Supporting Research and Resources

Natasha Rastogi comes from a family of physicians. She, her mother, and her brother are all doctors, and her father, Surender, was also a doctor before he retired.

But when Surender sustained a traumatic fall on April 19, 2025, Natasha and her family learned what it’s like on the patient side of the medical system. “It’s really eye-opening,” Natasha said. “You don’t understand it until you’re in those shoes.”

When he fell, Surender fractured his C-spine and went into cardiac arrest. As a result, he sustained an anoxic brain injury that has left him in a minimally conscious state.

“He’ll have moments where he responds to voices and seemingly interacts with us,” Natasha explained. “At some points, he’ll respond to minor commands, other times he’s not really there. It waxes and wanes.”

As the one-year anniversary of Surender’s injury was approaching, Natasha wanted to incorporate a sense of hope and positivity into the tragedy her family experienced.

As it happened, the Jersey City Marathon and Half-Marathon was taking place on April 19, 2026 – exactly one year to the day that Surender fell. Natasha and her husband decided to participate in honor of her father – and to fundraise for the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) in the process.

Natasha began to explore different organizations and nonprofits to support through the half-marathon. As she learned more about BIAA, she was especially drawn to our investment in research.

“One thing I learned on this journey is the need for research and resources in this area,” Natasha shared. “We’re a family of scientists. We want to know what we’re supporting is going to have an impact. This felt like the right organization.”

As she learned more about BIAA, she recognized that we not only support brain injury survivors, but also caregivers and their families as well. “You really look out for families and are a support system for them,” Natasha said. “It’s hard to see a family member like this, and it’s important for families to have support and camaraderie.”

Accepting support didn’t always come easy to the Rastogi family. “People were offering us a lot of help, but we weren’t taking it,” Natasha explained. Now that she has more experience – and perspective, she acknowledged, “It’s okay to accept help, and to ask for it. You need to take care of yourself as well. You can get lost in this world of doing everything for the person you love.”

The Rastogi family’s brain injury journey has been “difficult and gray,” Natasha said, but acknowledged that there is a lot of potential for up-and-coming research that could benefit other survivors and their families – even if it can’t benefit her father.

“Dad was always someone to care for others,” she said. “It was important for me to represent him and give back to an organization that helps fund research grants and supports families.”

Since it was established in 2019, the Brain Injury Research Fund has awarded nearly $500,000 in grants. Creating a fundraiser for brain injury research helps drive discoveries that can improve and extend the lives of millions of people living with the long-term effects of brain injury. Community-led fundraising directly supports research focused on prevention, better treatments, and long-term care strategies. Support the Brain Injury Research Fund here.