About a year and a half ago, I received the terrifying news that my best friend got hit by a car and was in and out of surgery for a brain injury, among dozens of other issues. In the 18 months since, I’ve been in awe of Gabby’s perseverance through the worst case scenario. She’s gone from not being able to walk and talk to working and living on her own again in LA. She still struggles daily, though, in figuring out how her brain injury is affecting her in the long term. With the great resources at Cedars-Sinai, the support of her phenomenal family, and tons of friends, doctors, nurses, and therapists, Gabby’s figuring out her new normal. 

As Gabby herself said: “Every brain injury is different, there is no cookie cutter way to treat all brain injuries or set of symptoms/issues that present themselves; there is no one solution. Combatting such issues can be extremely difficult because you look and appear fine. Brain injuries are truly an invisible disability and no one knows what’s going on inside your head and what a victim feels on a daily basis. There’s a perception that you’re automatically down and out for life and that’s not the case at all. I’m back to work and living on my own 3,000 miles away from family but I still need a lot of support each day.”

For that reason, I’m running the NYC Marathon in November in support of the Brain Injury Recovery Foundation. I’m hoping to raise $3,000 to support their mission to fill the gaps in educational materials, support and advocacy for brain injury survivors and their families. The Brain Injury Recovery Foundation seeks to provide resources to both individuals with brain injuries and their support systems. In the terrifying first few weeks and months after Gabby’s injury, having resources like theirs would have been invaluable, and any donation will help spread these resources to those who need them most.