WE DID IT!! Each one of YOU made NeuroHope the 2018 BRACKETS FOR GOOD CHAMPIONS!! We are still in awe at the support that flooded in for our cause throughout this MONTH LONG tournament. Round by round, you carried us past 63 other fantastic charities to the very end. In total, we raised $80,088 AND took home the $10,000 grand prize. SIMPLY STUNNING!
As one of the smaller charities in the tournament, we were seeded in the “Least Resources / Least Awareness” division. This meant we were seeded low and faced some difficult competition. But, THANKS TO YOU, we wore our Cinderella slipper well. The final round was edge-of-your seat entertainment. A NeuroHope “war room” was set up at the Incrediplex As the donations poured in throughout the closing seconds, the LAST PLAY put us over the top for a thrilling $42,339 – $40,207 final round victory. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO OF THE CLOSING SECONDS BELOW!
Throughout this campaign we totaled:
716 donations
123 First time donors
A grand total of $90,088
We are proud and humbled that our mission to provide affordable, extended rehabilitation for neurologic injury is striking a chord in our community and we have all of you to thank.
A special shout-out is dedicated to our corporate teammates at Incrediplex and Hensley Legal Group, who helped make this improbable championship run a reality!
What a month. THANK YOU ALL!
https://www.neurohopewellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/bfgChamps_v2.jpg350960Chris Leeuw/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NeuroHope_Color.svgChris Leeuw2018-04-10 16:14:242018-05-03 15:11:42NeuroHope: 2018 Brackets For Good Champions!
The NeuroHope Team would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who made it to our Open House on Friday night! The outpouring of support was more than we imagined. Nearly 300 of you toured our gym and packed the Incrediplex auditorium to hear our story, learn about our services, and be inspired by our clients – and 1,300 MORE of you tuned into our feed on Facebook Live.
You recognize the impact we are having on the lives of our clients and you are rallying around us!
At the Open House we shared our journey, and explained our expansion to a new gym thanks to support from the Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund from the State Department of Health. This has allowed us to begin a research project with the University of Indianapolis Krannert School of Physical Therapy, and join the prestigious Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network as 1 of 11 worldwide affiliates that collaborate and provide innovative treatment and extended physical therapy and wellness after neurologic injury!
While this expansion has enabled us to grow – our mission continues to be focused on providing affordable care for those that need it. That means community support is the foundation of our services!
How You Can Help:
We are giving Brackets For Good another run this year! And we need YOUR help in the FUNDRAISING starting this Friday, March 2!
Brackets For Good is a weekly “competition” between charities to raise funds each week, with a chance to advance through the bracket (think college basketball’s March Madness) to a $10,000 grand prize (in addition to keeping all funds raised). Last year we raised $54,000 and made a run to the tournament Final Four! View this year’s bracket here! Let’s win it this year – and secure funds for our new gym!!
Donations can be made online as soon as the tournament starts, and you can watch the scores update REAL-TIME. Stay tuned to our newsletters, and follow us on Facebook for updates! We will let you know when the giving begins!
https://www.neurohopewellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/openhouse-blog-2.jpg350960Chris Leeuw/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NeuroHope_Color.svgChris Leeuw2018-02-25 17:12:022018-05-01 17:32:26Open House Thanks! and ‘Brackets For Good’ Tip-off!
From 64 charities to the FINAL FOUR, and we are still standing! When this “competition” began last month, we thought it was a long shot to get this far. WHY UNDERESTIMATE OUR SUPPORTERS?
You guys are awesome. We have raised $30,000 so far and are just one week away from a potential $10,000 champion bonus!
https://www.neurohopewellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/bfgwish.jpg361639Chris Leeuw/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NeuroHope_Color.svgChris Leeuw2017-03-27 08:19:332017-03-27 08:19:33NeuroHope Makes ‘Brackets For Good’ Final Four!
Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, one of the largest and most trusted neurosurgery practices in the country, has teamed with NeuroHope in the 2017 Brackets For Good fundraising tournament!
Their endorsement of our mission is especially important to me personally. Their practice has treated thousands of patients at 16 locations across Indiana, and each has placed total trust in Goodman Campbell’s standard of care during the most frightening time in their life. One of those patients was me.
At 9:00 PM on Sunday, August 8th 2010, I was laying in an ICUparalyzed from the neck down.
