Month: May 2016

Chris Nowinski is co-founder and executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the sports concussion crisis through education, policy, and research. He also serves as co-director of the BU CTE Program. Nowinski also serves on the NFL Players Association Mackey-White TBI Research Committee, the Ivy League Concussion Committee, Positive Coaching Alliance National Advisory Board, and as a consultant to Major League Lacrosse. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral Neuroscience at Boston University School of Medicine.

Chris’ interest in brain trauma stems from personal experience. An All-Ivy defensive tackle for the Harvard University football team, after graduation, he began working for the life sciences consulting firm Trinity Partners, LLC. While there he decided to explore his passion for professional wrestling, and enrolled in wrestling school at night. Eighteen months later, in 2002, he debuted on WWE’s flagship program Monday Night RAW. From there he gained new perspective on concussions, also penning his book Head Games. See: concussionfoundation.org

Last week we heard from Charlie, an ABI survivor .. This week we’ll be hearing from the other half, in another family. Just under 5yrs ago .. The lives of Ken and Judy took a turn, that would alter BOTH of their lives forever. This dynamic is playing out in so many homes arcoss the world. Not only do we survivors experience major life changes, but loved ones and caregivers are faced with their own set of challeges. Join us to hear a profound exampe of how the whole family is impacted.

Charlie was 42 years old and in the process of trying out for AAA baseball with the Texas Rangers. He was happy, life was good .. Then he got the phone call after a routine physical, that would change his life forever.

Dr. Stephen Larsen funded Stone Mountain Center in 1989.. After twenty years of seeing biofeedback enhance quality of life for the college students he taught, Dr. Larsen decided to bring its healing and optimizing influence to his psychotherapy practice. The results were so positive that in 1996 he retired from his psychology professorship and went into full time clinical practice and writing. In the twelve years since then, his practice has grown exponentially with a satellite office in New York City, and several affiliates in the Hudson Valley of New York. Now incorporated as Stone Mountain, PC, the center treats a wide variety of patients with CNS problems: anxiety and depression, brain injury and trauma, attention and learning problems and sleep disorders.Through the not-for profit Center for Symbolic Studies, which sponsors personal growth seminars and educational projects, SMC also conducts trainings for professionals who wish to learn the LENS form of neurofeedback. See stonemountaincenter.com

My guest is Debra Pyka, a mother who is trying to bring awareness to not only prevent suicide, but to warn of the dangers of sports and head trauma to our youth. She will be discussing her son Joseph’s life story, playing sports, CTE which led to years of depression and ultimately, his suicide. Joseph’s brother Seth will join us, since they played sports all through their childhood together. She has tried to contact politicians, White House and Michelle Obama, with no one concerned or responding to her. She also wants to shed light on the responsibility of the NFL with the research started 20 years ago, to warn all parents of the dangers of concussions/head trauma and future effects, which the NFL denied for many years. More young people are dying from sports related injuries than ever. sportslegacy.org/research/legacy-donors/joseph-chernach Debbie was one of the Mom’s who among many, including Kimberly Archie, went to the Capital last month during Brain Injury Awareness Month 2016.