Washington, DC – October 26, 2010 – National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) will honor former patients Cheryl Douglass of Chevy Chase, a quadruple amputee and Tim Strachan, University of Maryland football broadcaster and former DeMatha High School standout athlete, at its 24th annual Gala Victory Awards®, Wednesday, November 10 at the Organization of American States (corner of 17th and Constitution Ave.) in Washington, DC., from 6 – 10 p.m. The evening is a tribute to former NRH patients for exemplifying exceptional strength and courage in the face of physical adversity.
Presented each year since 1986, recipients of NRH’s Gala Victory Awards® share one thing in common – a victory of the human spirit. They are individuals who serve as shining examples of the abilities of persons with disabilities. Cheryl Douglass, a former Arlington County school teacher, contracted a deadly bacterial infection that rendered her a quadruple amputee. Today, Cheryl visits NRH for continued physical therapy and is writing a series of “how to” cooking articles for upper extremity amputees. Tim Strachan, who can be heard broadcasting on the sidelines during Terps football games on Saturday afternoons with Johnny Holliday on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network, sustained a spinal cord injury in a swimming accident at the beach.
On November 10, the Organization of American States will invite guests to enjoy a cocktail buffet, a silent and live auction reception, and the centerpiece Victory Awards® presentation to Cheryl Douglass and Tim Strachan. Shahin Mafi and Mona St. Leger are serving as Gala Co-Chairs on behalf of NRH. For more information or to reserve your tickets (prices start at $300), please call 202.877.1781.
All proceeds from the 2010 Gala Victory Awards® support the patient care, research and education missions of NRH.
National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) is a private, not-for-profit facility located in Northwest Washington, D.C. NRH’s services are designed specifically for the rehabilitation of individuals with disabling injuries and illnesses such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and disease, arthritis, amputations, post-polio syndrome, chronic pain, back and neck pain, occupational injuries, cancer and cardiac disease that require medical rehabilitation, and other neurological and orthopedic conditions. NRH admits approximately 2,200 inpatients annually, has appeared on the “Best Hospitals” list in U.S. News & World Report for 16 consecutive years and is currently ranked among the top hospitals in medical rehabilitation in America. NRH has the only CARF accredited specialty program for both Spinal Cord Injury and Stroke in the region. In addition, NRH’s Spinal Cord Injury Program has been designated one of only 14 Model SCI Systems of care in the country by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a part of the Department of Education. NRH is a proud member of MedStar Health.