Two Bobsledders. Two Horrific Brain Injuries.

One of the most exciting and demanding Winter Olympic sports. In bobsledding, you can have your heart racing in less than a minute. A growing number of competitors in sliding sports like bobsled and skeleton, however, are experiencing persistent head pain, memory loss, and mental health issues.

Will Person awoke with “cloudy and confusing” feelings. From 1999-2007, he or she was a member of Team USA. Also, he hails from St. Louis. We chatted with the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics participant, a graduate of Normandy High School.

Person, a former star on the track and field, was approached by Team Canada about trying out for the bobsled team but ultimately declined. In 2002, Person said that he had been advised he needed to apply for Canadian citizenship.

Person is now suing the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation for failing to adequately educate its athletes of the risk of brain damage associated with the sport.

Years of high-velocity accidents, brain-rattling vibrations, and headbanging are common for bobsledders.

The problems “we’re all experiencing” share some similarities, but “no one’s addressing them until somebody really takes their own life,” Person added.

Steven Holcomb, who helped the United States win the bobsled gold medal in 2010, is only one of a number of prominent bobsledders who has apparently committed himself.

Concussion Confusion, Bobsledding and Non-Suicide Pacts

The lawsuit filed against the NFL by the families of former players who committed themselves after being diagnosed with CTE has gained widespread attention.

Fewer people, however, are aware that former ice hockey players face a similar fate.

Let’s take a look at the life of Rick Rypien, a former NHL player who skated with the Vancouver Canucks for a total of six seasons.

The New York Times called Rypien the “greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the NHL,” despite his diminutive stature (he was just 5-foot-11) and weight (he weighed only 190 pounds).

In 2009, he signed a $1.1 million contract despite the fact that his height and weight put him in the minority among hockey players.

Suicide was determined to be the cause of Rypien’s death in 2011. He was found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Conclusion

Breen, who is 43 years old, often seems confused when she talks. When questioned, you may receive more than one response; Breen summed it up well when he said that he “spoke in parts.”

Traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions, can alter one’s perception of the world around them, making even the most basic of daily tasks feel foreign.

Both Breen and former Team USA bobsledder William Person were familiar with this experience before they met, which Breen says “changed my life and refocused my course.”