Chester County

Laura Lee Hervey Fund
for
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

About the Fund...

The Laura Lee Hervey Fund was established in December 2007 to make grants to charitable causes and progressive medical research related to traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Donations are entrusted with the Chester County Community Foundation and invested so that the Fund and its mission may continue for perpetuity.

About Laura...

Laura was born December of 1962 in Annapolis, Maryland. She attended St. Mary’s School and enjoying dancing, swimming, golf and tennis in Sherwood Forest’s Camp Program. In 1972 the family moved to Doylestown, PA.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was her launch to Gwynedd Mercy High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society and named in Who’s Who in America.

In 1980, Laura started as a rising sophomore at Franklin and Marshall in Lancaster. A performer of the dance club as well as a founding member of Alpha Phi, Laura graduated in 1983 with a major in Business and a minor in computers.

Before attending graduate school in Washington, DC she returned home to New Hope, where she worked for Natural Foods Merchandise. While in Anaheim, California scheduled as a speaker at their trade show, she was involved in a horrific auto accident.

On February 17^th 1986 the day we heard the words “Traumatic Brain Injury” for the first time. UCI Medical Center saved her life! Although still in a coma, she was air lifted to BMRH in Malvern, Pa. She emerged from her coma starting in August and continued as a patient through October 1988.

Our family traveled to 13 facilities, but alas no progressive long term rehabilitation programs. Faced with tough choices, Laura was brought home to start an intense recovery with the care of dedicated nurses and therapists. The years of screaming 12 hours a day, are now spent learning how to talk; the 5 years of tube feeding now spent enjoying home cooking and restaurants.

Having reverted to a 3^rd grade level immediately after the accident, Laura now plays scrabble and works on her computer. Once a spastic quad she started getting movement in her left arm—bravo! That makes two hands to blow kisses with. Dr. Long of BMRH still oversees her life-long recovery from TBI.

1989 brought Saunders Dixon into Laura’s life. After riding for 10 years with a back rider and Saunders on the ground with 2 volunteers, she was ready to ride in MAIRE’s Horse Show at Thorncroft. Today, no more back riders just Mr. Dixon and the volunteers. She also rides in the Handicap division of the Devon Horse Show. Showing off her ribbons brings joy to her face.

Please help our family’s quest to make the Brain Pin a universal symbol of recovery from TBI. This disease adds a new member every 23 seconds and it knows no boundaries—effecting men, women and children alike. Concussions, stroke, aneurisms, head injury all diagnosis to describe the same thing: brain injury.

Enjoy the pins! Wear them, put on your car visor or pass them on. For a generous online donation of $100 or more, we will send you our heartfelt gratitude and 10 pins to pass on the smiles of recovery to a world filled with new hope for the future of progressive research and recovery from TBI.

Respectfully,

Lee, Marge, Beth Anne and Laura Lee Hervey

Questions? Please call the Chester County Community Foundation at 610-696-8211.

The Laura Lee Hervey Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury is a fund of the Chester County Community Foundation. A copy of the official registration and financial information of the Chester County Community Foundation may be obtained by calling the PA Department of State at 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.