Totes of Hope and Comfort’ available at Delray Medical

Published April 8th, 2008

FROM STAFF REPORTS

When a person rushes to the hospital bedside of a loved one who just suffered a traumatic head injury, he or she usually arrives with just the clothes they are wearing.

An organization called Mothers Against Brain Injuries is trying to make the experience a bit more comfortable. Its “Totes of Comfort and Hope” project places personal comfort items, hygiene products and brain injury literature in large canvas bags that are kept on hand at each of Florida’s 21 hospital trauma centers, including Delray Medical Center.

The bags are handed immediately to a family member or brain injury victim within the first 48 hours of hospital arrival. 

Tracy East-Porter, whose teenage son suffered a serious brain injury in a car accident, started Mothers Against Brain Injuries. On March 26, she visited Delray Medical Center and picked up 150 tote bags containing items such as toothpaste, soap, ink pens and reading materials, all donated by hospital staff and the public.

“Mothers Against Brain Injuries is doing a wonderful service for the community with its tote bag project and Delray Beach Medical Center is extremely pleased to support them,” said CEO Robert Krieger.

East-Porter also gave a talk in the hospital’s cafeteria on coping with brain trauma as part of Brain Injury Awareness Month, which is observed in March. 

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