Howard Brown holds the microphone for Gary Otsu, a brain injury survivor and speaker at the Brain Injury Association of Canada’s Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey in Toronto January 26, 2010.
Slideshow
TORONTO – Gary Otsu, a brain injury survivor, will be a speaker at the Brain Injury Association of Canada’s Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey this year.
Spend an hour with Gary Otsu and it is hard not to feel inspired. Not only has he been living with his brain injury for 20 years, he also cracks a joke every third sentence, is living medication-free, and won’t let you buy your own coffee.
Otsu was 19 years old when he first started feeling the pain in his head. After a couple months the headaches had become unbearable and Otsu went to see a doctor. After this moment, Otsu’s life would drastically change. In one day, Otsu went from his family physician, to a neurologist, then to the neurosurgery wing of his local hospital, where he was immediately admitted as a patient.
At age 19, Otsu discovered he was living with eight tumours in his brain and two in his spinal cord. Otsu is different from other brain injury survivors, because his brain injury was not caused by a harmful event – his injury occurred naturally and without explanation.
“Yeah, I’ve been called the walking miracle,” said Otsu, “I guess people are amazed that I’m still alive.”
Over the course of four months, Otsu celebrated his 20th birthday, underwent three major surgeries and had five weeks of radiation therapy. In April, following the December day that Otsu was first admitted, his neurosurgeon told him that four tumours had grown back. Otsu’s fourth and final surgery to remove the new tumours took place that May.
Otsu’s last surgery was 15 years ago and he has not needed to see a doctor for his brain injury since.
“The doctor told me then that there was nothing else they could do,” said Otsu. “I was free to go, unless I start having bad headaches again, then I could go back.”
Today Otsu says that he “loves volunteering” and divides his time between Community Head Resources Service (CHIRS) and Sunnybrook Hospital. As well, Otsu spends two nights a week attending Brain Injury Society of Toronto (BIST) meetings and spends every Friday night cooking for up to nine people on his floor.
“A perfect day is just feelin good,” says Otsu.
Gary Otsu and other survivors will share their inspirational stories at each of the Odysseys starting in Toronto on January 26.
(TORONTO – JANUARY 26, 2010) – The Brain Injury Association of Canada (BIAC) is cranking up the heat tonight at Toronto’s 6th Annual Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey.
The beach-themed event will be held at the site of the first-ever Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey (HOO), The Miller Tavern, 3885 Yonge Street (1 block south of York Mills) on Tuesday, January 26th from 6 to 9 p.m.
Special guests include:
- Beverly Thomson, co-host of CTV’s Canada AM, as this year’s Master of Ceremonies
- Hon. Deb Matthews MPP, Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
- Hon. Kathleen Wynne MPP, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation
- Dr. Charles Tator, renowned Toronto neurosurgeon
- Piroska Bata RN, neurotrauma nurse manager
- Gary Otsu, brain injury survivor
- Shirley Johnson, President, Brain Injury Association of Canada
- Ralph Palumbo, Ontario Vice-President, Insurance Bureau of Canada, the presenting sponsor
They will all speak from 7:05 to 7:30 pm.
This year’s HOO events will raise over $150,000. A total of almost $600,000 has been raised since the first HOO in 2005. Always a great success, HOO events are now being kicked off by passionate volunteers in every province across Canada.
Brain injury is the number one disabler and cause of death for Canadians under 45, despite being a preventable condition. Each year, 50,000 Canadians are affected with a brain injury and incidence rates are continuing to rise. The HOOs are fundraising events that increase brain injury awareness, and promote its prevention.
National sponsors include Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), TD Bank Financial Group and We Care Home Health Services. Supporting sponsors include the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, Bombardier, CIBC, Prism Medical, Scotiabank, Brave Consulting, the Posluns Family Foundation, Air Canada, Alpha Laboratories and Goodmans Law Firm.
Hawaiian Oyster Odysseys raise funds to advocate for survivors such as Gary Otsu.
Otsu and other survivors will share their inspirational stories at each of the Odysseys starting in Toronto on January 26th.
Other 2010 Hawaiian Oyster Odysseys will be held in Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Charlottetown, Halifax and St. John’s.
Each event will feature tropical decor, oyster bars, tropical cocktails, a silent auction and stories from survivors.
About:
In 2003 the Brain Injury Association of Canada was established with the mandate to improve the quality of life for all Canadians affected by acquired brain injury and promote its prevention. BIAC is also dedicated to facilitate post-trauma research, education and advocacy in partnership with national, provincial/territorial and regional associations and other stakeholders.
The mission of the Brain Injury Society of Toronto is to enhance the quality of life for persons, in the City of Toronto, who are living with the effects of acquired brain injury, through education, awareness, support and advocacy.
For more information, please contact:
Howard Brown
Brown and Cohen Communications and Public Affairs
(416) 844-1180
howard@brown-cohen.com
or
Kate More
PR Writer Extraordinaire
(416) 825-7739
kate@rotman-pr.com
Aloha!
