BIAA Champions

Blake Hyland is a traumatic brain injury survivor, public speaker, and comedian whose inspiring story is told in the documentary Hi I’m Blake directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Jon Michael Simpson. The film follows Blake at the age of fourteen, just moments after his brain injury through six years of his recovery. As Blake creates a platform to bring hope to everyone, he meets on the road to recovery, his family wrestles to restore him to his former self as they seek to understand “when will Blake be fully recovered?” Hi I’m Blake is an educational tool for those seeking a perspective into the life of a family in recovery as well as a deeply moving story for any looking for hope in adversity. The film is available anywhere you rent or buy your films and at Hiimblake.com. Below is a statement from Blake’s father Pat Hyland with background on Blake, his injury and BIAA’s key involvement in the family’s journey.

My name is Pat Hyland and my family and I live in China Spring, TX which is located about 20 minutes outside of Waco. In 2014 Blake suffered a severe traumatic brain injury during a gymnastics accident – he was only 14 at the time. Blake had been a gymnast for nine years. He was running down a 50 foot tumble tramp and was supposed to land into a foam pit; unfortunately, Blake came off the vault awkwardly and his head slammed into exposed concrete. We were later told by the neurosurgeon that Blake hit the concrete with such a force that it was equivalent to a head-on collision at 60 miles per hour.

Blake was obviously rushed to a local hospital. He had a subdural hematoma, thus a neurosurgeon quickly performed an emergency craniotomy to remove his skull to relieve the building pressure. Blake was then life-flighted to a reputable trauma center about 100 miles away, where a battle was fought daily. We almost lost Blake three times in the first week, and it was certainly the most heartbreaking scene a parent can witness. I asked the doctors if Blake would be vegetative, and they didn’t know, but explained that Blake himself and his rehabilitation would determine if that would be the case.

Blake was in a coma for almost 6 weeks. When he woke up he couldn’t move, he couldn’t talk and his eyes were fixated to the right. At this time my wife and I were resolute that we would do whatever we could do to help our son be fully restored and have an independent life one day. We were originally told by the hospital social worker and our insurance company that Blake would have to go home after only 60 visits of rehab once he left his acute care in the hospital, meaning that Blake would have had no more than 20 days of rehabilitation! If a baby takes years to develop, how could Blake re-learn all he’d lost in 20 days?

During my exhaustive research I spoke to many experts and neurologists throughout the country and we heard from almost all of them that we needed to maximize Blake’s therapy for a minimum of 12 months from the time of his accident. They said that doing this would get Blake to 80 to 90% of his full potential and that he could work on the other 10 to 20% over the coming years. However, they also said that if we took him home within the first month or two after being released that it may take him the rest of his life to even come close to what 12 months of intensive therapy could provide him. Thankfully, after talking to the Brain Injury Association of America, we learned about legislation in our state that gave us hope.

BIAA explained to us that a state mandate required insurance companies to pay for any and all medically-necessary brain injury treatment. Our insurance company never told us this, of course, but armed with the new information they quickly changed their tune. As a result, Blake was able to spend the next 14 months learning to talk, feed himself, and walk again, as well as so many little things we take for granted. Today, I’ll add, Blake is in 11th grade and earning A’s and B’s with no modifications to his curriculum. He does receive some accommodations as he still has challenges with his short-term memory.

Blake would not be anywhere near where he is today unless we were able to get him the therapy he needed in the first 12 months following his accident. As parents, the information provided by BIAA armed us with the primary tool we needed to advocate for our son. Blake – our son – is not the same son we remember; he is even better than before.

In February 2020, the brain injury community lost a powerful friend and advocate.

Dr. Shelly Levy was a highly regarded specialist and leader in the field of brain injury and substance use treatment. In addition to her numerous committee appointments and volunteer efforts, Dr. Levy served on the steering committee of the Brain Injury Association of New York State, New York City Chapter since its inception in 2011.

