Click to View Events



Visit our Facebook Page



Donations Welcome!
Your kind donation makes sharing our resources possible!
Tax ID #: 27-1690965
Welcome!

Looking to reinvent yourself after a traumatic brain injury? We're an online lifeline and resource connector. This has been my vision ever since a young woman ran a stop sign and sent my car tumbling end-over-end.

This website allows us to share our research, resources, and stories with each other. We're glad you are here!


Meetings

Weekly Meetings — In-Person and Zoom
We are thrilled to announce we are back to live, physical meetings! We also run a Zoom call for those who cannot attend in person (links below).

Christ Church Parish
1127 N. San Antonio Ave.
Ontario, California 91762


Are you on the list?
Please call Celeste at (909) 260-0980 or send her an email at info@tbibridge.org. You'll be added to a list to get a reminder the day before each Tuesday's meetings.

Missed the Zoom Meeting? Watch it Here!

Celeste on Zoom

If you are feeling alone, please email info@tbibridge.org and include your phone number. We'll reach out!


News

Great Connections: PVHMC's Stroke Awareness Day

Mike and Norma tooling around PVHMC
Mike and Norma on a beautiful SoCal day

We were glad to see and be seen at the annual Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center's Stroke Awareness Day.

This April, we partnered with healing professionals and support groups from our area to celebrate the strides we're making in the field of brain health. Bridging the Gap was very pleased to have a table again at this excellent event, with speakers on the state of the art of stroke recovery.

Click any photo to view larger.
Mike, Norma, and Christian staff our booth Christian setting up our table Mike and Norma tooling around PVHMC


Radio Shorts — Brain Injury Radio Stories at Chico State

Gentleman speaking into a microphone
Stories of TBIs from folks at Chico State are a window into the soul of recovery

The Brain Injury Coalition promotes brain injury awareness at California State University at Chico in Northern California.

This January, the radio station KZFR partnered with the coalition and graduate students of the Communications Sciences and Disorders Program to create a show featuring the personal stories of four TBI survivors: Tom, Bev, Nikki, and Bridging the Gap's own Clay Ellington.

Listen Now


Their theme this year is "Progress Over Perfection." Let us know what these stories and heartfelt insights mean to you.


TBI and Nature Journaling with John Muir Laws

Sketch of little bird
Sketch in a nature journal
Celeste was a guest on the Nature Journaling Educators' Forum video cast in December with artist and educator John Muir Laws. She shared her TBI story and how she went on to create Bridging the Gap. And she delighted in sharing her experiences journaling and drawing in nature, especially while sitting on her favorite bench among the giant poppies at the garden!

Zoom call screen shot with John and Celeste
Video replay of our meeting
It was great to hear John's group sharing how art and nature are healing for them, and connecting with them through these simple yet deeply enriching pleasures of life. He was kind enough to share the video of this meeting, I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did during the live online meeting!

Visit John Muir Laws's website for more information about John's artistry, his lessons, conferences, safaris, and more!


Jim Manley's Blog

Jim and Krista eating dessert at an outdoor cafe
Local music and fun through Jim's eyes and ears

Our friend and regular participant Jim Manley has his own blog!

Jim captures events in and around Claremont, California, where he lives. His interests in music and photography take him to many events at the local Claremont Colleges, and a general lust for life means you'll also read about fun times he and his partner Krista enjoy when they venture to other spots!

Jim recently shared the entire program of the spectacular Pomona College Choir's December concert, along with links to others performing some of the same songs out in YouTube-land! Some deeply spiritual tunes were featured, older hymns such as "Ave Maria," as well as several 1930s numbers, such as "Soon Ah Will Be Done."

Thank you, Jim, for sharing your work with us!

Visit Jim's blog now to see where his latest jaunts have taken him!


Pomona Valley Stroke Classes Return

Pomona Valley Health Center in Claremont
Beautiful Claremont Campus of PVHC
"Life After Stroke: New Beginnings," the stroke support group of Pomona Valley Health Center in Claremont, has begun holding regular meetings again!

Meetings are held every fourth Thursday of the month from 10 to 11:30 AM.

For more information please email Stroke.Support@PVHMC.org.

View Schedule


Latest Video Interviews are Live!

Fireside Chat with Celeste and Cisco
Film at Eleven
The latest "Our Stories" videos are now live here on the website! See new faces, and some familiar ones too!
Watch Now


Spring Into Action The word spring with a little tulip "When one flower blooms, spring awakens everywhere."
— John O'Donohue

Spring is a a season ... but it's also a reason.

Why do I say that? I feel there is no time of year that provides us with more reasons to come out of our shells.

There's no time more ripe with promise, more encouraging to us humans. Springtime bursts with inspiration in the form of flowers, baby animals, and birds chirping up a racket after a long quiet winter.

I dare you to stroke a bunch of pussy willows and not feel that life is a little bit better!

As the sun begins to warm us, it invites us outdoors, and invites us to open our hearts. To consider a better outcome. To soften ... just a bit.


