brain injury

Lake Tahoe-based Weidinger Public Relations was recognized with three awards for 2017 campaigns at the Public Relations Society of America, Sierra Nevada Chapter Silver Spikes Awards, Nov. 16 at The Grove in Reno, Nev.

Weidinger PR received honors for three entries: one Silver Spike and two Awards of Excellence. The firm’s public relations efforts for the 2017 American Century Championship captured the Silver Spike for “Special Events and Observances.”

Retired Staff Sergeant Andrew Bachelder, a decorated veteran of Iraq and the ongoing war in Afghanistan, has been added to the American Century Championship field of celebrities for their annual Lake Tahoe tournament July 19-24, 2016.

Bachelder earned a spot by winning the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Warrior Open this past October in Irving, Tex.

NFL Hall of Famers, former Major League Baseball players and other sports celebrities will gather July 17-18 to once again pay tribute to the former Oakland Raider at the 8th annual Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic at the Schaffer’s Mill Golf & Lake Club in Truckee, Calif.

Upshaw, who often played in the Celebrity Golf Tournament in South Lake Tahoe, died of pancreatic cancer in 2008 at Tahoe Forest Hospital.

Author Mojie Crigler will be reading from her new book, Get Me Through Tomorrow: A Sister's Memoir of Brain Injury and Revival, tonight at Bona Fide Books in Meyers at 7 p.m.

8/24/14 Update - this event has been canceled according to MontBleu Resort.

Almost once an hour a military veteran commits suicide in the United States according the the Department of Veterans Affairs and among those on active duty the number is still sobering, one a day.

In an effort to bring the plight of American military members suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) to the forefront, a Broadway like show and wellness festival are coming to South Lake Tahoe.

NFL Hall of Fame members Marcus Allen and Mike Haynes will join Cy Young winner Vida Blue and other sports stars at the 6th Annual Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic at Gray's Crossing in Truckee July 13 to 14.

The tournament is held to pay tribute to Hall of Famer and former Oakland Raider and Lake Tahoe resident Gene Upshaw and raise funds for cancer programs and traumatic brain injuries. Upshaw golfed often at the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament in South Lake Tahoe before his sudden death from pancreatic cancer in 2008, just 3 days after being diagnosed.

What started off as a normal afternoon and evening on February 10 ended in what could have been a very tragic accident. 15 year old Abijah Ahsan Sequoiyah of South Lake Tahoe was riding his bike near his home and was at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Third Street when a car driven by an unknown person struck him, carried him through the intersection, ran over him and fled the scene.

Sometimes surprises come at the right time. Megan Kasden spoke through tears this week when she answered the phone and found out she had won the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund Super Bowl raffle. The prize is an all-expense paid trip for two to Super Bowl XLVIII at the Met Life Stadium. The raffle raised $30,000 for traumatic brain injury research and programs and services for cancer patients and families at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center. The same center where Kasden’s husband, Gary had just completed a long series of chemotherapy treatments.

In May, local community member Sean Riley suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a succession of blackouts and falls. A Beach Bash Benefit is being held to help offset Sean’s medical expenses on Wednesday, August 15, 5-8 p.m., at Zephyr Cove Resort.
Sean is an off-road tour guide for Lake Tahoe Adventures and his wife, Georgette, works for the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and Tahoe Chamber. Sean has been hospitalized since May and came home this week and is now under 24-hour care. He is doing better, but does have some issues with comprehension and memory as a result of the injury, and has a long road to recovery requiring extensive therapy, home supervision and care.