Saturday, May 22

The weather cooperated and we had a clear rain-free morning to complete our Walk for Thought on the OSU Fred Beekman Park walk way. I saw 2 of Mr. B's therapists from Dodd Hall and met up with a friend of mine from our TBI spouse support group. There were 3 races, a 5K for runners, a timed mile and the fun mile. You guessed it, we took part in the fun mile. Our time was 20:12, a time that would not even qualify me for a C in my own PE class. But we did have fun. There were people there in all age groups and several dogs also participated. There were information booths available at the conclusion of the race and free helmets and helmet fitting for children sponsored by the Brain Injury Association.

According to the Brain Injury Association of America 1.4 million TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) occur each year in the United States. An estimated 227,063 Ohioans live with the residual effects of brain injury. The leading cause of TBI are falls (28%) followed by auto accidents (20%). Blasts are a leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel. Males are about 1.5 times more likely than females to sustain a TBI. The two highest risk age groups are 0-4 year olds and 15-19 year olds.

Brain injury is often referred to as the invisable injury because often there are no visable signs that a person has had a TBI. Awareness is key, and it is important to realize that a person does not need to lose consciousness to have had a concussion or TBI. Many mild brain injuries go undetected because they are not diagnosed properly or they are given inadequate recovery time. For more information you can visit the Brain Injury Association of Ohio website at: http://www.biaoh.org/