You're Invited

You are not alone. We're there for each other. As our videos show, our support groups are tremendously helpful in allowing us to hear what works for others, and also to discuss the things that are difficult.

We cover current topics about brain injury, cutting-edge research about concussion and stroke, and we discuss what's currently available to us in our recovery. We address the issues of survivors, caregivers, family, and friends.

Join us at Christ Church Parish in Ontario every Tuesday at 9:00 AM. It's free. We'd love to meet you!


Special Insight Into "The New Normal"
With COVID-19, people struggle to process "the new normal" when life keeps throwing them curve balls. The TBI community may be better prepared for the "new normal" than the average person. We understand how constant re-adjustment can challenge our memory, mood, and decision-making ability.

We have learned coping strategies such as meditation and distraction to calm the brain during times like these. Our Stories page has lots of inspiration, and Celeste's Holiday Happiness video contains steps to help you get your groove back.
Corner scrollwork art
3 Event Series
New!
The recent birth of three new branches in our Bridging the Gap tree of events means there are lots more ways to connect with each other! Check out our exciting new offerings ...
Click any section to learn more
  • Artists' Studio
    Gigi helps us get creative and use art as therapy
  • Health & Wellness
    Jeannette gets us moving and learning about our bodies and brains
  • Helpers' Corner
    Cisco, Michelle, and Christian give comfort and help us expand our horizons with poetry, film, books, and meditation



Welcome from Celeste Palmer
Founder and TBI Survivor


Neuro-optometrist Dr. Doug Stephey shows us how the brain and eyes work together
Neuro-optometrist Dr. Doug Stephey Video
How the brain and eyes work together


To the future!
Holiday Happiness Strategies Video
Tips for keeping spirits bright all year long


Dr. Martin McLeod speaks at our meeting
Chiropractor Dr. Martin McLeod Video on Successful Living
This dynamic speaker makes sense of getting to know your body and emotions, how doctors and patients should communicate, and how diet can be the key to everything.


Krista Von Stetten during her video interview
Our Stories - Video Edition!
Catch up with us live on video.



My Happiness Project Video
Celeste speaks about our pursuit of happiness


Celeste and Judith at booksigning event
Celeste's Journey Video
Sharing her adventures at a booksigning event



Donations Welcome!
Your kind donation makes
sharing our resources possible!


Tax ID #: 27-1690965

We appreciate our business donors so very much!
  • Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater
  • Citrus Community College and Haugh Performing Arts Theater
  • Claremont Courier
  • Espiau's Restaurant
  • Human Interface
  • In-N-Out Burger
  • Inter Valley Health Plan
  • Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
  • Salt Oasis
  • Stroke Department, PVHMC
  • Tea with Sherry
... and to all the people who give to help us. You allow us to continue the tradition of scholarships to Veterans who are students at Citrus College. You also expand our reach to find and provide resources, education, and advocacy for survivors' families and friends — our gratitude is endless!

If you would like to contribute to the Susan Reis Carroll Memorial, please make a note of it in your donation. Susan was a TBI survivor and a member of our community.




We are on Amazon Smile!
Amazon Smile logo When you make a purchase through Amazon Smile and designate "Bridging the Gap Connecting TBI Survivors", we receive a small donation. It's the same as your normal Amazon shopping, but this way Amazon donates to our group. We would greatly appreciate it if you would click here to make us your Amazon Smile charity.


Gentle Intro to TBI: Celeste on the Radio — July 26, 2018
Terry Smith's radio show screenshot Our own Celeste was a guest on Brain Injury Radio with Terry Smith! She gave a wonderful introduction to the world of traumatic brain injury, shared her personal experiences, and offered some great tips on how to venture forward and find help. (Note: Celeste's segment runs from 19:40 to 56:48 minutes)
Listen on Terry's Website


Chicken Soup for the Soul - Book Cover Inspiration for Recovery in 101 Doses
Celeste is honored to be one of the 101 people who were asked to share their brain injury journeys in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries: 101 Stories of Hope, Healing, and Hard Work.


Our Resources page contains many listings we have found helpful. From medical centers to massage, in-home care to brain boosting techniques, please make use of these great opportunities. Email Us if you have a resource to share with others!


Media

Crash Support Network Logo Celeste's Story in Crash Support Network Newsletter Looking for more connections with the TBI community? Dawne McKay's website is Crash Support Network, and she publishes a quarterly newsletter called "Sharing Our Recovery." Both are full of stories about survivors as well as helpful resources. Her Spring 2020 newsletter features an article about our own Celeste Palmer!
Read the PDF newsletter
Visit the website


TBI and Visual Consequences Podcast — August, 2018
Celeste Palmer Celeste was a guest on neuro-optometrist Dr. Doug Stephey's "Move, Look, and Listen" podcast, with host Tim Edwards. This audio is a mind-boggling "look" at how the brain and vision interact in so many fundamental ways.



Our Gang at a recent meeting
Bridging the Gap is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Logo designed by Danny Blanco
danny_blanco@yahoo.com