Think BIG goes beyond March to help brain injured

KAPAA March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and members of the Think BIG (Brain Injury Group) met with Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. Wednesday during its meeting at the Kapaa Neighborhood Center to make the announcement.

The purpose of the Brain Injury Awareness campaign during the month of March is to promote public awareness of the extent, causes, consequences, treatment and prevention of brain injury, states a mayoral proclamation presented by Carvalho.

We extend a warm aloha and mahalo to the Think BIG organization for its advocacy, education and research in helping to bring hope and healing to millions of individuals living with brain injury, their families and the professionals who serve them, Carvalho said.

Citing facts from the Brain Injury Association of America, 1.7 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year, a contributing factor in a third of all injury-related deaths in the United States.

These injuries are largely the result of motor vehicle crashes, falls, assaults, sporting-related injuries or occupational injuries.

Additionally, traumatic brain injury is the signature injury of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and presents new challenges for members of the military and their families.

An injury that happens in an instant can bring a lifetime of physical, cognitive and behavior challenges, the proclamation states.

Early, equal and adequate access to care will greatly increase overall quality of life and will enable individuals to return to home, school, work and the community, the proclamation states.

Family members, friends and member of the community can play a central role in enhancing the lives of citizens who live after suffering traumatic brain injury.

Brain Injury Awareness Month honors the millions of people with brain injury, who, with proper acute care, therapeutic rehabilitation and adequate long-term supports, are living with the success and challenges that each day brings, said Susan H. Connors, president and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America. Our goals this year are to continue to sustain and bolster brain injury programs, increase access to care and preserve vital brain injury research.

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Think BIG goes beyond March to help brain injured