In past posts, my wife Laurie and I have detailed how we “accidentally” found ourselves in a cluttered office on the twelfth floor of the Boston VA hospital. We were in the office of Dr. Margaret Naeser, a research scientist at the VA for the past 36 years, and a faculty member at the Boston … Continue reading The Research
Author: Larry Carr Ph.D.
The Miracle of Light
As I mentioned in my last blog post, Larry was the first ex-football player to be studied extensively as part of the Boston VA study using photobiomodulation (PBM) as a treatment for brain damage and possible CTE. As part of the study, he went through more neurocognitive testing to establish a baseline, and he had … Continue reading The Miracle of Light
The Next Morning
...continued from 'My Darkest Night' The next morning arrived without any more words. I could tell Laurie still wasn’t free from the terrible feelings from the night before, and I couldn’t blame her. It was summer, so we were out of school for vacation and had nowhere to go. I was sitting on the couch … Continue reading The Next Morning
My Darkest Night
As I introduce the gift and power of light and the impact it has had in our life, I feel compelled to tell the rest of the story. This is not easy. However, I believe it is important to fully appreciate the dramatic contrast of darkness as it is replaced with light, both metaphorically and … Continue reading My Darkest Night
Boston, Tuesday June 13, 2017 8:30am
"I can't stop weeping - couldn't go into the post office. He (Larry) had to go in even though his hip hurts. Why can't I just ignore this? Why is this so hard for me to deal with? Is it because we are on a mission and I expected it to be peaceful and happy, … Continue reading Boston, Tuesday June 13, 2017 8:30am
Again, it’s not about concussions!
A recent announcement by the NFL happened to come out on my birthday this year. In the article, “NFL sees significant drop in concussions during the 2018 season” http://www.nfl.com/news/story, the league claimed a 24% decrease in reported concussions, dropping from 281 in 2017 down to 214 this past season. League officials suggested the decrease was … Continue reading Again, it’s not about concussions!
This Is Not Just Another CTE Story
We are told there is no official diagnosis, cure or even an effective treatment for the neurodegenerative disease CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Because of this bleak reality, people are turning their backs on the personal stories chronicling the effects of this devastating condition. After all, who wants to keep hearing about athletes killing themselves, or … Continue reading This Is Not Just Another CTE Story
Deniers of CTE bring less than nothing to the table –
I recently read comments from Merril Hoge who was interviewed about his book, “Brainwashed: The Bad Science behind CTE and The Plot to Destroy Football.” As I listened to him talk, I remembered several quotes he made a while back when he commented about his son, Beau, a QB on BYU’s 2017 and 2018 team. … Continue reading Deniers of CTE bring less than nothing to the table –
Is it CTE – A Wife’s Perspective
In 2013, my husband Larry was diagnosed with brain damage from years of playing football. After 10 hours of testing, the psychologist explained that in comparison to the general public for his age, Larry’s scores in the neuropsychological functioning and memory tests were below 25% with some results lower than 10%. The doctor’s report concluded, … Continue reading Is it CTE – A Wife’s Perspective
BYU Hall Of Fame
In 1968, I was a barely 6 foot tall and 185 pounds. I was the starting offensive center for the Canoga Park California High School varsity football team. That team would go on to win the Los Angeles City Championship for the first and only time in its 100+ year history (before the city was … Continue reading BYU Hall Of Fame