2 min readBy Published On: March 19th, 2018Categories: News2 Comments on Tom Tinlin heading to Capitol Hill in support of Ellie’s Law

Back in April of 2017, Tom Tinlin had the scare of his life. “I was doing the live auction at the Fourth Fest and while I was up on stage it felt as though someone came up from behind me and cracked me over the head with a baseball bat,” said Tinlin.  Having a strong work ethic, he quickly finished up the final two auction items and had his wife Heather drive him to the emergency room at Beth Israel. Tinlin suffered an aneurysm in his brain and had to have emergency surgery to repair the damage. 

Since his experience, Tinlin has been a true champion for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. On Tuesday, he’s heading to Capitol Hill to advocate for “Ellie’s Law” and meet with politicians for brain aneurysm research and funding. He will be recognized at the organization’s second annual Champion Awards on March 30. He will receive the Survivor Champion Award! Way to go, Tom!

BAF will also seek cosponsors for a resolution that declares September, “National Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month.” The resolution was recently introduced by Representatives Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and David Joyce (R-OH). This proclamation of support amplifies the importance of raising awareness and supporting research that prevents, detects and treats brain aneurysms.

In the United States one in 50 people have an unruptured brain aneurysm. Each year, an estimated 30,000 people suffer a brain aneurysm rupture, 40 percent of which are fatal. Of those who survive, about 66 percent suffer some permanent neurological deficit. The combined lost wages of survivors of brain aneurysm ruptures and their caretakers are approximately $138 million per year.

About Ellie’s Law:
The “Ellie Helton, Lisa Colagrossi, Teresa Anne Lawrence, and Jennifer Sedney Focused Research Act” (“Ellie’s Law”), is a bill that seeks federal funding for brain aneurysm research. It is named in honor of Ellie Helton, a 14-year-old Apex, N.C. teenager, who died on July 16, 2014 as a result of a brain aneurysm. The bill provides $5 million each fiscal year, for five years, to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to conduct or support further comprehensive research on brain aneurysms, studying a broader patient population diversified by age, sex, and race. It also includes funding for research on what causes aneurysms, what causes them to rupture, development of drugs or treatment and much more. Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Patrick Meehan (R-PA) introduced the bill on March 21, 2017.

For more information about the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, visit here! 

2 Comments

  1. SBHS class of 1969 March 20, 2018 at 8:38 am - Reply

    Good luck Tom your a real proud son of SOUTH BOSTON..all the best!

  2. Not so New to the Hood March 20, 2018 at 9:55 am - Reply

    Great stuff here. Good luck Tom!

    Side note: The short term rental gathering was a complete JOKE. Legitimately hilarious. Abutters crying, landlords crying, everyone crying. It was great.

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