Traumatic brain injury survivor in Marinette gives back to community through gift of companionship | WFRV
MARINETTE, Wis. (WFRV) – Chad Francour has quite a story to tell.
Twenty-one years ago, he suffered a traumatic brain injury after a truck hit him while he was snowmobiling. He said doctors didn’t give him much of a chance of surviving, let alone getting back to any semblance of his normal life.
“When I got hit by a truck and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, I learned the power of having a connection how valuable that is to someone’s healing,” Francour told Local 5 News on Tuesday night.
Through his own will power and the support of his friends and family, Francour made a remarkable recovery. Since his accident he said the power of companionship has been a common thread in his life.
It began when he said the support of his family and friends helped him to heal from his injury. He said he again experienced the power of companionship when he interned at a hospice center during college. He also studied friendship and companionship at UW-Green Bay and earned a degree in psychology and human development.
He said in a small town like Marinette it was hard to find people to spend time with and that he also experienced loneliness. He’s made it his mission to use the power of companionship to make sure that nobody in his community has to experience loneliness.
“We need humans, other humans in our life to find meaning in our life,” he said. “If we don’t have meaning what do we have.”
On Tuesday night, Francour held an informational forum for his brand new organizations called ‘Meals With a Friend.’ He said he’s in the process of working out the logistics to get the organization up and running and Tuesday was about recruiting volunteers.
‘Meals With a Friend’ will pair volunteers with people in the community who need a companion to share a meal together. For more information about the program, please click here.
To learn more about Francour’s story, click here.
