Sharon Jackson of Troy has been asked to serve on the Focus Group for Caregivers of Persons with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injuries).

Jackson will attend the focus group meeting at the Spain Rehabilitation Center in Birmingham today. She will be a member of an eight-member group that will discuss the needs of caregivers for those with traumatic brain injuries.

Although it is an honor to be a member of the statewide focus group, it is an honor that Jackson would rather not have.

&uot;To be member of this focus group, you have to have had a terrible tragedy in your life,&uot; she said. &uot;I would rather not be a part of it.&uot;

Jackson's son, Daniel, was injured in a car accident on Aug. 2, 1999 on Highway 231 near the hospital.

The accident claimed the life of Daniel's friend, Brad Ward, and Daniel was given only 12 hours to live.

Jackson and her husband, David, know that they are richly blessed that their son lived and that he continues to improve.

&uot;God calls us to do things for others and, when they called me and asked me to be a member of the focus group, I said yes,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;If I can do something or say something to help somebody who is going through what we've been through, then that's what I want to do.&uot;

Jackson said the focus group will discuss the concerns and needs of caregivers of those with traumatic brain injuries.

&uot;Daniel is doing very well but he still has a long way to go,&uot; she said. &uot;What I can offer is hope and the advice that I have gained through our experiences. What we did and are doing might help others get through in some way. That's why I agreed to be on the focus group - because there are others just like us.&uot;