I’m running the LLHM in support of SameYou because of the amazing
work this charity is doing for brain injuries, life after recovering from brain injuries, and their continuing efforts in research and education. A brain injury could be as simple as a mild TBI/ABI or as severe as an aneurysm or stroke and the impacts on our daily lives can vary just as widely. This isn’t a disease or sickness that attacks the elderly or unwell – young people face an equal risk! No one is immune from these complicated and scary injuries. 

I need your help! Getting to England to meet these wonderful people is my responsibility. Meeting the fundraising pledge to stake my place in the race is up to you! Help me get to London and together we'll help this charity change lives! Joining a charity team on a race like this has been a dream of mine for many years. I am so incredibly grateful to the SameYou team for giving me a seat and the opportunity to help them fundraise. 

I have suffered multiple concussions through my life, both inside and outside of active military service. My recovery from one specific mTBI took several years and my personality completely changed in the process. I was shocked to learn in 2019 that an untreated blood clot in my leg could have made its way to my heart or brain and ended my life in my thirties.

The presence of brain injuries and their recovery are everywhere in our lives – not just with athletes or Soldiers. Car accidents, trips and falls, or even freak aneurysms can happen to anyone at any time. Fit people who eat healthily and care about the world around them are just as susceptible to brain injury and everyone needs to know that treatment isn’t instantaneous and healing does not happen overnight. Concussion treatments are evolving even today and I wish I could have had the opportunity for some of the new therapies when I was suffering.

I run about thirty miles a week and I have participated in over 40 half marathons in 8 American states. I am thrilled at the chance to join the SameYou team and run through London. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the London Landmarks from a new perspective. More importantly, I get to encourage my friends and family to donate to this incredible charity and learn about what is sometimes a very slow road to recovery after brain injuries.

Thank you to the SameYou team for welcoming me to the group!

Click 'view gallery' above for more pictures.

SameYou's purpose is for brain injury survivors to feel they haven't lost the person they were before. When your brain is injured, it is called an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). ABI is primarily made up of stroke, brain tumour and traumatic brain injury (where sudden trauma to the brain is caused by external force such as a fall, sports concussion or road traffic accident).It's estimated that nearly 1 in 3 people will have an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) at some point in their life. Reports say that more than 135 million worldwide are living with brain injury. This is an underestimate of the scale of the problem due to the lack of focus on brain injury. You will know someone with a brain injury at some point, and they will not receive the care they need. SameYou's vision is a future where anyone affected by brain injury gets the support they need to recover and to live a rewarding life.