Hope and Help

Dr. María E. Garay-Serratos, Founder and CEO of Pánfila Domestic Violence HOPE Foundation, shares her groundbreaking personal history and expertise on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from Domestic Violence (DV). Dr. Garay-Serratos' career studies in sociology and social work are rooted in her personal history as the eldest child in an immigrant family from Mexico that experienced horrific DV-head trauma and TBI at the hands of her father.

One in three women will experience severe violence from domestic violence in their lifetime, resulting in significant trauma to the head and neck. Over 75% of domestic violence survivors suffer single or repeated TBI, but most go unreported.

María Pánfila's Story

Growing up, Dr. Garay-Serratos witnessed the domestic violence in her home and recalls, "My mom was hit a lot, there was choking, a lot of shaking, objects thrown at her, shoved against the wall, thrown against appliances, dragged by her hair in the yard." She was a child when she first noticed that the abuse was impacting her mother's brain. In her preteen years, she realized her mother was most likely suffering from the same brain disease as professional boxers while watching a professional boxing match on TV with her father.

One day, Dr. Garay-Serratos found María Pánfila, her mother, in a dire state, crawling from room to room because she could hardly stand. She immediately removed her mother to get her care. María Pánfila soon began seeing doctors, particularly neurologists, who repeatedly asked about her head trauma history. Dr. Garay-Serratos always responded, "Over 40 years of severe, ongoing trauma," but the doctors focused solely on her physical symptoms, ignoring her history of abuse.

María Pánfila, a mother of seven, suffered decades of abuse by her husband and, by her mid-forties, experienced memory issues and other symptoms consistent with those caused by repeated brain trauma. María Pánfila passed away on June 20, 2015, from the debilitating effects of her abuse. Following a post-mortem analysis, Dr. Ann McKee, Chief of Neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System and Director of the Boston University CTE Center and UNITE Brain Bank, diagnosed María Pánfila with severe CTE linked to repeated nonconcussive head impacts and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. McKee could not ascertain if the Alzheimer's was linked to her head trauma.

As for Dr. Garay-Serratos' father, over the years, she came to better understand much more about him. In moments of peace and clarity, they talked about the domestic violence he experienced throughout his childhood at the hands of his father. She now understands that his behavior was almost certainly rooted in the abuse he himself suffered as a child. She believes he had TBI and potentially CTE as a result of his own father's domestic violence. And though she implored him to stop, Timoteo simply could not stop the violent outbursts and feared killing his wife or one of his children. He did real and lasting harm. He passed on July 30, 2013, from a tragic accident.

Today, Dr. Garay-Serratos grieves her parents' untimely and difficult passing. However, she is inspired by her faith and hopes that understanding the link between traumatic brain injury and domestic violence will help other families avoid similar tragedies. Dr. Garay-Serratos runs a nonprofit in Southern California devoted to creating awareness to address TBI and CTE from domestic violence. The CDC now recognizes domestic violence as a leading cause of TBI but does not track data.

To learn more about Maria's story, visit panfila.org