Honorees
Jennifer Field
At age 17, Jennifer Field was well on her way to being an Equestrian Rider at the Olympics when that dream came crashing down following a near fatal car accident that left her comatose and brain damaged.
The doctor’s prognosis was that she would never be able to walk, talk or care for herself again. But Jennifer was determined and unwilling to give up. She and her loving and dedicated mother, Joanne Field, combed the globe in search of treatments and therapies that would help her regain her life. Many of these treatments were termed “alternative medicine,” meaning no insurance would pay for them. But the treatments and therapies worked for Jennifer, so she continued seeking them and finding new ones.
Over the next ten years Jennifer battled physical, mental and emotional obstacles to successfully regain her physical independence and to graduate from college with honors.
Ms. Field set herself on a definitive life and career path when she established The J Field Foundation. Her foundation provides hope and direction for the hundreds of thousands of physically and mentally challenged people who face the same massive challenges that she confronted in her life.
Today through the J Field Foundation’s various activities Jennifer and her team are committed to giving back to others. She delivers her message of hope and inspiration to public, corporate and school audiences across the country through her inspiring speeches and one-woman show, A Distant Memory. This show portrays Jennifer’s purposeful odyssey from her coma, through endless years of hard work and therapies, to her life today in Santa Monica, California.
The J Field Foundation’s mission is to donate funds to help brain injured individuals to partake of some of the alternative therapies that insurance does not cover. The foundation Board of Directors feel that these selected therapies that helped Jennifer so much should be available to more brain injury survivors.
The J. Field Foundation joined forces with the Veterans Equine Therapeutic Services of Connecticut in October. V.E.T.S. provides healing therapeutic services to veterans through equine, agricultural, and educational management. Equine-assisted activities and therapies can help brain injured individuals. Riding can help to increase core body strength, while also improving balance and flexibility, sharpening spatial and cognitive awareness, developing gross and fine motor skills, helping with breathing and circulation, and exercising memory and sequencing abilities. This equine program aligns with the foundation’s mission statement of “providing hope and healing to victims of brain injury.”
Most recently, Ms. Field with her mother wrote “From Blue Ribbon to Code Blue,” which tells the inspiring story of her courageous fight to regain her health and her life.
Jennifer Field exemplifies the character of a hero. She worked tirelessly and relentlessly for years to overcome her own challenges, and then made her life’s work all about helping others to do the same. It is her inspiration and dedication that we honor with our Hero Award.
To learn more about The J Field Foundation, Ms. Field’s speaking schedule and book signings go to www.JenniferField.org. You can also check out videos of Ms. Field on her YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/JFieldFoundation.