THE Challenge! Spring 2011

Brain Injury
Awareness Day
Brain Injury
Awareness Day
By Laurie Kusek, Director of Communications, Brain Injury Association of America
Brain Injury Awareness Day on
Capitol Hill was held on March 16,
2011. As in years past, advocates
and Congressional staff attended an
awareness fair, briefing and reception. This
year’s briefing focused on Brain Injury
Rehabilitation and Re-Entry: Lessons
Learned and the Road Ahead, with speakers
emphasizing the importance of rehabilitation
in maximizing recovery for people with brain
injury.
“One of the first commitments I made after
becoming a congressman 14 years ago was to make the U.S.
Congress, and the public, aware of the dangers of traumatic
brain injury (TBI). As part of that commitment and in my role
as co-chairman of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force,
every year I host a day on Capitol Hill dedicated to brain injury
awareness,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), who co-chairs the
task force with Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA). “I speak as an advocate
for brain injury patients, and what we need now is support –
support for better policies for our service members, support for
federal guidelines to protect our student athletes, and support
for healthcare reform so that no matter your insurance, you will
have access to care.”
Seven panelists were invited to speak about the research,
education and importance of rehabilitation they’ve been
involved with at their institutions and with their families.
Speakers included Brig. Gen. Richard W. Thomas, Army
assistant surgeon general, force protection; Col. Jamie B.
Grimes, director, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center;
Kathy Helmick, deputy director, Defense Centers of Excellence
for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury; Patty
Horan, wife of a wounded warrior, Army Capt. Patrick Horan;
2011
Dr. Lisa McGuire, research team leader,
Division of Injury Response, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Keith
Cicerone, director of Neuropsychology
and Rehabilitation Psychology at the JFK-
Johnson Rehabilitation Institute and New
Jersey Neuroscience Institute, JFK Medical
Center (one of 16 TBI Model Systems
research centers under the Department
of Education); and Dr. Anne Forrest,
traumatic brain injury advocate, formerly
senior economist at the Environmental
Law Institute.
As reported by the Army News Service, Patty Horan, wife of
Capt. Patrick Horan, shared that Patrick suffered a gunshot
wound to the left side of his head while serving in Iraq in 2007.
The injury left him completely disabled. It destroyed his ability
to walk, he lost all coordination and sensation on the right side
of his body and he lost the ability to read, to write, to speak, to
understand language, and it also destroyed his right visual field.
“In the early stages of rehab, I was completely overwhelmed.
His injury was so debilitating, I could not even imagine how he
could possibly recover,” Patty said. “I thought our life would be
lived in institutions, isolation, and unrealized dreams.”
Capt. Horan began rehabilitation five weeks after the initial
injury and about three months later the doctors told Patty that
Pat would never be able to communicate effectively again. “My
sister-in-law found a blog which talked about (a facility). Our
neurosurgeon supported our decision, so we moved,” Patty said.
At the center, Pat was given five hours of therapy a day,
consisting of occupational, physical, speech, recreational and
cognitive therapy, as well as community re-entry. “Because of
(Continued on pg. 21)
Patty Horan Audience, Brain Injury Awareness Day 2011 Anne Forrest
THE Challenge! | Spring 2011
14