Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability for Canadians under the age of 40.
An acquired brain injury in Canada is 44 times more common than a spinal cord injury, 30 times more common than breast cancer, and 400 times more common than HIV/AIDS. Every single hour, twenty Canadians will suffer a brain injury.
Sadly, Brain injury receives far less funding nationally than does any one of the above issues, provincially.
Brain injury is a silent epidemic and the only known cure is prevention.
We may never eliminate the devastation experienced following a Brain Injury but we can reduce its incidence and impact by raising awareness and providing more financial support to those who have experienced the horrors that come with a Brain Injury.
Unfortunately, my family has also experienced the tragedy that comes with Cancer.
We learned first hand, that there is a huge funding difference between Cancer and a Brain Injury.
For example, Cancer Care Ontario is now part of Ontario Health, an agency created by the Government of Ontario with a mandate to connect and coordinate our province’s health care system to help ensure that Ontarians receive the best possible care.
Imagine if there was a branch of the Provincial Government who focussed solely on helping Brain Injury Survivors and their families receive the best possible care and support.
I think more Survivors would be in a better position to “Rethink, Redo, and Rewire” their brains to cope with their trauma.
“The first step toward change is awareness.” ~ By: Nathaniel Branden
References: https://www.nbia.ca/brain-injury-statistics/
