Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) occurs when the brain has
been injured by an external physical force. When a brain injury occurs,
usually neurons, nerve tracts are effected. When these parts are damaged
the messages the brain sends to rest of the body is drastically altered.
There can be any combination of changes in personality, behavior, motor
skills and cognitive thinking. These changes can be temporary or permanent
and can effect the following: communication, judgement, perception, reading
and writing skills, memory and decision making to name a few. Any of the
five senses, motor coordination, balance, speech are the physical changes.
Emotional mood swings, aggression, frustration are behavioral changes.
Trauma from a blow to the head or stroke can lead to irreversible damage
and a greatly reduced quality of life. Sometimes the effects are delayed
for months or years.
Did you know that an estimated two million Americans contract some form
of brain injury each year? That every 15 seconds someone suffers a brain
injury? More pervasive than AIDS, breast cancer and multiple sclerosis
combined, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and
disability to Americans under the age of 45. It effects more lives than
most people realize. TBI has become an almost silent epidemic with a brain
injury occurring every 15 seconds in America. Approximately, 100,000 people
die each year from TBI and 500,000 more are disabled.
More than 2% of the US population is living with a disability caused by
TBI. The cost for treating, rehabilitating and caring for TBI victims
costs the US approximately $30 billion annually. And to date, no clinical
treatment has proven effective in reversing the debilitating consequences
of traumatic brain injury.
The only known cure for brain injury today is prevention. The Coalition
for Brain Injury Research is working hard to change this situation. Based
on recent advances in the neuro sciences, the potential for cure is rapidly
gaining credibility in the research community. We are totally committed
to working at the federal, state, and grass roots levels to achieve our
goals. These efforts will renew hope to the victims and families who have
suffered for so long. Every effort should be made to provide them with
the opportunity to lead a meaningful, productive life.