Hours earlier, a man inadvertently landed on my head as we jumped into a river near Edinburgh, Indiana. Four vertebrae in my neck were fractured and my spinal cord was crushed. I never lost consciousness. I never even felt a twinge of pain. I was clear-headed as my body was dragged to the beach, and completely lucid during the wait for paramedics and for the helicopter flight to downtown Indianapolis. I remember being wheeled through the hospital and into my MRI scan as if it happened yesterday.
When the whirlwind of the first few hours was over, I found myself staring at the ceiling tiles of Methodist Hospital trying process what had happened. I knew nothing about spinal cord injury and I had no way to comprehend the lengthy rehabilitation process that was in front of me. At the time, I only wanted to know what was supposed to happen next.
Dr. Saad Khairi, a top neurosurgeon at Goodman Campbell, dropped what he was doing that night and rushed to Methodist Hospital when he received the call. My mother was in the ICU with me when he walked through the door. He told us that my neck had to be stabilized and that my C2 through C6 vertebrae had to be fused immediately. Receiving news like that is a lot to handle.
How long until I go under? Do I ask for a second opinion? Am I even at the right hospital? Who is this surgeon that will have my life in his hands?
In a matter of minutes we were on the phone asking three separate people in the healthcare world for advice. Each said the same thing. We were in the right place and Dr. Khairi was the surgeon to have. Within an hour the fusion was underway.
The next several days were the most challenging – physically and mentally – of my life. Immediately after surgery, I needed a ventilator to breath. My lungs were filled with secretions and I had to learn how to breathe again before I could even think about the rest of my paralyzed body. As the days passed, I began to experience what life as a quadriplegic would entail. Therapists ranged my limbs, nurses re-positioned my body every two hours, and a team of people attended to everything I needed from feeding, to shaving, to bathing. As reality set in, I needed to know every detail about my injury, and my chance of recovery.
I flagged down Dr. Khairi whenever I could, and he stood at my side to answer every question I had. He empathized with me and I could tell he wanted to educate me on my injury. Two days after surgery, I could flex a single muscle in my thigh and I had spotty sensation in my extremities. Dr. Khairi said that meant signals from my brain were making their way (in some capacity) down my injured spinal cord. It was my first lesson in neurorecovery, and my first glimmer of hope.
A week later he came to my bed as I was being discharged to the rehabilitation hospital. Once again, I wanted to know what to expect. Every spinal cord injured individual asks the same question when they are hurt: “Will I walk again?” In the immediate aftermath of the injury, we’re naive to the complexities of the injury and the magnitude of the struggle ahead. We don’t understand normalized blood pressure, a neurogenic bladder, or muscle spasticity. Our minds jump right to the big picture – walking.
Dr. Khairi calmly said that he couldn’t give me an answer. My injury was severe and the odds were against it, but he told me, “Kick your tail in rehab, and we’ll see where you are in a year”.
It was the most exhausting year of my life. I spent two months at a rehab hospital, four months at a nursing home, and six more months at an outpatient clinic across the country. Finally, in August of 2011, I wheeled into Goodman Campbell for a one-year check-up. With my wheelchair parked in the lobby, I rose to my feet and walked into Dr. Khairi’s office to let him know I took his advice.
“Every once in awhile, I have a rock-star patient that blows the doors off the statistics,” he said.
The appointment didn’t need to be long. It was a check-up to make sure that my spinal fusion had healed properly. But, I had learned a lot about spinal cord injury and the recovery process, and I had a laundry list of new questions to ask. Once again, he took the time to answer every one. He pulled out a tablet and showed me detailed images of the fusion, and even took the time to dig up my original MRI and X-ray from the day of the accident.
In 2011, my rehab was far from over. I continued aggressive therapy for another year. Even today, my daily routine revolves around combating my disability. But, Dr. Khairi and Goodman Campbell played an integral role in my recovery and my early education after a life-altering event. They supported me, and I’m honored that they support the “rock-star” patients at NeuroHope as well.
https://www.neurohopewellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/GoodmanSponsor.jpg350960Chris Leeuw/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NeuroHope_Color.svgChris Leeuw2017-03-13 22:28:532017-03-28 22:06:19Goodman Campbell Sponsors Our ‘Brackets For Good’ Campaign: Why It Matters To Me
NeuroHope has been selected to participate in the 2017 Brackets For Good fundraising tournament!
This is the only “sport” for nonprofits and anyone can join our team to help us win a $10,000 grand prize! Modeled after the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament, 64 charities compete in weekly head-to-head fundraising match-ups. The winners advance all the way to the championship.
