Impacted Inc.: Sharing knowledge about concussions with others
Courtesy of Pattiann and Tom Berton
Courtesy of Pattiann and Tom Berton
Patrick Berton loved playing football, but during one game back in 2011, the 12-year-old went down on the field and was slow to get up. He took another hit later in the game and seemed dazed, so coaches took him out for the rest of the game.
Days later, headaches started and eventually Patrick’s brain lost its ability to balance his body. He developed tremors and needed a walker and eventually a wheelchair due to his post-concussive issues.
“My kid got injured playing football, but he could have very easily just been walking out my door, clumsily fell and had the same exact injury,” says Pattiann Berton, Patrick’s mom. “It can happen anywhere, but knowing what it looks like and feels like … you need to know what to do.”
Patrick’s journey inspired Pattiann and her husband, Tom, to form Impacted Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization aimed at spreading awareness and support for families impacted by head injuries. “We are driven to help so that no parent or child needs to experience the difficulties of concussions alone,” says Pattiann. “Our journey was extremely long and painful, and we had little to no guidance. We hope to be beacons of light for others to follow.”
For their efforts with Impacted Inc., Pattiann and Tom Berton have been chosen as recipients of the Driven by Hope Award, sponsored by Washington Auto Mall. The South Strabane Township couple’s goal is to help others to navigate the difficult and often overwhelming road of diagnosis, treatment and long-term effects of concussions.
“Our mission is prevention, education, advocacy and support,” explains Pattiann. “We are a committed group of individuals who have been, in some way, touched by a concussion and want to help others going through the same thing.”
Impacted Inc. typically holds one main fundraising gala each spring. Last year, they used those funds to donate $10,000 in scholarships for Washington County students who have been impacted by concussion. They also donated $2,500 to the Pennsylvania Brain Injury Association.
“I just try and help guide people, like what are you stuck on? What’s your child not able to do still and have you tried these things?” says Pattiann. “Maybe try a music therapist or an animal therapist, all these different types of things that might stimulate them in some way and keep them happy while they’re trying to heal.”
Now aged 24, Patrick is making remarkable progress and only uses a walker instead of a wheelchair. He earned degrees from Lynn University and Penn State Law School and now works for an insurance defense litigation firm in Cocoa Beach, Fla. But the Bertons say their journey doesn’t end there.
“We do continue on because after we got Patrick through everything and graduating high school and all this stuff, he came to his dad and said you have fought so hard for me because I had no one to guide me,” Pattiann says. “He said you have to take all that knowledge and give it to everyone … don’t ever let another kid or family or anybody suffer. So that’s why we do what we do.”
Whether it’s guiding them to a monthly meeting for caregivers of people who have traumatic brain injuries or just a phone or Zoom chat with parents trying to cope with their child’s injuries and care, Pattiann says sometimes it helps just knowing they’re not alone out there.
She remembers Patrick once asked her why this was happening to him. “I said, I don’t know but someday, I promise you someday something good will come of all this,” she recalls. “Our something good is just sharing our knowledge, just making sure people know if your kid gets injured where can they go to get help.”
For more information or to donate, visit www.impactedinc.org/.