TULSA, Okla. — Founders of the Tulsa-based non-profit Brain Injury Recovery Foundation say they still need the community's help building what they consider a badly needed rehab complex.
An August 3 fundraiser at Cain's Ballroom in downtown Tulsa hopes to fix that.
Chris Lieberman defied the odds once. In 2016, the then-director of the Route 66 Marathon fell off a ladder and suffered a brain injury. Doctors told him he likely wouldn't walk or talk again.
"And as soon as I got out of (recovery) I thought to myself, 'Well, I know what my life needs to be now, to help others,'" Lieberman told 2 News July 8. "I survived, and I'm here and I can do things."
He and his wife Kim Hann want to defy the odds again by establishing the state's first rehabilitation center specifically for brain injuries, DEFY Neuro Rehabilitation Center.
"It's just important to know that they are still in there and it's part of the recovery process," Hann said. "It's to defy the process and like Chris said, meet all your goals."
The couple has fought for this dream since 2019 and even have complete renderings and specifications set.
The foundation hoped to open the DEFY Center before 2024, but Hann said affordability and accommodations are hard to come by. Now the foundation is just $200K short, Lieberman said.
"My degree is in accounting, so I'm very cautious about things," he said. "I want to make sure we have enough money to survive as a non-profit."
Like before, Hann, Lieberman, and the rest of their partners in the Brain Injury Recovery Foundation aren't giving up. The group's latest fundraiser, Shining The Light, is welcome to all and will include food, live music, and entertainment.
"This is a huge year for us," Hann said. "This is a huge opportunity for Oklahomans to help them to be able to stay here in the state (and) receive the recovery and rehab that they need."
"That's always been my goal: don't ever give up," Lieberman added.
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