American PABI Heroes Tour begins

May 4, 4:35 PMHealth ExaminerAngela Spears

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Over 1,000,000 children are hospitalized each year due to PABI.

The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist in the research of new developments for children suffering from pediatric acquired brain injury (PABI) and the rehabilitation of these children, announced a 15-city American PABI Heroes Tour beginning in Boston with the grand finale in New York City on June 5th, 2009.

The purpose of the tour is to raise awareness and create philanthropy for local PABI families across the country. Each host institution listed in the tour schedule will conduct a two-hour panel discussion surrounding one of the seven Categories of Care as outlined in the National PABI Plan.

An acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain that has occurred since birth, one that is not congenital. Causes range from direct neurological insult to metabolic/systemic illness. One of the goals of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation is to create a model system for children and their families suffering from all pediatric acquired brain injuries by establishing a PABI Act based off the successful Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act. PABI consists of traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries.

PABI is the leading cause of death and disability for children under 15 years of age in the United States resulting in over 5,000 deaths and over 17,000 permanent disabilities each year. It includes all brain injuries caused by trauma including falls, motor vehicle (MV) accidents, being struck by an object, violence/assault, sports incidents, gunshot wounds and non-MV bicycle accidents.

American PABI Heroes Tour Schedule:

• Sunday, May 3, 2009: Boston, MA
• Monday May 4, 2009: New York, NY
• Tuesday, May 5, 2009: Washington, DC
• Wednesday, May 6, 2009: Raleigh, NC
• Thursday, May 7, 2009: Atlanta, GA
• Friday, May 8, 2009: Miami, FL
• Saturday, May 9, 2009: Birmingham, AL
• Monday, May 11, 2009: Pittsburgh, PA/Columbus, OH
• Tuesday, May 12, 2009: Chicago, IL
• Wednesday, May 13, 2009: Dallas, TX
• Thursday, May 14, 2009: Denver, CO
• Friday, May 15, 2009: Tempe, AZ
• Saturday, May 16, 2009: Los Angeles, CA
• Sunday, May 17, 2009: Seattle, WA
• Friday, June 5, 2009: New York, NY – Grand Finale