�At Least I Can Hide My Own Easter Eggs�
That�s what Ralph Heywood told his wife, Suzie, when he learned he had Alzheimer�s. The four-year NFL veteran maintained his sense of humor, along with his determination and grit, throughout his battle with Alzheimer�s � the last battle of this decorated career Marine Corps officer�s life.
Ralph�s doctors � including a geriatric specialist � believed his illness was related to football.
That should be no surprise to those of us who�ve followed the news in recent years as researchers have linked head trauma � like that we experienced in football � to Alzheimer�s, dementia, ALS, and Parkinson�s.
Recently, USA Todaypublished an article on concussions among youths. The newspaper�s online version headlined the article with a focus on the medical aspects, �Doctors more concerned about kids' repeat concussions� with the subhead, �Studies show recovery from a second concussion is longer if it follows soon after a first.� Yet the print edition inexplicably dismissed the effects of head trauma by titling the same article, �Keep your head over concussions�. A call-out in the print article quoted a pediatric neuropsychologist who said, �I am so happy to have raised awareness, but I think we�re driving people over the edge.�
Driving people over the edge?
Take Cincinnati Bengals� owner Mike Brown, for example, contending that the link between concussion and dementia is unproven. According to Brown, �It's not only not proven, it's merely speculation that this is something that creates some form of dementia late in life. Our statistics�the ones I've seen anyway�don't show that. Yet there's a lot of talk.�
The statistics I�ve seen show that former NFL players are anywhere from 30 to 40 percent more likely to suffer from dementia, Alzheimer�s, ALS, and Parkinson�s � diseases that have been linked to head trauma. It�s true that some NFL retirees who�ve been afflicted with these ailments were never diagnosed with a concussion. Does that suggest there�s no link between concussion and such illnesses? Or that diagnostic techniques and concussion awareness have improved in recent years? Or that any head trauma � not necessarily considered a concussion � can damage the brain?
Mr. Brown seemed to support, if not wholeheartedly endorse, the cautious approach the NFL has adopted. According to Brown, �Whether the alarm that is up and about today is deserved is in my mind a good thing because it makes us play it safe, but I'm not convinced that anybody really knows what concussions bring, what they mean later in life, if anything.�
If you�ve seen the toll on teammates who are suffering the ramifications of concussion or head trauma � or on their family members and friends who are caring for the teammates � you may agree that head trauma is more likely �driving people over the edge.� Clearly we have a long way to go, to educate the uninformed.
At least Ralph Heywood could hide his own Easter eggs.
Bruce Laird
President, Fourth & Goal
Baltimore Colts, 1972-1981
San Diego Chargers, 1982-1983
President, Fourth & Goal
Baltimore Colts, 1972-1981
San Diego Chargers, 1982-1983
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