Dr. Levy began her career by providing direct care and psychological assessment services for individuals with developmental disabilities in residential, day treatment, and school settings, ultimately expanding her practice to include treatment of substance use problems in individuals with both intellectual disabilities and brain injury challenges. Dr. Levy trained thousands of mental health and substance use professionals on the problems and treatment associated with brain injury and co-occurring substance use disorders. She was instrumental in the development of the first community- based neurorehabilitation program for adults with brain injuries in New York City.

A fierce advocate for social justice and access to care, Dr. Levy was dedicated to increasing awareness about the brain injury community. She loved her work, and in particular, the individuals and colleagues with whom she worked. Says fellow volunteer Laurie Rippon, “So many of us were isolated, hungry to be seen, heard, and respected. Shelly, who lived with brain injury but didn’t have one, believed in us.”

Dr. Levy’s love for her patients and the brain injury community transcended her own health. Says friend and colleague Dr. Catherine Mindolovich, “One of the last wishes Shelly expressed was to return to her clients and continue her efforts despite her own medical difficulties at the time. She remained concerned about her clients and their well-being until the very end of her own life.”

Dr. Levy further expressed her devotion to the brain injury community by making a provision for the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) in her estate plan providing for future generations of survivors, caregivers, and brain injury specialists. On Arbor Day 2022, friends and colleagues planted a tree in Dr. Levy’s memory in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

In 2021, BIAA received a gift of $1.3 million from the estate of Mark W. Davis. This contribution is the largest planned gift in BIAA’s forty-year history. Thanks to Mark’s extraordinary philanthropy, BIAA will be able to advance a number of critically important projects, increasing service to the brain injury community for years to come. For those who knew Mark best, this gift is consistent with who he was – a person who was always thinking about others and how to better the world.

Abby and her brother, Curtis Reid, believe that some of their first lessons about the importance of helping others came because of Mark’s generosity. “Every birthday or holiday gift from Mark was a gift to help someone else out,” says Curtis, “I would open the cards to find he had sponsored a family in Africa in my name or bought a cow, a goat, or horse for someone in need.”

A renowned chef who got his start at New York City’s famed Carlyle Restaurant, Mark spent many years teaching at the New England Culinary Institute in Burlington, Vermont. He loved his students, and the feeling was mutual. If Mark knew a student was unable to go home for the holidays, he extended an invitation to his own gathering. If a student had trouble affording a textbook or other class resource, Mark made sure it was available at no cost.

Surgery for a brain tumor followed by a brain injury ended his teaching career. Mark lost his sense of smell and, with that, his ability to continue to work as a professional chef. During his recovery, he became familiar with BIAA’s work and was grateful for not only the services and supports, but also the investment made in brain injury research. After a lifetime of supporting others through his giving, Mark realized he was now the person who needed help.

He filled his time involving himself in his family business, Davis Publications, which specializes in arts education materials. Mark volunteered for a local hospice and the Vermont Association for the Blind, where he met his friend Walter. Understanding that Walter needed day-to-day assistance managing his home, Mark stepped in to help as a surrogate partner.

“Family and friends were so important to Mark,” explained Curtis. “You always felt the love in the room when you were with him.” Mark’s legacy of kindness and generosity extends to the entire brain injury community.

When Izy Engel, Hayley Tovey, and Regan Tarasewicz got together last fall to design their senior capstone project at Stevens Institute of Technology’s School of Engineering in New Jersey, it was more than coincidence that they ended up developing a tool for concussion management. Two of the three students had sustained concussions in the past.

“My personal experience as a varsity athlete in field hockey was an influence,” said Izy. “We started looking at the student athlete population, met a number of people who had similar experiences with concussion, and realized how few had access to the appropriate care when they were injured.”

Hayley, an electrical engineer, connected with Regan and Izy, both computer engineers, under the guidance of Ryan Ona, a professor in the school’s Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurship at Stevens (IDEaS) program. What resulted was an application they named LiveLog. The app assists athletic trainers in tackling concussion management to better support student athletes.

