A community rallies around Elizabeth

Elizabeth Hovde and sons

I've written a couple times about my friend and colleague, Elizabeth Hovde. She sustained a traumatic brain injury in a skiing accident on Mount Hood early this year and frightened the daylights out of everyone who knows her.

After weeks of care in the hospital and at a convalescent center, she went home to her husband and two little boys in February and an ongoing regimen of physical therapy. Slowly, the brain is recovering and Elizabeth is well enough again to drive and will soon resume writing her column for The Oregonian. (I'm no longer her editor, as a result of my move back to the newsroom in January, but that won't diminish the warm feeling I'll have when I see her byline in print again.)

This Saturday, Elizabeth and her family will be the beneficiaries of a 5K run/walk to raise money for their ongoing medical expenses. Husband Ryan is a high school counselor and doubles as a track coach at Heritage High School and Clark College in Vancouver.

Past and present track athletes have taken the initiative in organizing the May 21 event. That's a powerful testament to the bond between a coach and his runners and to the affection a wide community of friends feels for Elizabeth, who is one of most dynamic, upbeat people I've ever known.

I won't be able to participate in the fundraiser, as I work Saturdays, but I will be there in spirit. I also look forward to the day when I'm able to congratulate Dina (Elizabeth is her middle name) on her amazing recovery.