Brain-injured kids to benefit from $100k donation

A Vancouver resident recovering from a brain injury has made a a sizable donation to a fund named after a Coquitlam man who shares the same affliction.

This month, Jean-Pierre Forest handed over $100,000 to the Michael Coss Brain Injury Fund, which was set up this spring by the Coquitlam Foundation.

Forest handed over the cash on Aug. 3 after a tandem skydive in Abbotsford, his first free fall after surviving a plane crash five years ago. In the accident, Forest sustained a brain injury as well as internal injuries, a broken vertebrae, a compound fracture of his right forearm.

Coss, who was hurt in a car accident in 2006, and Forest have supported each other through their healing processes.

The Michael Coss fund pays for hyperbaric oxygenation therapy that helped to revive Coss after a six-month coma. The therapy, which is available in Coquitlam, is not covered under the provincial medical-insurance program.

The fund is available for children with brain injuries and Tri-City kids are given preference for the support, which also includes grants for other non-funded alternative therapies.

"We join with the Coss family in thanking Mr. Forest for his generosity, said foundation chair Julie Fisher, in a news release. "The donation will truly benefit those in need of this specialized treatment."

The Coquitlam Foundation manages a portfolio worth $2.4 million that is made up of 20 donor-advised and nine foundation-directed funds. Last year, the charity distributed more than $114,000 in grants, scholarships and bursaries.

Its next AGM is on Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coquitlam Public Library (City Centre branch). For more information on the Michael Coss Brain Injury Fund or to donate, visit coquitlamfoundation.com.

jwarren@tricitynews.com

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Brain-injured kids to benefit from $100k donation