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- Laura LauretaTBI AmbassadorRoleSurvivorLocationColoradoFun Facts
Because of learning disabilities earlier in her life, Laura had low reading skills before her TBI. But she beat the odds and learned to read well after her car crash. Reading is now her favorite pastime.
Laura's Journey with TBI
Growing up, Laura had 13 mild concussions. In 2011, she was in a car crash, which caused a traumatic brain injury (TBI). After the crash, Laura started to get terrible headaches. But she did not let this stop her from living a fulfilling life or sharing her experiences to help others. Laura works for the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado. She co-teaches a class on self-advocacy and independent living. She also runs her own blog, which is now an LLC. In her blog, she shares her experiences with TBI and concussion. She also shares resources that have helped her on her journey.
Why does Laura want to be an ambassador?
Laura feels like she has learned so much from her experience. She wants to do all she can to share what she has learned with the TBI community. She is grateful for MSKTC’s free, research-based resources. She has not found another organization with the same variety of high-quality resources about TBI. Laura wants to share these resources with her networks so that others can benefit from them like she has.
What has Laura done as an ambassador?
Laura has shared MSKTC’s resources with a lot of folks to educate them about TBI. This includes congressional staff. She has ideas for ways to add MSKTC’s resources to her class on self-advocacy and independent living. She plans to create a reference list on her blog with MSKTC’s helpful resources on TBI. Laura also plans to share MSKTC’s resources with Brain Busters. This is a virtual TBI support group she started. The group meets to do brain-stimulating activities. She plans to print out MSKTC’s resources and add them to the Little Free Library in front of her house.
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- Kaia WileyTBI AmbassadorRoleOccupational therapist (MS, OTR/L, CSRS, MSCS, CBIS) for INOVA Health SystemLocationVirginiaFun Facts
Kaia is an animal lover! At the start of the pandemic, she adopted two cats. She also became interested in bird-watching. In her free time, she likes to travel, do yoga, rock climb, and kayak.
Kaia is an occupational therapist (OT) who works with patients who have a traumatic brain injury or TBI. Since she was a child, Kaia has wanted to help people achieve optimal independence and reach their personal goals. Kaia works with TBI patients of all ages. She helps them with daily tasks, like dressing and brushing their teeth, and other tasks that help them improve their functional skills. She works to bridge the transition to independence after patients leave the hospital and beyond.
Why did Kaia want to be an ambassador?
As an OT, Kaia is a passionate advocate for her patients. She distributes user-friendly information to the public to raise awareness about her patients and those living with a TBI who may not be well represented. She likes that MSKTC offers plain language resources for people with a TBI, their caregivers, and the public. She also likes that MSKTC uses a variety of communication strategies. These include infocomics and videos, which target different learning styles and interests. She looks forward to becoming an affiliated resource for her community.
What does Kaia do as an ambassador?
Since she became an ambassador, Kaia has shared MSKTC resources with her patients. These resources discuss driving after a TBI, emotional changes after a TBI, and making healthy choices after a TBI. She also encourages her patients to share these resources with their friends and families. Kaia is working on a pamphlet for patients about recovery from TBI. She also wants to host a community driving event.