About The Western Region Stroke & Brain Injury Foundation
The Western Region Stroke & Brain Injury Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving access to rehabilitation, resources, and support for individuals affected by stroke and brain injury and their families.
Founder's Story
The Western Region Stroke & Brain Injury Foundation was inspired by the founder’s early experience supporting two grandfathers who experienced strokes. Witnessing the impact on independence, daily life, and family dynamics revealed how difficult it can be to navigate rehabilitation without clear guidance or access to specialized services.
Motivated to improve care, she pursued a career in rehabilitation, becoming an Occupational Therapist and specializing in stroke and brain injury. After years of clinical work and advanced training, she recognized that many individuals could not access intensive rehabilitation due to financial barriers.
WRSBIF was created to expand access to guidance, resources, and rehabilitation support so individuals and families have a clearer path forward.
How We Began
The Western Region Stroke & Brain Injury Foundation grew from both personal experience and professional dedication.
While growing up, the founder witnessed the impact of stroke firsthand when both of her grandfathers suffered strokes. The effects on independence, daily life, and the entire family were profound. Even as a child, she could see that rehabilitation services were limited and that families were often left to navigate a difficult situation with little guidance or support.
Motivated to help others facing similar challenges, she pursued a career in rehabilitation, earning an undergraduate degree in recreational therapy followed by a degree in Occupational Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University. Her early work across hospital settings exposed the full continuum of care and reinforced the need for stronger, more comprehensive rehabilitation services for individuals affected by stroke and brain injury.
In 2004, specialized training in Neuro-IFRAH introduced an approach that addressed rehabilitation in a more comprehensive way, focusing on functional improvement across all aspects of daily life. This experience shaped her professional focus and deepened her commitment to improving outcomes for individuals with neurological injuries.
After relocating to California to continue advanced training, she built a career dedicated to stroke and brain injury rehabilitation, including serving as an instructor for Neuro-IFRAH. In 2014, she established a private practice focused exclusively on neurological rehabilitation.
Over time, it became clear that specialized, intensive services were financially out of reach for many individuals and families. Recognizing the need for broader access, she founded WRSBIF to help ensure that financial barriers would not determine who could receive meaningful rehabilitation support.
Today, the Foundation works to expand access to guidance, resources, and rehabilitation opportunities so individuals and families affected by stroke and brain injury have a clearer path forward.
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