Brina Simon

Brina is a 33 year old woman with a loving personality and a big, bright smile you can recognize from a mile away. She is a fighter – full of relentless strength, courage and resilience. Intelligent and creative as they come, you could always find Brina doing something to keep her mind busy, whether that be solving New York Times crossword puzzles, giving speeches at Toastmasters Club meetings, or analyzing and playing music with detail and skill. She was an avid cyclist, riding her mountain bike over 10 miles every morning, and she also had a deep love for intense muscle exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, and planks. She walked tall, with her chin up, always aware of the world around her and constantly appreciating its profoundness. She met challenges with unwavering tenacity, grit and vigor, and no matter the circumstances she found herself in, she always strove to live a life filled with gratitude, love and perseverance. (Please press “see all” below)

In July of 2023, Brina sustained a devastating spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed. And just like that, her life was changed forever. It was a shock and a tragedy for both Brina and her family to endure.

Brina now wakes up each day to paralysis, chronic nerve pain, muscle spasms, bowel and bladder difficulties, loss of independence, and life forever in a wheelchair. She also faces not being able to access parts of her own home or do many of the things that most of us take for granted.

For example, the bathroom in Brina’s home is not accessible for a wheelchair user. As such, Brina cannot take a shower, as she cannot even reach it from her wheelchair. She has not had a shower in almost two years. However, the cost to modify the bathroom to make it specifically accessible for her is upwards of $35,000, a price unattainable for her or her family. In addition to the physical modifications of the bathroom, Brina requires a ceiling hoist that will lift and carry her from her bed directly to the bathroom. The cost of this hoist and its installation totals just over $22,000. On top of that, other aspects of her home are also inaccessible for a wheelchair, such as the kitchen. The way it is now, Brina can barely access the refrigerator or reach the sink. All of the modifications necessary to make Brina’s home safe and accessible for her are incredibly expensive and financially out of reach for her and her family. Unfortunately, insurance does not cover home modifications or even certain medical devices, despite being medically necessary.

In addition to making her home wheelchair accessible, Brina needs help with basic things such as dressing and undressing, personal hygiene, cooking, housekeeping, laundry, and many other tasks. This necessitates hiring a caregiver to help her, which is a considerable cost, especially with the amount of support that Brina’s injury requires and will continue to require. Her medical insurance does cover a limited amount of this care, but not nearly as much as is needed. Brina and her family are left with trying to cover the remaining cost, which will be a lifelong expense that they just can’t afford.

Faced with the substantial expenses caused by such a major disability, Brina and her family find themselves in a situation where they need help. However, asking for help, especially financial help, is not an easy thing to do. In fact, it took a year and half of struggling for Brina and her family to finally face the fact that they couldn’t handle the costs of this injury on their own. Despite feelings of embarrassment and shame, they are asking for help from friends, family and the community to make sure Brina has what she needs.

Brina’s family has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live (a nonprofit) because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses. Please consider helping by giving what you can. It takes a village.

If you have any fundraising ideas or want to help in another way, please feel free to reach out to Brina and her family at [email protected]. Thank you so much.