“We’re desperate”

Football, Research

I Love Football! With that said…

In May of 2017, my wife and I were temporarily living in the Boston area doing genealogical research. I had been diagnosed with football related brain damage 6 years earlier (following 10+ hours of testing) and we hoped that doing service would calm symptoms that had become severe. After one particularly contentious, night I emailed Dr. Ann McKee at Boston University, not expecting a reply. Dr. McKee is the preeminent authority and researcher on CTE and is both respected (for her research and for managing the Brain Bank at BU) and criticized because of her statements and research connecting the disease and football.

To my surprise, Dr. McKee agreed to see me. My wife and I sat in her office for over an hour as we explained our situation. While she was kind and sympathetic, she said my symptoms were consistent with what she heard from the families of players whose brains she examined. Then she said she was sorry, but she had nothing to offer us; that I should go live my life and try to be happy. Disappointed, we left her office with what little hope we had, shattered. With my symptoms getting even worse, several months passed and a second desperate email from me to Dr. McKee pleaded for help. “Is there anything you can offer?” She answered a few days later,

“Larry,

One of my colleagues has approval for a clinical trial using transcranial light-emitting diode (LED) for TBI symptoms. It is a headgear device that is entirely non-invasive, you wear it at night and it emits a rapidly flashing light (that you cannot see) to your skull. Some people report great improvement in their symptoms after wearing the device nightly for a few weeks. Is that something you would like to know more about? I can connect you with the individuals doing the research if you are interested.

I hope you are doing well,
Ann”

The following video is the result of her referral. After viewing the video, simply ask ‘what if.’ What if this technology is the answer to the one issue threatening the sport we love? I am committed to answer that question. I have partnered with nationally recognized Neuro-scientists at 2 major Universities to study this process. The research projects are set to begin shortly and will study ex-collision athletes, current Division 1 FBS players and members of a nationally ranked woman’s soccer team. Stay in touch for important news and please share this post.

Published by Larry Carr Ph.D.

Why faith and football? It's easy. Outside of my relationship with my wife, these 2 issues clearly define my life. They seem almost like opposites, certainly unrelated. My faith has always provided me a foundation that not only kept me moving forward when everything inside said to quit, but eventually led me to a discovery that changed my life. I actually played the sport of football for a relatively brief period of time, just over 10 years. But during that time I created memories and friendships that continue today, some 40 years after my last play. I loved my time playing football, but it came with a heavy price. In 2008, I was diagnosed with concussive brain damage, due to those years of football. My symptoms, which started some 20 years before my diagnosis, began with language problems and culminated in severe emotional and significant cognitive disabilities. At that time there was, and continues to be no cure or effective treatment for the disease, and so the symptoms progressed to the point where I nearly gave up all hope. It was the faith of my wife which eventually led us to serve a mission for our church in Boston. There, some 2,500 miles from our home, we found the answers we were searching for, the only place in the world where such answers could be found. This blog chronicles that search and what we found along the way.

Published

3 thoughts on ““We’re desperate””

  1. Hey Larry,

    I hope this new Light therapy works on your condition. I have seen huge results with Red and Near Infra-Red light LED’s showing improvements on everything from growing new hair on my head to repairing muscle strain and damage to improving skin condition/making wrinkles disappear..

    Looking forward to your results!

    Larry

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  2. Thanks for the email. I hope one day medical professionals will recognize CTE affliction in others outside of sports and military service and allow those to participate in trials too.

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  3. Hope on the Horizon! It sounds like this therapy may be a significant life changer! Thanks for the efforts of you, your wife and all the medical institutions that are involved. We’ll be “cheering” for you! (If your light therapy participants ever include Parkinson’s patients, I’ll be the first in line to sign up.)

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