Defying the Odds: How One Man Recovered from a Stroke with the Help of His Family is a one to one-and-a-half hour long presentation. Using PowerPoint, video, photographs and live music, Jason and Marjorie discuss Jason’s catastrophic injury and his remarkable recovery, followed by a Q&A session.

Defying the Odds can also be presented as the launch for a half-day workshop for stroke survivors, family members or medical personnel. Led by Jason and Marjorie, the workshops include guided exercises and discussions which help participants identify, prioritize and strategize solutions to ongoing challenges brought by brain injuries.

Jason and Marjorie welcome the opportunity to contribute to panel discussions on issues pertaining to brain injuries.

Jason Crigler

Jason Crigler has been playing music professionally for eleven years. He has worked with Marshall Crenshaw, John Cale, Linda Thompson, Erin Mckeown, Teddy Thompson, Ollabelle and many others. Jason has performed with Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright and Suzanne Vega. Jason has composed music for the feature-length documentary Ashtanga, NY and the film short,Grand Street. He has also composed the music for numerous internet ad campaigns, including many for General Electric (GE).

Marjorie Crigler

Marjorie is a graduate of Stanford University and Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her short stories have been published in several literary journals and her plays have been produced at Ensemble Studio Theatre, Magic Theatre and Carnegie Mellon University. As a freelance writer, Marjorie has penned copy for print publications, television, and the Internet.

Mission Statement

Modern expectations for brain injury recovery are expanding as new research, medicine and technologies reveal the resilience and adaptability of the brain. Jason’s story is a great example of what is possible. In sharing their experience, Jason and Marjorie have inspired and educated numerous people associated with brain injuries, including:

• Brain injury survivors and their families, especially those who have met with medical resistance to the patient’s potential recovery

• Doctors, as well as medical students, who work in this field—physiatrists; neurosurgeons; physical, speech and occupational therapists; social workers; nurses; neuropsychologists; neurologists

• Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars