Brain injured group forming parade June 30

Brain injuries happen without warning and in a blink of an eye the results can be life-changing and longterm, maybe even permanent.

It could be as simple as forgetting to reach for that bicycle helmet for a short ride down the road, only to have that trip end in a fall to the pavement with the head as the first point of contact.

You can never be too aware of the dangers and on Tuesday, June 30, starting at 3 p.m., a parade through the streets of the city will help get that message out to the public that it could happen to you. 

June has been proclaimed as brain injury awareness month in B.C. and to help promote that the Prince George Brain Injured Group is encouraging city residents to join a parade of vehicles  that will gather at the CN Centre parking lot to follow a route into the downtown care and back.

“So many people have brain injuries, and we really want to get the word out to be safe and take precautions,” said Crystal Pederson, Prince George Brain Injured Group Society case manager. “You could easily get a concussion from almost anything you’re doing which can alter your life forever. We see that all the time and we just want people to be more aware and take safety precautions.”

Pederson visits bike shops in the city to promote helmet usage and also targets skateboarders in her awareness campaigns.

“They tell me it’s not cool to wear a helmet but it’s not cool when you get a concussion,” she said.

The society had 457 active members as of March this year. The organization offers support and advocacy for people and their families living with a brain injury. It also provides education and individual/group support community to help people understand and cope with the effects of a brain injury. PG BIG also operates a group residence for as many as five adult clients whose injuries have profoundly affected their lives.

“We’re here for people who need us,” said Pederson. “We make sure (clients) are connected with doctors, we help them with paperwork and we pretty much cover anything that’s needed for them. Mostly, our objective is to educate people about their brain injury and give them the skills so they can manoeuver through their daily life.

“A lot of people with a brain injury feel overwhelmed, angry, crying, very emotional, and we’re here to give them some tips and things to help you. When they talk to each other in our peer group they’re learning from each other. People are very appreciate with what they learn when they come in here and we learn from them too.

“Brain injury is an invisible wound, people don’t see it from the outside.”

For more information, go to the society’s website at pgbig.ca.