Olivia's Story

Imagine your 16-month-old baby develops severe pneumonia, goes into respiratory distress and her heart stops.  She’s gone for nearly an hour while medical experts work tirelessly to save her life.  She makes the flight to Omaha with a faint heartbeat – no blood pressure or pulse. Your baby survives, but sustains multi-organ failure, loss of vision, and a life-altering brain injury due to lack of oxygen. Where can you turn for help?

Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska (BIA-NE) is here to provide the glue that holds families together while learning to live with a catastrophic, life-altering brain injury. BIA-NE connects families like Olivia’s to the resources they need to best help their loved ones grow and thrive – and lessen the stress of caring for their unique needs.

Olivia’s mother said, “We support the Brain Injury Alliance because they reached out and connected us to community resources early on in Olivia’s journey beyond injury. They are a valuable resource to families like ours that just learn to live with a catastrophic, life altering brain injury.”

Where is Olivia today?  After many years of ongoing therapy and support, she is able to run, jump, and play like any other little seven-year-old girl, is learning to write her name, and continues to heal one day at a time. And thanks to generous donors, we can help other families.