Memorial bike ride raising awareness about Traumatic Brain Injuries

We hear a lot about traumatic brain injuries, but did you know, TBI's are a leading cause of death in the U.S.?  Traumatic Brain Injuries are the type of injury none of us are immune to.  They can happen at any age, from a fall to a car crash.  They're also the reason a local man and woman are teaming up for a very important journey.

It's go time for Jason Donaldson and Kathi Sturgeon.   Their stories are different but their mission is the same.  Kathi is a survivor.  Eight years ago, she was riding her bike in California when she and another rider were hit by a drunk driver.  The crash left Kathi with a traumatic brain injury.  But it didn't stop her from getting back on her bike.

"I have a passion to use biking to raise resources" says Kathi.

Jason Donaldson shares that passion.  In 2010, Jason lost his mom, Maureen to a Traumatic Brain Injury.  Maureen Donaldson was crossing the street in Seattle's University District, when she was struck in a crosswalk by a van making a left-hand turn.

In honor or his mom and to help people struggling with TBI, Jason and Kathi are riding more than one hundred miles, from Marymoor Park in Redmond to Leavenworth.  The pair is raising awareness about brain injuries and raising money for the Brain Injury Alliance of Washington.

According to the groups executive director, Deborah Crawley, brain injuries are happening to more people than we imagine.  Crawley says it's the "number one cause of death and disability for most every age.  Over 1.7 million people in this country are living with a brain injury.  So you are not alone and we are here to help."

The ride to Leavenworth took Jason and Kathi two days to complete, but they made it to the finish line.  Strangers brought together by tragedy, now motivated friends riding to help others.

Click here if you'd like to learn more about the Brain Injury Alliance of Washington.

http://www.biawa.org/