Before our loved one was injured we were ignorant of many things. We thought like many people that TBI was rare and it was the worst thing that could ever happen to you. We thought if you were so unlucky to get a head injury you wouldn’t have a very good life and you wouldn’t have many friends. You probably wouldn’t be able to have a job or to get married and have a family. We didn’t know much about the causes of TBI. We certainly didn’t know that car crashes and combat are the most significant perpetrators of TBI in our country.
So we understand that many people are ignorant about TBI. TBI bears a powerful stigma for the survivor reflected in statements like: “brain dead” and “brain damage” to express that someone is stupid. These kinds of statements are highly damaging to the survivors living with TBI. They are common in our society, and reflect our cultural ignorance about TBI. Yet TBI is known as the “Invisible Epidemic” in the medical and trauma field.
Since our loved one was injured we learned that there are 1.5 million Traumatic Brain Injuries every year in the US. Half of these are to children. Nearly half (44%) are caused by vehicle crashes.
Statistically it takes $4 million per person, and between 5 and 10 years of recovery to achieve the fullest recovery possible for each of these victims.
With numbers like these, our communities, schools, churches, and social organizations need to know more about Traumatic Brain Injury.
Education and advocacy do two critical things:
- End the stigma, isolation, and depression that TBI survivors suffer and replace it with companionship, support, and hope. As we all get educated about TBI, we will insist that our systems provide better resources for recovery, we will express hope and friendship to the survivor and we will make meaningful places for them in our families, schools and social groups.
- Take seriously the need to prevent TBI. Educate about the causes. Speak up for prevention measures such as bike and ski/snowboard helmets; swim and water safety programs; anti-shaken-baby education; and end the carnage on our roads. Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of TBI in the US. We are the drivers, the engineers, the lawmakers who determine the safety conditions on our roads. It is within our ability to affect the leading cause of death and injury for everyone between 3 and 35 years of age in the U.S..
HEADSTRONG is committed to preventing pedestrian-vehicle crashes by educating ourselves and our communities about the factors that cause crashes. We are advocates for a significant shift in our road and crosswalk designs, driver and pedestrian education and behavior, and community awareness. Together we can change the appalling statistics of crash deaths and injuries.
Currently we are working with Pedestrian InRoads and Feet First and state representatives to support a cell phone driving ban in Washington State.
We are working with Injury Free for Kids based at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle WA to do outreach to families have a loved one in the Harborview ICU with a traumatic brain injury. Families will receive a tote with personal needs during the ICU stay and information on TBI, coma, and recovery from other families perspective.
We are also in the early stages of joint planning with PedInRoads for a Traumatic Brain Injury Clubhouse as a community center and home base for survivors recovering from TBI. Our vision for the center includes: vocational resources; sports programs; art, music and drama programs; and safe haven for TBI survivors.
Join one of the Head Injury, Injury Prevention, or Pedestrian Safety organizations.
Contact your federal, state and local representatives.
Contact these state and local organizations:
Washington State Traffic Safety Commission
Washington State Legislature Traffic Safety Committee
Seattle Department of Transportation Pedestrian Safety
Seattle Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee
Read more on PEDESTRIAN SAFETY >>
