ATBF Outreach Program Offers Help & Hope

ATBF OUTREACH PROGRAM RECEIVES
NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Spinal cord injury (SCI) turns a life upside down. Although paralysis can occur from any number of reasons — an accident, virus, surgery, stroke — the end result is the same: altered lives filled with overwhelming challenges, changes and adjustment. The Outreach Program of The Alan T Brown Foundation to Cure Paralysis (ATBF) offers meaningful assistance and hope in several ways:

ATBF functions with compassion and understanding as a resource and support system for the newly injured and their families. Telephone counseling is an ongoing — and essential — component of the Foundation’s outreach mechanism. Each day, many calls are received by ATBF on a variety of issues. In the past month alone, ATBF provided a helping hand on issues including making a home wheelchair-accessible, identifying and securing an appropriate medical consultation, exploring the options of independent living and managed care, and providing guidance to those affected by a loved one’s injury.

Through the ATBF Peer Mentoring Program, lifelines are forged to offer support and assistance in moving forward. The Foundation facilitates relationships by connecting the newly injured with those who have “been there.” ATBF links individuals based on their level of injury, age, common interests, etc., and also helps bring together spouses, siblings and friends of those who have become paralyzed.

An important Foundation objective is demonstrating that independence can be achieved at wheelchair level. Through its growing network of contacts and affiliate organizations, ATBF provides help to those who are pursuing quality-of-life goals, such as participating in wheelchair sporting activities, driving a motor vehicle, pursuing academic degrees, seeking employment, and more.

In coping with uncertainty and trauma, it can be reassuring to know that people care. The Alan T Brown Foundation takes great pride in the role it has played, and continues to fulfill, in making a difference in so many lives.