For the Reporter

For 20 years, Terry Home has provided a comfortable and independent place for young adult survivors of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in quiet settings of Auburn and Pacific.

To mark the occasion, the public and supporters are invited to a 20th anniversary open house of Terry Home on Saturday, April 30 at the Pacific home, 138 Third Ave. SW, from 2 to 4 pm.

Visitors can meet residents and staff, enjoy refreshments and learn more about the home and its purpose.

Terry Norman was on the cusp of manhood in 1984 when he sustained a traumatic brain injury that left him in a coma for three months. Following prolonged rehabilitation, the young man had few options for his life.

More care was needed than Terry’s family could give, so Terry’s mother, Mary , sought other care facilities for her son. She soon discovered that the only option for people like Terry who suffered severe brain injuries was a geriatric nursing home.

Mary knew she couldn’t send her 18-year old son to live in a nursing home among the elderly. So she, her family, and friends decided to create a home that would promote the potential and independence of Terry and other 18- to 45-year-olds with TBIs. After 10 years of dedicated research, networking, fundraising and grant writing, the nonprofit Terry Home in Pacific opened in 1996.

Terry continues to reside in Terry Home, nurtured by professional staff and surrounded by others who have sustained TBIs. Here the residents learn at their own pace to cook, work on hobbies, build social and interaction skills, manage money, and improve cognitive abilities. They also enjoy recreation, movies, picnics, sporting events, and more.

The demand for appropriate housing for people with TBIs is so great that in 2013 Terry Home added a second home in Auburn, where Terry now resides.

Mary passed away in 2014, but her sister, Myla Montgomery, her son, Tim, and his wife, Joanne, continue to oversee the work of both Terry Homes.

“We are rewarded every day,” Myla says, “by seeing the smiles on our residents’ faces and helping them to make the most of their changed lives. Terry Home is a wonderful legacy that my sister left our community.”

To learn more, visit terryhomeinc.org.