Brain injury clubhouse opens in Hamilton
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It can be a long road to recovery for anyone who has suffered from a serious brain injury. And the Hamilton Brain Injury Association is hoping to make that road a little easier.
Sean Leathong has the details.
The Hamilton Brain Injury Association has their clubhouse, finally. They’ve never had one before. They’re helping victims and their families recover from a traumatic brain injury for 25 years.
They opened up the clubhouse for anybody in the city who has suffered from a brain injury. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5pm with Hamilton Tiger-Cats Andy Fantuz and Peter Dyakowski doing the honours.
The clubhouse is going to allow victims to connect with the resources they need and act as a social outlet for victims and their families who might feel isolated after a traumatic event.
Obviously, brain health is a very big issue in the sporting world with concussions being a hot-button issue which is why the Ticats are big supporters of this cause. Back in 2012, Andy Fantuz missed some time after taking a nasty hit in a game and I spoke with him and Mr. Dyakowski about what it’s like to suffer from this injury and how they can help their teammates.
Andy: “It’s a totally different feeling than any other injury. You’re a little foggy, you’re just not quite there. It’s a little scary actually. You don’t have your wits about you and you’re not yourself. People ask you, saying you’re not yourself.”
Peter: “It’s very tough with an injury like a concussion because you don’t have the same visual symptoms as you would say with a sprained ankle. You want to keep these guys positive while they’re trying to recover. You also want to make them feel like they have to take care of their injury before they come back.”
The Hamilton Brain Injury Association survives on donations so go to www.hbia.ca and make a donation.