It starts Friday, February 24th!
Check out Chris at the Indianapolis bracket release pep rally, and learn about the tournament:
Each round lasts one week. Once the tournament begins anyone can follow the real-time scoreboard, view the bracket, and donate online through the link below. You can also donate easily by TEXTING “NeuroHope” to 27722.
So, stay tuned throughout the tournament! Follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter, and share them all so we can spread the word!
https://www.neurohopewellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/BFG_blog.jpg350960Chris Leeuw/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NeuroHope_Color.svgChris Leeuw2017-02-15 17:31:342017-03-28 22:06:47Help Us Win $10K in Brackets For Good!
The staff, volunteers, patients, and families of NeuroHope would like to wish YOU a Happy Holiday season, and a prosperous 2017!! We are rapidly approaching our two-year anniversary, and have our supporters to thank for their interest in making the NeuroHope vision of providing affordable, extended care for individuals living with paralysis a reality.
2016 proved to be an exciting year of growth. Over the last 12 months, NeuroHope has become a credentialed outpatient clinic with Medicare/Medicaid and private insurance, moved to a larger space in Fountain Square (through the generosity of the UIndy Krannert School of Physical Therapy), and increased our operating hours to serve more people on our waitlist.
Here are some numbers we are proud to share!
Since we opened in February 2015, we have helped 36 patients with issues ranging from spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, to cerebral palsy on the road to recovery.
We have seen 30 different patients/clients this year, totaling 679 unique visits
We are currently seeing 20 clients regularly. Many come in before and after their visits to utilize the specialized Electrical Stimulation cycle we offer at no extra cost.
Thanks to two fundraising events this fall, and a generous grant from the OrthoIndy Foundation, we raised more than $50,000 since September to ensure our services remain strong in 2017.
Will you continue support in 2017?
We are thrilled to be one of the charities chosen for 2017 Brackets For Good giving competition! This is a friendly tournament-of-sorts in which non-profits raise money in unison with the March Madness basketball tournament. A $10,000 grand prize is on the line. That means we will be calling on YOU for support this spring to be an integral part of our campaign. Stay tuned!!
Patient Story
Finally, I would like to leave you with a testimonial from the daughter of a patient who has made incredible strides at NeuroHope over the last few months. This is one story of many that exemplifies the reason we exist. We hope you are proud to be a part of it!
“The therapists at NeuroHope have made a great impact on the life of my Mom and my family. My Mom, JoAnn, suffered a spinal cord injury in June at the age of 80. In July, inpatient rehab ended and outpatient therapy began, however due to insurance caps outpatient therapy was only covered twice a week and would be depleted by October. My Mom was getting stronger and her goal was to walk again but how was she going to do this with such little therapy that would end by October?
I reached out to NeuroHope in August attempting to find my Mom a better chance for recovery at a private pay rate that could be afforded.
What I have discovered is that the therapists at NeuroHope bridge the gap for patients like my Mom who are making great progress but insurance no longer will cover therapy. From the first evaluation with Nora, my Mom said her goal was to walk by Christmas. Nora was so compassionate, and the empathy that she showed both my Mom and Dad during those first sessions in physical therapy was so greatly appreciated. The team of therapists, Nora, Sara, Donna, and Wendy have provided my Mom which such excellent specialized care.
On October 31st Donna brought the rolling walker out and said “let’s try the walker”. I was so happy I was there that day to witness my Mom walking for the first time with a rolling walker. It meant the world to my family to see my Mom taking those first steps towards her goal.
I can’t even put in to words what the NeuroHope therapists have meant to my Mom and family. They have given my Mom a chance for a better recovery and hope for a better quality of life. I feel the therapists at NeuroHope do what they do because they truly care about the lives of their patients. I would like to thank the therapists at NeuroHope for their knowledge, compassion, and desire to help those who have had serious neurological injuries reach their goals!”
True to her promise to “walk by Christmas”, JoAnn returned to her Doctor’s office last week to a ROUND OF APPLAUSE!! It has been a joy to watch JoAnn’s progress, and we are honored to be a part of her journey!
Merry Christmas everyone, and cheers to a prosperous 2016!
https://www.neurohopewellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/holidayHeader.jpg350960Chris Leeuw/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NeuroHope_Color.svgChris Leeuw2016-12-20 13:32:022016-12-20 13:32:02Happy Holidays! A 2016 Update!