Message from Lena Reinholds, Director

This is my son, Per. In 1982 he was in a serious automobile accident and suffered severe brain injury. In Sweden, they call him a “Disability Package”. Here in the US they say he is, “Nonresponsive, go to a nursing home.” Still, after over 20 years, I can’t hold back my tears when I think of my son as a “Disability Package.” I have a non-profit home in Northridge, in the San Fernando Valley, where six persons with brain injuries live. They are not “packages”, all have names like Gary, Patrick, Kim, Nicole, and Jessie. They were regular people, like you and me, until their lives changed in seconds. Now, they have physical disabilities and personality changes. They have a long, hard road ahead to a new life after brain injury.

These six people have a unique chance to live their lives as normal as possible out in the community among ordinary people. When I see a little smile from someone who cannot talk and can hardly move, it is worth all my hard work. This is my motivation! But, we need help so that we can continue to grow and so that everyone on our waiting list can have a home instead of living in an institution. My son still lives at home, but there are many that do not have anybody who can, or will, take care of them. Therefore, we need all the help we can get so that we can continue with the Headway House and give more persons with brain injury a chance to have a better life.