of my journey. This situation was unfortunate for me, but does not take away from the gratitude I have for the care we are generally able to access. I have utilized all options I have to make sure this specific incident is investigated by the patient care quality review board and will use any opportunity to advocate for positive change in the way head injuries are treated. For those who know me, mental health advocacy has been an important mission for me. Regardless of the financial aspect of all this, I will continue to use this as a positive opportunity to make change.
Organizer and beneficiary
Nicole de Boer
Organizer
Burnaby, BC
Lauren Brem
Beneficiary
