Brain injury survivor creates a business to help others

Five years ago, I was in a car accident. As a result, my life was severely derailed by a concussion brain injury followed by PPCS (persistent post-concussive symptoms). These debilitating, ongoing symptoms made it impossible to function and live the way I once did.

My name is Chaandani and I spent years in all sorts of recovery appointments. However, my recovery team lacked an understanding of the nuances of what I was going through and eventually I was told that I should "be better by now". My life was at a standstill and I was drowning with an invisible disability, yet left to my own devices. And unfortunately, my story isn’t unique. There are thousands of others who are stuck and desperate to return to their version of normal life. Research and discussions about PPCS are steadily increasing, but not fast enough. People need help now.

I've dedicated the past 8 months to creating Return to Life, a business with solutions uniquely rooted in lived experience. As a fortunate recipient of the 2024 Springboard program, I've learned and received guidance from senior-level experts in the areas of:

Return to Life provides fellow PPCS survivors with the motivation today and tools for tomorrow to restart their journey forward efficiently. I support survivors 1:1, provide educational workshops and speak at events.

Re-building my life from the ground up is not an easy feat and I could use some help with the final push, which is taking Return to Life past its soft-launched services, into an official launch in early 2025. This includes investing in various systems, software subscriptions, professional services and/or other capital expenditures the business may require at startup.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for believing in me and taking the time to consider if you're able to help in the following ways:

With gratitude,

Chaandani