From Survival to Success: How Brain Injury Encouraged Danielle Brazant to Give Back

For Danielle Brazant, 2012 marked both an ending and a beginning. A star college student with big dreams for her career and life, Danielle sustained a traumatic brain injury in a near-fatal car accident on her way home from church. She was just 24 years old.

To say Danielle had a tough recovery would be an understatement. Having gone into cardiac arrest immediately after the accident, her first days were spent in a coma. When she came out of the coma, she had to relearn nearly everything, including how to walk, read, and chew food.

As difficult as the physical recovery was, the mental aspect of recovery was even harder. Danielle faced many of the same challenges that other brain injury survivors face: depression, isolation, and the struggle to rebuild her life in a new way. Unable to finish her bachelor’s degree, she moved back in with her parents. “I’d lay on the couch all day, unable to think about anything other than what I had lost,” Danielle says. “I was hopeless. I felt like my life didn’t have any purpose.”

Finding a new way forward

A pivotal moment in Danielle’s recovery came when her brother told her about a coffee shop chain that was hiring in her town. Though it wasn’t her dream job, having somewhere to go each day proved transformative. “Getting back into the workforce, having something to do every day—it’s great,” Danielle says. “You’re so busy, you forget to feel sorry for yourself.”

That first job after her brain injury led to others—including a successful stint selling life insurance, where she became one of the top agents in the state of Iowa. She learned she was great at sales and loved talking to people. The commissions she earned allowed her to move into her own apartment, a milestone that many had thought impossible during her early recovery.

Discovering her voice

Danielle’s father had always encouraged her to dream bigger—both before her brain injury and after. “You need to get back out there and achieve your goals,” he told her. “You need to dream again.” Through self-reflection and guidance from mentors, Danielle realized she really wanted to be an author and a speaker so she could share her story with others.

In 2018, she self-published her book, Maximizing Your Potential: How to Start the Journey Towards True Happiness in Life. The story details Danielle’s accident, her long recovery, and how she discovered her own true happiness. In 2020, she launched her speaking business, first with virtual speaking due to COVID-19 before branching out to in-person speaking opportunities in 2022.

Over the past two years, Danielle has spoken at countless conferences, including giving the keynote speech at the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance’s annual conference. It was there that Danielle realized something that would shape her next dream.

Understanding the needs of the brain injury community

As she continued to experience success in her personal and professional life, Danielle realized that she wanted to do more to bring awareness to brain injury—specifically through fundraising. “I wanted to figure out a way to give back to a cause that’s been so important to me,” she says.

She connected with the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), wanting to get more involved. “I talked with Stephanie (BIAA’s Development Manager), and I saw the potential of a fundraising event,” Danielle says. “At this point, I had the financial resources to contribute—and I want people to know about brain injury in the same way they know about different types of cancer, or ALS, or support for our veterans.”

A gala for a great cause

This led to the founding of the Eastern Iowa Brain Injury Gala, an annual event held at the Indian Creek Country Club in Marion, Iowa. What makes this fundraiser especially unique is Danielle’s commitment to not only the planning of the event, but the financial aspect. She covers all of the operational costs herself, ensuring that every dollar raised through corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, and donations goes directly to BIAA.

The inaugural gala, held in August 2024, attracted nearly 50 attendees, and Danielle has ambitious plans for the gala’s growth. “Next year, I’m hoping to get between 100 and 150 people,” she says. By starting corporate sponsorship outreach earlier and building on first-year successes, she sees tremendous potential for impact.

Building bridges for brain injury survivors

Perhaps most importantly, the gala is helping to connect previously isolated parts of the brain injury community. “Brain injury touches so many people: stroke survivors, military veterans, those who have been involved in accidents, athletes—but often, these groups don’t realize their common ground,” Danielle says. “I want to be that dot connector and get everybody together so we can raise both publicity and money for this cause.”

Through her work, Danielle is demonstrating that awareness and action around brain injury can go hand-in-hand. “It’s not enough to simply know that brain injuries happen,” she says. “This community—and the organizations that serve them—need support for education and advocacy work.”

As Danielle looks to the future, she remains committed to growing both the gala and broader support for brain injury survivors. Her story shows how personal tragedy can transform into purpose—and how one person’s success can help build pathways for others to follow.