Brain Damaged: Two Minute Warning for Parents

PRAISE for BRAIN DAMAGED

“The families of Faces of CTE have shared their real life struggles that so many have faced who lived and then died from CTE. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is an insidious disease that was first uncovered nearly a century ago and ignored by the many leagues that profit from football. This is a battle that is not anti-football, but pro-athlete. If we fail as a society to hold those accountable for failing to warn of the true dangers of repeated trauma, then we all will have to pay the price for those leagues that profited and left these athletes without any future medical care.”

- Jason Luckasevic, attorney, Goldberg, Persky & White, and first attorney to file a concussion case lawsuit against the NFL

“Brain Damaged is a genuine labor of love by those who paid the ultimate price that will help us do better in protecting kids in sport.”

- Larry Mallory former NFL player

“So often, the conversation surrounding CTE focuses on policies and procedures. Brain Damaged puts the personal impact of the degenerative brain disease front and center, where it should be. It is a moving, informative, and important resource for anyone who is invested in sports safety – a category that everyone should be a part of.”

- Lindsay Gibbs, sports reporter for ThinkProgress

"Fans of football love to extol the benefits of the sport. This book forces people to consider the immense costs imposed on its players. Increasingly, people are realizing that these costs often greatly exceed the reported benefits. The stories told in this booklet only describe what football did to players in the past, but also illustrate who football likely will have to change if it hopes to continue into the future."

- David Berri, professor of Economics, Southern Utah University, author of "Wages of Wins" and "Sports Economics"

"Heartbreaking yet hopeful, Brain Damaged outs a brave, human face on the tragedy of brain injuries in youth sports, and serves both as a cautionary tale and common sense tool for parents of young athletes"

- Bob Harkins, editor MSN.com, creator of razed Sports podcast

SUMMARY

The hits come again and again. On football and soccer fields. On the hockey ice. In the rodeo arena. For the young and the aging, for amateurs and professionals, the results are the same. With each blow to the head, the brain sloshes around like the yolk inside of a raw egg. The invaluable, delicate tissue of the organ that defines who we are is bruised, sometimes torn and bleeding. The damage is permanent, but may take years to show itself to the victims and their loved ones. These are the stories of the parents, wives and relatives who watched their fathers, sons and brothers become scattered puzzle pieces before their eyes, unable to make them whole again because of a loss of control, of mental acuity, or even the will to live. Through their loss also comes the resolve to create change, to erase the stigma of brain injury, and forge a new path on which our brains are more valued than the fleeting profit and adulation that come in a mere game.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

The families of Faces of CTE that came together to take grief and a pursuit for justice to make a difference in youth sports include: Kimberly Archie, Tiffani Bright, Jo Cornell, Debbie Pyka, Marcia Jenkins, Kim Jenkins, Darren Hamblin, Nikki Langston, Deb Ploetz, Kira Hoffman, Michele & Michael Grange, Cyndy Feasel, Keana McMahon, Leanne Pozzobon, Mary Seau & Solomon Brannan. Each chapter author has lost a loved one who was confirmed via brain autopsy of having brain damage, including CTE.