KENOSHA, Wis. — A Kenosha family is asking for community support as 16-year-old Aaliyah Taylor continues to battle the long-term effects of a traumatic brain injury she suffered during a high school basketball game earlier this year.
The injury happened on January 31, 2025. Although Taylor was able to walk off the court that night, her condition quickly deteriorated. She was later diagnosed with a concussion, whiplash, and a stretch injury to her neck. In the days and weeks that followed, she experienced severe headaches, confusion, and memory loss.
lAccording to her mother, Crystal Taylor, Aaliyah temporarily lost both short- and long-term memory — forgetting people she had known for years and struggling to recall even basic daily events. While much of her memory has returned, Crystal says the experience was terrifying and life-altering.
Nearly a year later, Aaliyah still suffers from constant migraines, neck pain, dizziness, fatigue, eye strain, and ongoing neurological symptoms. The physical effects have taken a toll on schoolwork, daily life, and the athletics she once loved.
She has spent months in medical care and therapy focused on neurological healing, coordination, balance, eye tracking, and physical mobility. With progress slowing and symptoms persisting, the family has now turned to a specialized brain repair program that includes neurofeedback therapy and EEG-guided neurological treatment. Insurance does not cover the costs.
Crystal launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for the treatment, which is scheduled to begin next week. As of Saturday, the fundraiser has collected more than $4,200 toward its $8,000 goal.
Crystal also shared a message publicly, saying asking for help has been difficult but necessary.
“If you know me, you know I do not ask for help,” she wrote. “However, the time has come that I am reaching out in hopes you all can help my Christmas wish come true — and that is to see my baby thriving, living a normal and happy teenage life, without the pain and limitations she has been fighting daily.”
She added that the family hopes completing a large portion of the therapy during winter break will help prevent Aaliyah from falling further behind in school.
“This injury has been the hardest thing we have ever experienced and this new treatment is a last resort,” Crystal wrote. “Anything will help and we’ll be forever grateful.”
More than 60 donors have already contributed, and additional messages of support continue to come in.
The fundraiser remains active under the title Help Aaliyah Heal After Traumatic Brain Injury.
16 Responses
What happened, it doesn’t really say. Did she fall, was she hit by a ball?
Donated. Bless this girl and her family.
My prayers & thoughts are with her & the family & friends
I’d love to donate but go fund me takes so much from the person. Is there a Venmo or cash app we can send to?! Anyone!!
Hi, I really appreciate you. My Venmo is @CJAM3 and Cashapp is $CJAM3. Thank you so much 🙏
How do we know this is you?????
We don’t. I’d be cautious.
Always be cautious but that is why I also updated that info in the gofundme itself as well. Thank you
Try going on the moms page and ask her directly or one might be posted on her page as well. Or private message her. Hope this helps
It’s listed above and I’ve updated this info in the Gofundme as well. Thank you everyone!
We can help. Please visit https://treatnow.org/knowledgebase_category/concussions-and-links-to-the-nfl-nhl-and-other-sports-controversies/
Our Mission focuses promarily on Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury. Scientific peer-reviewed research shows significant healing of brain wounds from TBI/PTSD/Concussion/BLAST using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and other alternative therapies. Here’s a short introduction:
CONCUSSION HEALING FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS
Fact Sheet on Healing Your Concussion, a Brain Wound
Concussions are a brain wound, a form of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
A concussion is a wound to the soft tissue we call the brain, perhaps the most important organ in the body. A concussion begins a negative “concussion cascade” that can lead to serious and sometimes fatal consequences. This brain wounding is accompanied by symptoms. While it is true that these symptoms will diminish over time in many cases, there can be long-term physiological consequences when you do not treat the brain wound.
What is this Concussion Cascade, and why haven’t I been told about it?
It has been very difficult to “see” the wound to the brain. Medicine typically diagnoses concussions by identifying symptoms. You are assumed to be “better” when those symptoms go away. Doctors typically say that 80-90% of concussions heal on their own. What they should be saying is that, in time, most symptoms go away in most cases. But that avoids what is still going on in the head, with the “invisible wound.” We know the Concussion Cascade can include:
• Inflammation
• Reduction in the flow of blood and oxygen
• Reduction in the flow of nutrients and enzymes necessary for wound healing
• Physical damage to brain matter
• Oxygen starvation/hypoxia
• Cell stunning/inactivation and cell death
• Beginning of a longer-term buildup of waste that can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in some cases
This Concussion Cascade sounds like real physical damage is being done.
