Family Of Woman Injured In ATV Accident Raising Funds For Hospital

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (WJZ) -- It's been nearly six months since an Owings Mills woman suffered a traumatic brain injury celebrating her 40th birthday in Costa Rica. It's a story WJZ has been following.

Now Ron Matz reports on her progress, and how her friends and family have turned this tragedy into a way to help her and others.

Last October, Jennifer Granek suffered a severe head injury in an ATV accident in Costa Rica.

"She is making baby steps, but those steps are in the right direction," said her husband Brian Granek. "She's making very small improvements daily."

Her husband Brian says his wife and mother of their three children, who is also an athlete, is incredibly strong.

"When I kiss her, she kisses me back," Brian said. "She definitely knows who I am and she definitely knows when I'm in the room."

Jennifer's two nephews and a friend decided to help.

"We wanted to help not only her, but everyone with traumatic brain injury," said Granek's 12-year-old nephew Benjamin Suffel. "So for our bar mitzvah project we organized an event at the JCC called "Hoops for Hope"-- a basketball tournament that raised money for traumatic brain injury."

They raised nearly $1,000 for Levindale's Coma Emergency Program.

"It's incredible, and we are grateful for it," said Amy Liu, Levindale Specialty Hospital. "We're just so happy that they did that for our program."

Jennifer is emerging from her coma at Levindale. Her family is by her side.

"We're doing the best we can knowing that as strong as Jennifer is and as much as she's fighting that's how much we're fighting at home as well -- to stick together and support each other," Brian said. "A lot of people can easily see themselves in our shoes. Life can change in the blink of an eye. A lot of people have really done everything in their power to help us through this tragedy."

Benjamin and Logan Suffel and Dylan Zukerberg raised a total of $3,000 to be donated to three charities that deal with traumatic brain injuries.