“We would like to see LiveLog distributed to other schools and made available to all athletes including those in middle and high school,” shared Hayley.

As part of the IDEaS program, projects were pitched in a competition to develop entrepreneurial skills. LiveLog placed third out of 140 teams. In recognition of this achievement and to make a difference by giving back, the LiveLog design group donated $500 to BIAA because of its passion around improving brain injury diagnosis and treatment.

“We looked at a lot of organizations that do concussion work, but BIAA stood out due to the breadth of the work you do: information, direct assistance, research, and advocacy. You are attacking the problem from many angles.” -Izy

Cathy sustained her injury in 2015 while on a professional development trip in Calgary, Canada. Many doctors dismissed her symptoms as psychological. Because she had a hard time explaining what she was going through, she wasn’t feeling validated. Her neurologist told her that her symptoms didn’t make sense and she shouldn’t still be experiencing side effects from her injury.

“No one ever thinks they or a loved one will sustain a brain injury, but when it does occur it can be absolutely devastating,” remembers Cathy. She had a lot of difficulty at first, but things got easier when she realized she couldn’t be embarrassed to ask questions, switch doctors, or stand up for herself. The “tough, ugly road” she traveled would eventually lead her to become an advocate for others.

Cathy is devoted to raising awareness of brain injury and sharing hope. She presents nationally on TBI-related topics and is a co-administrator of an online TBI support group. She shares resources with survivors and family members about ways to improve TBI outcomes and often includes materials from BIAA, like articles from THE Challenge! For Cathy, BIAA was there when she needed it the most. She considers herself blessed to have found resources and support early in her journey and now makes annual donations to help pay it forward.

“Patients, caregivers, doctors, friends, and family members all need to know about the intricacies and challenges of TBI,” shares Cathy. She supports BIAA because she wants the organization to thrive and continue to produce timely and essential resources for providers, survivors, and their families.

As a psychology professor, Steven Roberts, Ph.D., is well aware of the complexities of the human brain. In addition to his background in psychology, Steven has also been personally affected by brain injury. His father was physically assaulted, resulting in a brain injury, and he was in a semi-conscious vegetative state for the final two years of his life. This experience changed how Steven viewed the human brain. He hopes that more people will learn about how brain injuries can alter someone’s entire reality.

“The brain is infinitely important and unimaginably complex, and I can think of few things worse than suffering a traumatic brain injury. It is therefore critically important for us to advance awareness, research, treatment, and education of such injuries, and to improve the lives of every single human being who is or who will be affected by them,” Steven shares.

After watching a documentary on traumatic brain injury where he learned about the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), Steven became a monthly donor to the organization. Steven hopes that his donations, in memory of his father, will help educate people about BIAA. As he explains, “You can’t support something you aren’t aware of,” so letting people know about the organization is one of his main priorities.

In celebration of their commitment to the brain injury community, they have made a major gift to the Brain Injury Research Fund through their support of a dissertation grant. The grant will be awarded annually, giving a young researcher a leg-up while advancing discovery. Their motivation is twofold: recognizing the need to sustain the field of brain injury and to advance it at the same time. “The future will be defined by our youth; attracting the brightest young professionals into brain injury is critical,” shares Laura.

Laura, an occupational therapist and Certified Brain Injury Specialist, helped design the current resource facilitation model used across the country. “We have a strong passion for what we do for a living, and our lives have been very much enriched by knowing individuals who show courage day in and day out through their recovery,” explains Laura. Lance is an award-winning neuropsychologist who received the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) Sheldon Berrol, M.D. Clinical Service Award in 2020 for his work to improve the quality of care, professional training, and education in the field of brain injury. He adds, “While we have seen a lot of positive changes in 40 years of service, we still have a long way to go in understanding brain injury.”

