Featured Consumer Members

Allan Tyson – Races for Recovery: Finish lines are never final!

Allan Tyson sustained a TBI on 13 October 2003. He is now a Peer Counselor for Rusk Rehabilitation’s Brain Injury Day Treatment Program Rehabilitation and serves as a Consumer Representative for the Executive Committee of the Complementary Integrative Rehabilitation Medicine Networking Group. His presentations at ACRM include:

• October 2017 – (Symposium) Effects of Exercise After Traumatic Brain Injury
• November 2019 – (Poster) The Impact of a Brain Injury on Self-Identity: The Unmaking and Remaking of the Self

Allan sees two different foundations in his life. The first is awareness. The second is an acquired understanding of deficits—an understanding which also includes compensating for the deficits.

“Exercise began as ‘the thing to do,’” he explains. “In the beginning it helped keep me happy, healthy, and productive. When introduced to doing races, goals have been met which would have seemed impossible. This includes deficits being hidden to the point of appearing gone.”

In 2007 he was introduced to Achilles International as a running/socializing activity for the disabled. This began with twice weekly meetings with Achilles and has evolved into a busy training schedule. Allan has completed marathons in New York, Chicago, Florida, Hawaii, Cuba, Israel, Washington DC, and in Lake Placid after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 miles.

Ned Vickers – Thriving After TBI: A Marathon of Recovery

Ned Vickers has sustained multiple traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) since childhood. He was diagnosed with frontal lobe syndrome and pseudobulbar affect.

“I felt completely lost in the world and unable to connect with others from my previous life,” Ned told us. “In July 2014, I came to a crossroads: I wanted to give up, but a marathon was on my schedule of things to do. When running, I am goal-focused, present, and mentally stress-free.”

Running helped Ned change the trajectory in life from negative to positive. He was first introduced to Achilles running group by his running club’s members in 2015. Since then, he has run in three NYC Marathons and dozens of races supporting charities.

In 2020, Ned was a panelist for the ACRM Annual Conference Featured Session, US News & World Report Ranking of Best Hospitals for Rehabilitation: Recent Changes and Future Directions.