On Tuesday, January 26, 2010, we invite you to hula on over to the wildly popular Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey here in Toronto!
Slip into your best rendition of tropical Hawaiian chic and get ready to limbo on down the red carpet. Hosted at Hogg’s Hollow’s famous Miller Tavern (3885 Yonge Street), join us at Toronto’s 6th Annual Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey, a fun philanthropic soiree in support of the Brain Injury Association of Canada and the Brain Injury Society of Toronto.
Toronto HOO Invitation and Ticket Information.
BONUS: Order your tickets by January 20th and save $50 per ticket!
Special guests this year include Beverly Thomson, Co-Host of CTV’s Canada AM, Ontario’s Health and Long-Term Care, Deb Matthews MPP, Ontario’s Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, MPP, Dr. Charles Tator, Founder of Think First, as well as Shirley Johnson, President of the Brain Injury Association of Canada.
If you aren’t able to join the party this year (or even if you can) perhaps you are able to support this great cause by donating an item to our silent auction.
The silent auction is an important element in the fund raising goal of our event. We will offer a variety of quality items that would appeal to the expected audience including; event tickets, jewelery, spa or salon packages, restaurant or retail gift cards, as well as any other appropriate items (preferably $50 value and up).
We appreciate your consideration and support, if you are interested in donating an item to the silent auction please contact Cristina Onose at cristina.o@live.com.
Look forward to seeing you January 26th.
In the meantime, have a happy holiday and great New Years.
Warmest regards,
Howard
Howard Brown,
Chair, Toronto’s 6th Annual Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey and
Fundraising Chair, Brain Injury Association of Canada
Hawaiian Oyster Odyssesy
http://hawaiianoysterodysseys.ca
News Release – For Immediate Release
March 17, 2009: The Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association (SBIA) and volunteer committee, in cooperation with the Brain Injury Association of Canada (BIAC) will hold the 4th Annual Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey at The Willows Golf & Country Club on Saturday, April 18, 2009. SBIA is thrilled to announce that this year’s guest speaker will be CFL Hall of Famer Terry Evanshen.
In 1988 Terry was in an automobile collision that put him in a coma for almost a month. When he awoke he didn’t know who he was. In an instant he lost every memory of his 44 years, including his famous career. Join us as Terry shares his long road back from a brain injury and the challenges he and his family faced as he rebuilt his life and identity.
Every year in Saskatchewan, 2500 people suffer brain injury – most are young people. The SBIA and BIAC are dedicated to improving the knowledge, services, and quality of life for survivors of acquired brain injury, their families and service providers. We also work in partnership with others to promote brain injury prevention. This year’s dinner and silent auction is one of eleven being held in every province across the country. It will raise much needed funds to support programs and services for survivors. The Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey will once again provide a fun evening in the tropics with a delicious Hawaiian inspired menu. It will also offer an opportunity to build and strengthen partnerships in the community and a grand prize trip for two to Hawaii courtesy Air Canada.
Tickets are $100.00 and available at the Saskatoon office of SBIA at (888) 373-1555 toll free in Saskatchewan.
National presenting sponsor is the Insurance Bureau of Canada. The National Diamond sponsor is TD Bank Financial Group.
For More Information:
Cynthia Block
Volunteer – Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey
Phone: 306-230-8262
Doug Richardson, Volunteer Chair – Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey, Phone: 306-664-1323
Howard Brown, President, Brown & Cohen, Communications & Public Affairs Inc
321 Brooke Avenue, Toronto, ON M5M 2L4
Direct line: 416-783-1140
Cell: 416-844-1180
howard@brown-cohen.com
www.brown-cohen.com
The Toronto HOO, held Feb. 2 at the Chega Restaurant, 3391 Yonge Street, broke all records.
Invitation and Registration
Become a Donor!
Brain Food Fuels National Fundraisers for Injury Awareness (Ontario Ministers of Health and Education headline 5th annual Toronto event for 50,000 Canadian Brain Injury Survivors.)
Oysters fuel national fundraisers for injury awareness kicking off on Groundhog day
Survivor overcomes brain injury and becomes teacher
Program
Testimonials
Series of fundraisers benefit brain injury group
City Centre Mirror – Jan 30/09
City Centre Mirror – Feb 6/09
Photos and Slideshow 1
Photos and Slideshow 2
Mike Coyle will be a guest speaker at the Toronto’s 5th Annual Hawaiian Oyster Odyssey on February 2
At the age of 15, Mike Coyle was struck by a car while crossing a street in Toronto. The impact caused his head to shatter the car’s windshield. After the accident, Coyle was placed in a drug induced coma for 24 hours due to the hemorrhaging in his brain that the impact had caused.
Then a student at St. Michael’s College with an interest in hockey, Coyle had trouble in school after the accident and was forced to quit hockey altogether. He struggled to stay awake in class and had to work with a scribe and speech pathologist to keep up with his work. He eventually had to transfer to another school due to his struggles.
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