It was their shared commitment to the brain injury community and passion for bettering lives that brought Lance and Laura together in a clinical setting in the 1980s. Since then, both have logged countless volunteer hours, mentored many young professionals, and driven needed change. This includes recognizing brain injury as a chronic condition, challenging private and public health care systems to work together, and improving the ability of schools to recognize the impact of brain injury earlier. “You do not have to accept that the cognitive, physical, and behavior effects of brain injury are permanent and that nothing can be done about it,” Lance asserts. Laura agrees, noting, “We make a lot of negative assessments about people because of brain injury. I wish people took time to think before they made quick judgements and understood what got them there.”

For more information about the Brain Injury Research Fund or becoming a Research Champion, please contact Paula Eichholz, Senior Director of Development, at (703) 761-0750 ext. 648 or peichholz@biausa.org. To download our research brochure, click here .

During childhood, Ira was first introduced to a community of developmentally disabled adults while helping his aunt and uncle host Saturday night socials at the local YMCA. After starting his career as a trial lawyer, he gravitated toward a focus on individuals impacted by developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Mr. Sherman and his law partners have been making a positive impact on the brain injury community for more than 25 years. With the firm’s focus being on people with developmental disabilities and TBI, Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. has touched thousands of lives in service of their clients while investing time as volunteer leaders at BIAA and the Brain Injury Associations of Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Mr. Sherman served on the BIAA Board of Directors for seven years and as the organization’s treasurer for two of those years. Mr. Sherman and Joe Cammarata founded the BIA of Washington, D.C., and Mr. Cammarata currently serves as its president.

In Fall 2020, the firm announced plans to make a $25,000 gift to the Brain Injury Research Fund, which had recently completed its first year supporting researchers who are seeking cures for chronic brain injury. The fund makes seed grants of up to $25,000 to researchers and grants of $5,000 to support young scientists completing their doctoral work. The benefits of the fund are twofold: investing in the most promising science to increase discovery, and recruiting the best and brightest investigators to specialize in brain injury. Mr. Sherman and his partners hope that this gift inspires others to make a contribution to the fund. “Every grant made by the Fund has the potential to turn on an engine that will ultimately take us down a road to provide relief from symptoms associated with having sustained a TBI,” says Mr. Sherman.

“We know the impact that TBI has on the individual and know the necessity to provide support to organizations who are often the bedrock that the individual with TBI turns to for help. Reliable, trustworthy support – that’s what BIAA provides,” explains Mr. Sherman. For these reasons, Sherman and his partners were compelled to do more. “It is a source of pride for us,” says Mr. Sherman, “BIAA supports individuals along the entire spectrum of brain injury. No one with a brain injury will feel diminished because the impacts on them are significant but may not be demonstrable to others. All with brain injury are served the same way with resources, advocacy, and now research.”

For more information about the Brain Injury Research Fund or becoming a Research Champion, please contact Robbie Baker, Vice President and Chief Development Officer, at (703) 761-0750 ext. 648 or rbaker@biausa.org. To download our research brochure, click here .

With 25 years of extensive brain injury litigation experience, Steve understands that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be utterly devastating, yet difficult to prove.

“As a lawyer for TBI accident victims, we must do everything we can to help in and out of the courtroom.”

Steve is an immediate Past-President of the American Association for Justice Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group. He regularly speaks at seminars and legal conferences on brain injuries and TBI-related litigation issues across the country, to the brain injury community on how to prove and win these difficult cases at trial and on how to prove these cases to skeptical adjusters to achieve full compensation for brain injury survivors.

Steve has acquired extensive experience helping brain injury survivors over the past 25 years. He has also recovered the top reported settlement and/or jury verdict for a TBI accident victim in Michigan over several different years.

It truly does take a village to help heal and protect brain injury survivors, and Steve is proud to be a part of it for the people he is entrusted with helping. He is honored to be a BIAA Preferred Attorneys for Michigan.