Auction raises funds for Traumatic Brain Injury survivors
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Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) attacked ahead of the Col du Tourmalet and made the main peloton, regaining the green jersey through points at the finish.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Saul Raisin(Image credit: Shane Stokes)
Saul Raisin continues to support survivors of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) through his fourth annual Raisin Hope Auction to be held from November 21-28 on eBay. The former Credit Agricole rider and head trauma survivor will auction off four pieces of cycling memorabilia including Thor Hushovd's green jersey won at the 2009 Tour de France, signed by the Norwegian sprinter himself.
"Thor is a good friend of mine and a really good guy," Raisin told Cyclingnews of his former teammate. "This auction has been really successful and we have raised tens of thousands of dollars from conducting this auction. It is a great opportunity to give back to others. Each year all the proceeds go directly to our foundation and then we give away 100 percent to other organizations that are fighting traumatic brain injuries."
Other items to be auctioned off include a signed poster of the famed-Belgian cyclist Eddie Merckx, a sign former Giro d'Italia winner Andy Hampsten poster and a 10-foot tall banner of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
Raisin is the founder of the Raisin Hope Foundation that provides support and awareness for survivors of brain injuries and their families. The foundation outlines three main goals, to support brain injury research, offer information about medical, physical and emotional recovery and promote public awareness and understanding of people with disability as a result of brain injury.
"When you look at how life changing and devastating a brain injury is, there is a risk that there is very little out there for those people," Raisin said. "The people who donate to Raisin Hope touch me because my family and I visit hospitals call the friends and families of people with brain injuries just to be there for them. I like to think that we have touched the lives of thousands of people, if not more."
Raisin was involved in a devastating crash on April 4 in 2006 while racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe with his Credit Argicole team. He was hospitalized in a coma with a large hematoma on the right side of his brain. He awoke with temporary paralysis to the left side of his body and has undergone extensive rehabilitation.
"Doctors say that I had to relearn everything from reading, writing and simple math," he added. "I couldn't do these things because I lost everything. I lost everything that I was. Out of everyone who gets a brain injury as severe as mine was, less than one percent will get back."
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Raisin has made a strong recovery and is currently attending the Physical Therapy Program at Dalton State College, in his home town of Dalton, Georgia. "I tell people that I should already have my doctorate in physical therapy because I was in the rehab for years," he said.
Raisin recently published his first book entitled Tour de Life: From Coma to Competition that raised more than $150,000 for Traumatic Brain Injuries.
A link to the Raisin Hope Auction will be posted on the website www.raisinhope.org.
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
