Vet News: Toasting Timbo: New York City Fundraiser Helping TBI

If you have plans to be in the New York City area on September 23, 2011 please feel free to buy a ticket to Toasting Timbo 7 and help a great foundation from 8:00pm - 1:00am at Pier Sixty in New York City. What is Toasting Timbo 7? Toasting Timbo is the Timothy C McWilliams Jr. Foundation’s only fundraiser of the year, helping victims with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

TBI is an injury that occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. Sadly, it is the most frequent cause of disability and death among children in the United States, and it doesn’t stop there.  Soldiers and veterans also suffer from TBI, as well as many other Americans each day. Vehicle accidents and violence can easily lead to these brain injuries, and proper attention needs to be issued by a trained professional if any signs or symptoms develop.

From memory loss and sleep deprivation, to internal hemorrhaging and cognitive issues, TBI is not to be taken lightly. Although people suffering from TBI may appear “normal” on the outside, the changes in that person are too hard for others to truly understand. Slower thinking, depression, anxiety, physical disabilities, and even death are plausible results of TBI, and awareness needs to be raised on these injuries.

In 2007, the Timothy C McWilliams Jr. Foundation was started to not only raise awareness, but to help families in need, suffering and recovering from TBI. When a family member suffers from a traumatic brain injury, they do not suffer alone.

On March 16, 2005, Timothy C. “Timbo” McWilliams, Jr. a beloved son, brother, family member and friend, passed away at the age of 27 from complications related to a TBI that he had sustained three years earlier in a car accident. During his life, and especially throughout his rehabilitation and recovery, Tim exemplified a boundless will to live and an innate ability to positively affect those around him. To help his legacy live on, his family and friends started this foundation, which is dedicated to helping victims of TBI through small and large grant programs.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1.4 million people in the United States suffer from TBI each year and that 5.3 million Americans currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform activities of daily living as a result of a TBI. According to Department of Defense statistics, nearly half of all injuries suffered by U.S. servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan include some form of TBI. According to Invisible Wounds: Mental Health and Cognitive Care Needs of America’s Returning Veterans, RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, 2008, 19.5 percent of returning service members reported experiencing a probable TBI during deployment, and nearly one-third report symptoms of a mental health or cognitive condition; the study estimates that approximately 320,000 veterans who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan may have experienced TBI during deployment.

Recently, the Foundation has subsidized travel for seven injured NJ veterans participating in the National Wheelchair Games, and for the fifth consecutive year, the Foundation presented a check to the Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ to fund the adoption of guide dogs for those in need. The newest addition to guide dogs from the Foundation, is SPARKLE, who has her very own puppy blog so you can follow her training: Puppy Steps.

As you can see, this foundation truly cares for victims of TBI. If you are looking to help, you can! If you already have plans on September 23, won’t be in the area, or simply cannot attend, donations are always welcomed and appreciated! You can write a check to: The Timothy C. McWilliams, Jr. Foundation, P.O. Box 13, Essex Fells, NJ 07021.