June 23 2009, South Dakota: Paula Persechini-Petitti was involved in a very serious car accident, resulting in a head injury that left Paula in a coma. South Dakota did not have the facilities to treat Paula. A fund was set up to bring Paula home. 10 days later, the amount needed was raised to airlift Paula to Boston where, with the support of family and friends and the world-class medical resources of Mass General Hospital and the Spaulding Rehab Hospital an aggressive treatment program began.

The traumatic brain injury Paula received requires continued specialized rehabilitation.

She will be going to Middleboro Skilled Nursing Facility soon for a few months as she still needs extensive rehabilitation.

We hope to be able to get her into Mentor ABI or a similar specialized treatment program to help her regain her independence after that.

This program is not covered by insurance and so we will continue fundraising to cover it and any additional medical expenses she may have.

It is our mission to ensure that funds are in place for this final stage of treatment. The average cost for specialized rehabilitation treatment programs is between $15,000 to $20,000 per month. Paula would need to be in such a program for at least 4 months and could need up to 6 months.

As news of this shipment spread, more health facilities desperate for resources began asking Paula for her swift and generous assistance. Black River Project was born.

Paula's response is now felt by more than nine countries as she continnually travels to deliver equipment, Training, and medical teams to less fortunate patients all over the world.