Ride for the Rock
Donation protected
The 10th Annual Ride for the Rock, in honor of Mark Ornitz, will be held on March 7, 2015. The ride will start at Whole Foods in Cary, NC. Riders have an option of 50k or 100k, all levels are welcome.
On July 31, 2005, during the Hanes Park Classic, a young cyclist sustained a life-changing brain injury when he crashed headfirst into a telephone pole while trying to avoid a fallen rider. That young man is our son.
Mark, “The Rock”, was an active cyclist who was eagerly invested in his cycling community. The severe traumatic brain injury stopped just short of killing him but has left him (and his family) with a long and arduous journey of rehabilitation for his ongoing cognitive, communication and physical deficits including intractable pain in his paralyzed right arm. His need for 24 hour supervision is provided in our home, with the assistance of aides. Constant medical attention has also been necessary yet we have been astonished by the lack of appropriate resources in both medical and rehabilitative areas within North Carolina to assist Mark as he struggles to recover. Overwhelmed at times, we have wondered how long we can physically and financially sustain this support and what will become of Mark when we cannot.
We have learned that we are not alone in this circumstance. Both military and civilian survivors, children and adults, and those who love them continue to suffer from the lack of critical and coordinated services to help them meet their life-long challenges. It is estimated that over 198,879 North Carolinians suffer from some form of brain injury which has an incidence 5 times greater than Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Injury, AIDS and breast cancer combined! Yet in North Carolina there are not enough affordable residential facilities specific to brain injury and knowledgeable as to appropriate care (58 total for the entire state). Medical, cognitive, and rehabilitative care is often unavailable, inadequate or fragmented among providers who address issues independently without comprehensive and coordinated strategies.
We have been grateful to Mark’s teammates at The Capital Cycling Club (www.capcycling.org), for keeping his name on their team roster and for partnering with the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina (www.bianc.net) and Whole Foods of Cary to conduct the Ride for the Rock to promote brain injury awareness, safety among cyclists, and to raise funds to support their mission of offering help, hope and a voice to people with brain injury and their families. There is so much more to be done to make North Carolina a good place for those touched by brain injury.
Our family continues to support the cycling community in honor of Mark’s great love for the sport and for his friends. Our hope is that on March 7, 2015 (Brain injury Awareness Month), you will consider sponsoring or donating to this year’s Ride for the Rock. This is our personal invitation to join us in celebrating the start of the cycling season while promoting brain injury awareness and cycling safety in our communities. Please consider coming out with your friends to ride in support of this wonderful cause and help raise funds for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina. Help us make a difference for the brain-injured and their families.
To sign up to ride in the is event click here: https://www.usacycling.org/register/2015-889
Ride for Brain Injury, Ride for our Troops, Ride for Safety, Ride for the Rock!
Sincerely,
Bob and Carol Ornitz
(Mark’s parents)
On July 31, 2005, during the Hanes Park Classic, a young cyclist sustained a life-changing brain injury when he crashed headfirst into a telephone pole while trying to avoid a fallen rider. That young man is our son.
Mark, “The Rock”, was an active cyclist who was eagerly invested in his cycling community. The severe traumatic brain injury stopped just short of killing him but has left him (and his family) with a long and arduous journey of rehabilitation for his ongoing cognitive, communication and physical deficits including intractable pain in his paralyzed right arm. His need for 24 hour supervision is provided in our home, with the assistance of aides. Constant medical attention has also been necessary yet we have been astonished by the lack of appropriate resources in both medical and rehabilitative areas within North Carolina to assist Mark as he struggles to recover. Overwhelmed at times, we have wondered how long we can physically and financially sustain this support and what will become of Mark when we cannot.
We have learned that we are not alone in this circumstance. Both military and civilian survivors, children and adults, and those who love them continue to suffer from the lack of critical and coordinated services to help them meet their life-long challenges. It is estimated that over 198,879 North Carolinians suffer from some form of brain injury which has an incidence 5 times greater than Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Injury, AIDS and breast cancer combined! Yet in North Carolina there are not enough affordable residential facilities specific to brain injury and knowledgeable as to appropriate care (58 total for the entire state). Medical, cognitive, and rehabilitative care is often unavailable, inadequate or fragmented among providers who address issues independently without comprehensive and coordinated strategies.
We have been grateful to Mark’s teammates at The Capital Cycling Club (www.capcycling.org), for keeping his name on their team roster and for partnering with the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina (www.bianc.net) and Whole Foods of Cary to conduct the Ride for the Rock to promote brain injury awareness, safety among cyclists, and to raise funds to support their mission of offering help, hope and a voice to people with brain injury and their families. There is so much more to be done to make North Carolina a good place for those touched by brain injury.
Our family continues to support the cycling community in honor of Mark’s great love for the sport and for his friends. Our hope is that on March 7, 2015 (Brain injury Awareness Month), you will consider sponsoring or donating to this year’s Ride for the Rock. This is our personal invitation to join us in celebrating the start of the cycling season while promoting brain injury awareness and cycling safety in our communities. Please consider coming out with your friends to ride in support of this wonderful cause and help raise funds for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina. Help us make a difference for the brain-injured and their families.
To sign up to ride in the is event click here: https://www.usacycling.org/register/2015-889
Ride for Brain Injury, Ride for our Troops, Ride for Safety, Ride for the Rock!
Sincerely,
Bob and Carol Ornitz
(Mark’s parents)
Organizer
Brain Injury Association Of North Carolina
Organizer
Raleigh, NC
