Tiffany’s Story

Tiffany grew up the middle child with three brothers in a small town in Illinois. Her father served 30 years in the Air Force. In 1987, she set out on her own path and joined the Army. For 18 years she served our country proud, even volunteering for Operation Desert Storm, what Tiffany calls a “life defining experience.” After leaving the military in 2005, she moved with her family to Houston where she started a very successful career in SAP consulting. She worked for Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation. Eventually she would go out on her own as an independent contractor earning six figures and racking over a million miles traveling around the world.

Tiffany’s life changed in March 2016 when she was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm which ruptured and caused bleeding in her brain. While in surgery to fix the aneurysm Tiffany experienced a stroke. She was left with short-term memory problems, balance and hand/eye coordination issues and contracture of the fingers on her left hand. Following her stay in the ICU, she moved to South Austin, where her parents had retired and went to a couple of neurology programs while she waited for an opening at the Mary Lee Foundation Rehabilitation Center (MLFRC). According to Tiffany it came highly recommended as one of the best brain injury rehabilitation centers in the country.

Providing services to survivors of Traumatic Brain Injuries and Neurological Disorders since 1991, the MLFRC provides individual and group therapeutic services for both
inpatient and outpatient clients. The MLFRC aims to focus on the skills necessary to regain independence through client-centered, community re-integration therapies and activities.

In January 2018, Tiffany was accepted into the MLFRC program. She spent about a year in the program. Upon graduating, Tiffany moved into Mary Lee Foundation’s affordable housing where she volunteered her time in the Leasing office and in the weekly Food Pantry open to all of our clients. She did such a good job that she was offered a job in the Leasing Office as their Office Aide.

Tiffany recently enrolled in college to work on a degree in business. She feels that Mary Lee Foundation really helped her restart her life after her traumatic brain injury. A proud veteran, mother of three and grandmother of four, Tiffany is a great example of the work being done here in South Austin. If you would like more information about the Brain Injury and Neurological Disorders Program please call (512) 443-5777.