TBI survivor preparing for second year at Pedal 4 Possible bike ride
- Sydney McDonald
- Apr 6, 2023
- 3 min read
Sporting a shirt that said “Your Brain Matters,” Lauren Slack, a self-proclaimed tea connoisseur and music enthusiast, is gearing up for her second year participating in the Pedal 4 Possible bike event to benefit the people and place that helped her the most after a life-changing car accident.
Slack, a 29-year-old Broomfield resident, sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in January 2018 while driving on U.S. 287 south of Longmont. Her car skidded on black ice and was hit by a truck. She spent the next 10 months in the hospital, six of those at Craig Hospital in Englewood.
“I can’t say enough good things about the team at Craig. They’re amazing,” Slack said.
In the last four and a half years since the accident, Slack has made exponential progress in her recovery. Her mother, Cindy, said it was a one step at a time process, relearning and retraining her body to talk and move again through surgeries and strenuous physical therapy at Craig.
Now, walking, running, riding her adaptive recumbent trike, snowboarding and spending much of her time volunteering as a mentor for fellow TBI survivors at Craig, Slack said it fills her heart with joy to be able to do the same things she used to do, even if they look a little different.
“I want to show people that it is possible to live a rewarding and fulfilling life even after a devastating injury like mine,” Slack said. “I just try to push myself to show people that.”
Slack said Craig continues to help her in her healing journey with things like paying for the bike she uses to ride in events such as Pedal 4 Possible, which is scheduled for Sept. 17 at Pearl Izumi headquarters in Louisville. Last year, Slack decided she felt ready to ride in the bike event and got a team of about 20 people together for the ride.
“We ended up being the top fundraising team at about $17,000 just from our team,” Slack said.
Slack’s team last year fought for the top spot against the Craig Foundation team, she said.
“We were neck and neck with them right up to the end, but we finally pulled ahead,” Slack laughed. “But the important part is that together our teams raised over $32,000.”
All told, the event brought in around $250,000 for Craig, which goes to help pay for treatments and therapies that insurance does not cover.
Slack said she has around 20 people signed up on her team this year, some veteran members and some new faces.
“We are so proud of her and her efforts to help the people that have helped her,” Cindy Slack said.
Slack’s father, Eric, said having no idea what his daughter’s recovery journey would look like was the scariest part, but having the people at Craig there to help them through the journey made them grateful.
“A conversation we have a lot is what happens to people who aren’t near Craig or don’t have insurance you know,” Eric Slack said. “We are just full of gratitude and so grateful that we were able to get the care at Craig that we did.”
If you are interested in riding in the Pedal 4 Possible event, Slack said there are distances for any and all skill levels ranging from 10K to 100K. Last year, Slack thought she would do a 10K last year, and ended up doing the 30K instead. This year, she will be riding in the 50K.
Slack shares a lot of her journey through her Instagram account @slackinthebox16, and you can find a link to her Pedal 4 Possible page there if you are interested in donating or joining in.
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