Can football be saved from CTE? Some people think so. New rules, better helmets, concussion protocols to take players out of the game, but is it enough? CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive hits to the head. These hits don’t have to cause concussion. Most of the time sub-concussive … Continue reading Can Football be saved from CTE? by Laurie Carr
Category: Faith
PBM Treatment Results for CTE
In December of 2013, following over 10 hours of neuro-cognitive testing, and preceded by years of ever decreasing emotional control, my wife Laurie and I listened as the Neuro-psychologist summed up my results, “Probable etiology for these changes is multiple head trauma with multiple concussions. Problems with attention and memory are hallmarks of significant brain … Continue reading PBM Treatment Results for CTE
The Research
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
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
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
The Lawsuit
On Thursday, July 7, 2016 a lawsuit was filed in the federal district court of Colorado on my behalf naming the NCAA, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and Brigham Young University (BYU) as having responsibility for traumatic brain injuries I sustained while playing football. The law group filing the complaint believed a pending settlement between … Continue reading The Lawsuit
Never stop searching!
After spending years navigating the world of brain injury and disease currently surrounding and threatening the sport I love, I have found questions without answers, denials, lies and lawsuits. However, with my wife's patience and support, eventually a path emerged that brought us peace and should provide hope to all those whose lives have been … Continue reading Never stop searching!
Football and the Brain 