Researchers have recently been able to “see” what this brain wounding looks like. Physical damage leads to physical, emotional, behavioral, and functional atrophy that is directly tied to the wound:
Source: The New Neurometabolic Cascade of Concussion. Christopher C. Giza, M.D. and David A. Hovda, Ph.D. Neurosurgery. 2014 October; 75(0 4): S24–S33. doi:10.1227/NEU.0000000000000505.
What can be done about this damage, and can we heal the wound to the brain?
1. The most important message is that you must be your own advocate for brain healing. This idea of a “wound to the brain” is unconventional. The treatment, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and other alternative interventions, are not yet approved by the FDA for TBI but are backed up by decades of clinical experience, evidence, peer-reviewed science, and over 31,000 success stories attesting to the power of oxygen under pressure to speed healing.
2. Dr. Daphne Denham, the nation’s premier expert in using Hyperbaric Oxygenation (HBOT) to treat and help heal acute concussions, is amassing objective evidence that active intervention with HBOT can dramatically speed healing the brain wound, reduce symptoms, and interrupt and reverse the negative consequences of Acute Concussions. You can view some of her work here: https://treatnow.org/knowledgebase/denham-uhms/
3. Worldwide research and evidence-based medicine attest to the medical significance of HBOT in treating and healing many kinds of wounds to the brain and in all parts of the body. Seek medical attention immediately.
Dr. Ann McKee and her team at the VA-BU-CLF (UNITE) Brain Bank have diagnosed over 600 cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from a collection of more than 1,000 donated brains. Common sense is slowly causing parents and officials to pay attention to these correlations. Your child is a long way from CTE, but wounds to the head add up. There is no evidence that any of the deceased ever had a chance to receive HBOT treatment. But now we know better. These videos should give you confidence and information:
Joe Namath, NY Jets http://tinyurl.com/kflu9up
MSGT Scott Roessler http://tinyurl.com/hf3czmw
Roy Jefferson, Patriots, Redskins https://bit.ly/2MDg1JV
GnySgt Rotenberry & wife http://tinyurl.com/gpzpxgy
Joe Delamielleure (Buffalo Bills) http://tinyurl.com/m5q8ued
MAJ Ben Richards http://tinyurl.com/jts2jy3
Brian Fleury – Hockey Player http://tinyurl.com/hefs478
The Honorable Patt Maney (BG, USA) http://tinyurl.com/m97x4jp
NFL player Steve Bowman http://tinyurl.com/oj2pggg
Marv Fleming (Packers, Miami, Redskins) http://tinyurl.com/jgl5ob5
Where can I go to get Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
There are good options all over the U.S.: See: https://treatnow.org/treatments/treatment-centers/
Dr. Joe Maroon, MD, neurosurgeon and medical advisor to the Pittsburg Steelers has written: “Alternative nonpharmaceutical treatments appear to be gaining acceptance for the treatment of common neurodegenerative conditions, memory decline, and reduced cognitive function. Substantial animal and human research now suggest that these same natural dietary supplements, vitamins and minerals, and the use of hyperbaric oxygen may be a better first-line choice for the treatment of PCS, which has generally been underreported by both athletes and the military. Maroon and Bost, “Concussion Management at the NFL, College, High School, and Youth Sports Levels,” Clinical Neurosurgery, Chap. 7 Volume 58, 2011.
NOTE: The information provided here does not constitute a medical recommendation. It is intended for informational purposes only, and no claims, either real or implied, are being made. Follow all instructions in your school Concussion Protocols and continue to talk to the trainer, the coach, the Athletic Director and school Administrators, along with your family physician. But that’s not the end of what you can do. You have a right to know – this is “informed consent” – and to do all you can to get help for your child’s brain wound.
You do NOT have to sit idly by, hoping Concussion Symptoms will go away. TreatNOW
Cinics where you can receive treatment can be found at: https://treatnow.org/treatments/treatment-centers/
AI
“not yet approved by the FDA”
Yup.
Figures.
Most people are SHOCKED when they discover just what a corrupt, criminal organization the “FDA”
has been for most of its existence.
If corrupt individuals cannot make loads of money off of something it won’t be …… “approved by the FDA”
How did the injury occur? Was it during a cheerleading routine or caused by an accident?
No one wants to say for some reason. It could be a learning moment or cautionary tool.
Hyperbaric chamber will do wonders for her.