Pánfila Domestic Violence HOPE Foundation

Pánfila Domestic Violence HOPE Foundation, founded by Dr. María E. Garay-Serratos, is a nonprofit focused on advancing the science and educating the public about domestic violence, head trauma, traumatic brain injury (TBI) chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Pánfila's vision is a world working together to end DV. DV-CTE/TBI is a silent, unrecognized pandemic caused by blows, shaking, shoving, punching, kicking, and hits that result in head trauma during DV episodes. It is estimated that 44 million women in the USA alone are living with head trauma, TBI, and CTE symptoms. People impacted by DV-TBI can suffer severe migraine headaches and devastating symptoms affecting speech, vision, balance, motor skills, mood and behavior. Science has also found that subconcussiions are linked to fatal progressive neurodegenerative diseases including CTE, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Parkinson’s Disease. In addition to the cardinal symptoms of these diseases, other symptoms that characterize progressive neurodegenerative diseases include confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, anxiety, suicidality, difficulty planning, solving problems, completing familiar tasks, and, eventually, progressive dementia. Every brain is different, but with each new blow to the head, the odds increase that the victim’s brain health is permanently affected. These symptoms can impair the ability of those affected to fully participate in the workforce, in education and in their communities. Please go to our website to learn how you can help become part of the solution. Dr. Garay-Serratos' DV-CTE/TBI journey with her mother and father is featured in the groundbreaking documentary from Scotia Entertainment, This Hits Home. To learn where you can watch it go to https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/this-hits-home