The “Save Your Brain” campaign made its official debut recently on Capitol Hill as part of Brain Injury Awareness Day.
Among those leading the campaign are moms who lost their sons to CTE and brain injury, former NFL players, doctors, experts and advocates, as well as organizations such as the Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation, Child Athlete Advocates, Pink Concussions, and the National Cheer Safety Foundation.
The campaign’s mission is to protect brain health through education, awareness, research, and public policy. It calls for an end to pediatric repetitive brain trauma as an inherent risk in sport, according to a media release from Child Athlete Advocates.
“After attending the Congressional round table on Monday and hearing Jeff Miller, Vice President of Health & Safety for the NFL publicly admit for the first time the link between football, repetitive hits and chronic traumatic encephalopathy it’s very timely for myself and other parents to take a stand to lead the way to protect children from brain trauma,” shares Kimberly Archie, legal consultant, expert witness in sports injury litigation and mother to youth football player CTE victim number six, in the release.
“I support the Save Your Brain Campaign. We don’t need children to endure thousands of subconcussive hits while their brains are developing. With the range of alternatives, and with the ease of retooling tackle leagues to flag, eliminating youth tackle football is overdue,” states Chris Borland retired NFL player and advocate, per the release.
“We know that athletes can develop CTE as children, without ever playing beyond high school. We need to consider all options to prevent this terrible disease. No one understands the burden of CTE more than the families of those affected, and their stories must be heard,” says Chris Nowinski, executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, per the release.
[Source(s): Child Athlete Advocates, PR Newswire]
