Founder’s Message of Hope

My name is Leslie Fossey Rollings, and three years ago while driving to work where I was the marketing director for a large orthopedic physician group in East Texas, I was hit by an 18-wheel truck. I suffered a major traumatic brain injury (TBI), was in a coma for weeks, and experienced amnesia for three months. I was completely unaware of what had happened.

At the same time – my family and friends were in total shock. They didn’t know what to do, who to turn to, where to go for valid information and guidance, and what my TBI would mean for me and for them both in the short- and long-term. They felt very helpless.

The wonderful news is that although my doctors did not expect me to survive, by the grace of God, survive I did. Since my accident, I’ve been driven – because of my experiences and the challenges faced by my family and friends – to create HeadUp TBI East Texas, a local nonprofit organization whose focus is to provide TBI information and resources in our region of Texas and beyond.

This website will provide you with information about TBI programs and services here in East Texas, along with links to the most up-to-date information and research about traumatic brain injuries. And it will help you to connect with other going through what you are.

I dedicate this website to those impacted by traumatic brain injury that must now learn to live and celebrate life one day at a time. As my dad always said, “Now get up, dust your butt off, and get going!”