Our Story
Brain Trauma Support & Resources
How it All Started
Over a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop, Peggy approached Miriam with the idea of creating a resource and support center for acquired brain injuries. Both moms have a child who suffered a brain injury, and both moms relied on each other for support. Miriam’s son experienced a severe hit to the head and neck in 2013 after a crash during a downhill skateboard race. His full face helmet did not protect his brain. Peggy’s daughter, Ariana, received a blow to the head and neck when a cheerleading teammate fell on her after slipping off Ariana’s shoulders (2016). Concussion resources were somewhat available, however, they did not quite address the multitude of treatment, care, and educational considerations geared towards adolescents with post-concussion syndrome.
Peggy and Miriam each have their individual yet very similar story in how they approached the care for their child. Sleepless nights filled with online searches for answers and helpful therapies, days occupied by pleas to doctors for help, unanswered questions, medications that didn’t work and homeopathic remedies that did, out of pocket costs, non-traditional therapies, … The list never ended.
The two moms leaned on each other by sharing and understanding their experiences and challenges. Peggy, Ariana, and Miriam created Beyond Concussion from a desire to help other patients and families who are affected by post-concussion syndrome and acquired brain injuries.
“One small crack does not mean you’re broken, it means you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.”
– Linda Poindexter
Beyond Concussion, a 501(c)3 organization, connects concussion and acquired brain injury patients with vital resources encompassing all aspects of the journey to healing. They hold monthly peer support group meetings where personal experiences, thoughts, and struggles are shared safely and confidently. They bring awareness to the serious effects of post-concussion syndrome. Their vision is to be a single point of contact for resources concerning concussion injuries.
2020 Update
Going into 2020, we reflected on Beyond Concussion’s programs and goals, and on how to improve our services and programs for the new year. Much thought went into this process as we aimed to consider the needs of the post-concussion community and its caregivers.
Drawing on our own personal experience as caregivers, and on the conversations we had last year with other caregivers, we recognized that many of us deal with the same issues. We run around making sure all is taken care of and often forget to take care of ourselves. Not good! Peggy and I feel so grateful for each other during each of our journeys as caregivers for our kids. By witnessing the impact of post-concussion syndrome on the whole family we noticed that caregivers are often left with their own struggles. Our connection was a way to include self-care without jeopardizing the needs of our loved one. This knowledge and experience each of us, and you the caregiver, gained can now be shared through our new program called “Caregiver Connection!”
Next to this new program for caregivers, we continue to provide the Beyond Concussion Support Group and our Workshop!
Contact Us
2022 Update
Hello Friends,
As requests for help grows, so does Beyond Concussion’s resolve to bring awareness to the serious effects of post-concussion syndrome.
The invisibility of the injury still seems to be the biggest hurdle in receiving support and actual treatment from the medical community. Too often a patient is referred to mental health when symptoms can not be explained with traditional medicine diagnosis.
The story usually goes like this: “I have post-concussion syndrome. I was in an accident a few years back and diagnosed with a concussion. I had all the tests, CAT Scan, MRI, X-Ray, Electroencephalography (EEG). My doctors told me I was cleared. Nothing is wrong with me. While the doctors cleared me, I was still having symptoms. Chronic headache, cognitive fatigue, blurred vision, difficulty reading because of sight challenges and memory retention, memory loss, concentration problem, head pressure, light sensitivity… I continue to go from doctor to doctor. No one can help.”
(Source: www.caringmedical.com/prolotherapy-news/post-concussion-syndrome)
It is time we hear positive stories!!
Beyond Concussion calls on the medical community to take persistent concussion symptoms seriously.
Let’s work together to come to a consensus regarding the definition of Post-Concussion Syndrome across all medical disciplines. Limiting it to Sports Medicine limits the PCS care for individuals who suffer a concussion outside of sports.
Let’s work together to educate school counselors, teachers, and principals to better understand and support students who require special education services due to persistent concussion symptoms.
Let’s work together this year to bring awareness to persistent concussion symptoms!!
Our Team
Miriam Ravesloot Co-Founder
Miriam Ravesloot is co-founder of Beyond Concussion. Prior to starting the nonprofit with Peggy, Miriam’s desire to help others led her to volunteer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and raise money for the San Diego Brain Injury Foundation. Now, with Beyond Concussion, this desire became her goal. Having experienced many of the obstacles one encounters as a parent of a student with post-concussion syndrome, Miriam works to reduce the amount of concussions through prevention and education, offers information on an array of treatments and therapies to treat a concussion, and provides support and resources to young patients and their families when concussion symptoms become persistent.
Peggy Khayamian Co-Founder
Peggy Khayamian is co-founder of Beyond Concussion, and a mother of two beautiful children who mean everything to her. Passionate about helping and caring for people, she strives to offer information and empowerment, so that everyone can look back on their accomplishments with pride and a deeper sense of their own true power. In the course of her own family dealing with her daughter’s concussion she found peace and relaxation in helping others in similar situations and raising awareness. Peggy is delighted to have put together this support group for all families touched by the invisible pain.
Ariana Khayamian Co-Founder
Ariana Khayamian is co-founder of Beyond Concussion, and has been living with post concussion syndrome since 2016. In the past, Ariana thought that no one understood the weight that brain injuries had put on her life. After this point, she came to the conclusion that there needed to be a safe place for people suffering from any type of traumatic brain injury to express how they feel, talk to others who understand, and receive advice for different treatments and therapies. This is how Beyond Concussion began. Today, Ariana works with Beyond Concussion providing education and resources for anyone who needs it. She is passionate about her role, and is able to relate to many individuals who connect with Beyond Concussion. Ariana has participated in outreach, and spoken on her experience with post concussion syndrome.
Miriam Ravesloot is co-founder of Beyond Concussion. Prior to starting the nonprofit with Peggy, Miriam’s desire to help others led her to volunteer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and raise money for the San Diego Brain Injury Foundation. Now, with Beyond Concussion, this desire became her goal. Having experienced many of the obstacles one encounters as a parent of a student with post-concussion syndrome, Miriam works to reduce the amount of concussions through prevention and education, offers information on an array of treatments and therapies to treat a concussion, and provides support and resources to young patients and their families when concussion symptoms become persistent.
Peggy Khayamian is co-founder of Beyond Concussion, and a mother of two beautiful children who mean everything to her. Passionate about helping and caring for people, she strives to offer information and empowerment, so that everyone can look back on their accomplishments with pride and a deeper sense of their own true power. In the course of her own family dealing with her daughter’s concussion she found peace and relaxation in helping others in similar situations and raising awareness. Peggy is delighted to have put together this support group for all families touched by the invisible pain.
Ariana Khayamian is co-founder of Beyond Concussion, and has been living with post concussion syndrome since 2016. In the past, Ariana thought that no one understood the weight that brain injuries had put on her life. After this point, she came to the conclusion that there needed to be a safe place for people suffering from any type of traumatic brain injury to express how they feel, talk to others who understand, and receive advice for different treatments and therapies. This is how Beyond Concussion began. Today, Ariana works with Beyond Concussion providing education and resources for anyone who needs it. She is passionate about her role, and is able to relate to many individuals who connect with Beyond Concussion. Ariana has participated in outreach, and spoken on her experience with post concussion syndrome.