In my practice, I have worked with many people who have suffered brain injuries, and I have seen how it can devastate not only their lives but also the lives of their loved ones. That is why I strongly urge people to avoid activities that put them at high risk for brain trauma “” such as skateboarding, tackle football, and bicycling “” and why I insist that people wear a proper-fitting helmet whenever engaging in such high-risk activities.
In California, it’s a law that children must wear a helmet while skateboarding, bicycling, in-line skating, rollerskating, or riding a scooter. Parents can face criminal charges if their child is injured while not wearing a helmet.
I recently came across a hauntingly sad letter to the editor in a local newspaper that describes the heartache and pain a family can experience when a child who isn’t wearing a helmet suffers a brain injury. Here is the letter, reprinted with permission from the Palisadian-Post, a newspaper in Pacific Palisades, California.
“Our friend Sean fell off his skateboard last Thanksgiving Day, hit his head and spent the next week in a coma fighting for his life. Sean, a Loyola High School freshman at the time, survived. He experienced two brain surgeries and had to wear a helmet 24/7 for four months. The doctors removed Sean’s skull, sewed it into his abdomen to keep the tissue alive, and painstakingly waited for the swelling to go down in his brain so they could put his skull back, but he survived. He now walks, he talks, he laughs, he went back to school. He’s not the same Sean; he has a long road ahead of him and cannot yet play his beloved sports, but he is one of the lucky ones “” he lived.
In 2002, California amended its helmet law to include not only bikes, but skateboards, Razor scooters and in-line skates. All children (and their passengers) under the age of 18 must wear a helmet on a bike, a skateboard, a Razor scooter, and while skating. Sean was not wearing a helmet on this fateful Thanksgiving Day. Sean, and his parents, broke the law. Family, friends, and strangers from literally around the world rallied to the aid of Sean and his parents. Who could not empathize with this story, this tragedy? Two loving, conscientious parents praying for the life of their only child, a strong, polite, intelligent, athletic Eagle Scout. What most people didn’t know, however, is that Sean’s parents were also fighting a different kind of battle: they broke the law and there would be consequences.
The emergency room workers and surgeon who gave up their Thanksgiving dinners to save Sean’s life were amazing. They were quick to react, skillful and professional. But they were not kind. Within hours of the accident, Sean’s parents found they were under investigation. The validity of their parenting skills were under attack. First by the doctors, then by the police, followed by the mandatory social service investigation. They broke the law, they were considered negligent. It was the job of the state to determine whether Sean was safe in their care.
There are many accidents and events in our children’s lives that we cannot prevent or control. This is not one f them. Helmet laws are there to keep our kids safe and prevent horrible tragedies like Sean’s. Let’s start protecting our children. It’s not that hard: No helmet, no skateboard! No helmet, no Razor! Not in the driveway, not on the sidewalk, not just on the quick ride over to a friend’s house. There’s been enough tragedy in Pacific Palisades this past year. Let’s try to prevent another one. And, by the way, the helmets need to be buckled.”
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While it is certainly essential for people to wear the best possible, well-fitting helmets while participating in high risk activities, “strongly urging people to avoid activities that put them at high risk for brain trauma such as skate-boarding …and bicycling(!?)” seems a bit extreme. The nanny state will soon be taking over everyone’s lives and turning them into the ultimate couch-potatoes afraid to get up for fear of injuring themselves!!!
The helmet law should include the parents doing these activities also. Who will rise the kid if the parent is a vegetable?
Sometimes kids do things when we’re not looking! They climb trees, jump off high fences and don’t wear helmets. No matter how good a parent you are you cannot treat your children like toddlers who are supervised 24/7. They’ll never grow up.
It’s terrible that the parents were treated like that. Shame on the system and those in it who made that crazy law!
The need for bicycle safety helmets didn’t really register with me for a long time either. Then in the mid-1980s I met a coworker in his 30s who was raising his two children alone because his wife had one day run into the curb with her bicycle, fallen off and hit her head, and died.
I am one of the “lucky ones”. I lived after being hit by a car while riding my bicycle to work – 8 years ago.While wearing a buckled helmet did save my life, it could not save my lifestyle. It’s great that there are helmet laws but it’s important to note…wearing one is still no gaurentee.
I am glad I was wearing a helmet that day as I did everytime I got onto my bicycle. And my children are glad to have their mother, however different from the mom I used to be.
The driver of the car ran the stop sign on his way to work. It changed forever how I am able to interact and perceive my world.
Let’s all take a coupe deep relaxing breathes and slow down a bit before we no longer have a choice as is my slow reality now. It’s definately a different life.
Changing my diet to mostly organic vegan diet has helped my brain function the most. I don’t do fish oil so prefer the superiority of organic hempseeds and when combined with organic high quality coconut oil will cause synergistic effect on brain tissue growth.
Be well,
“we are what we eat, choose the great stuff”
Mia Dalene
pacific northwest
I’m 59 years old and was power walking one morning on sidewalk that appeared level, but then all of a sudden my foot hit a lifted sidewalk block and I went down hard on my left side with my arm under my ribs and my head hit the sidewalk on the right side…I’ve never been the same..depression, anxiety, fear, panic attacks, memory loss, confusion, noice hurts my ears, sometimes my head feels like it’s going to explode. EEG normal..MRI okay…who would of thought that all of this could happen when your taking care of yourself by walking….
I am a 54 yr old female who has survived a number of accidents. When I was 19 I sustained a head injury in a car accident and was in a coma for 48 hrs, the hospital for 2 1/2 mo. I had acute memory loss, but from what I can understand from some doctors I learned how to compensate for the memory loss. My ex-husband sucker punched me in my left frontal lobe, which I sustained a concussion. I was rear-end on the Highway while I was stopped, which resulted in a neck fusion. I also have done a backward saumersalt down stairs and bounced twice, that put me out of commission for years. Thanks to the drug Neurontin, I can not any longer feel the pain down my legs. I was then hit by a car, walking in the crosswalk after work. My arm broke his windshield, thank the lord it was not my head. The ACL, PCL were completely severed and the MCL stretched. I inadvertently got a vitamin pill box mixed-up with my heart medication, which resulted in an overdose. Later that evening I went into cardiac arrest as the medication was time-released. My doctor handled two other overdoses such as mine, and I am the only one that lived. I Recovered from all the above injuries only to be rear-ended again on the same highway and once again I was stopped. I now have a neck which at the base feels like something is slipping, and accute muscle spasm occurs then I have pain radiating into the left side of my skull
I have been to one of Dr. Amens’ lectures years ago and was very impressed by his work. I am now in the process of reading one of his books and taking notice of how he has helped other people.
The sympotmys of Marj are very simular to what is going on with me. I am depressed, have anxiety, fear and what is going to happen because of have acute memory loss, definate confussion, I went to a job interview today which took place last week. Last night the TV noise hurt my ears so bad I wanted to scream and run away.
I schedueld an appointment with the Amen clinic for the 23rd and 24th, and God willing hopefully I can find an answer. I don’t want to seem like a “poor me” person. My dad calls me the energizer bunny that won’t quit and I live by that motto
I thank you for listening, and I hope all of you can find answers.
Sheree
I spent a miserable life with Bipolar. I was diagnosed at age 18 and am now almost 62. The biggest problem was my mania where I put myself in so many dangerous situations. After the manias, I would always crash and often become suicidal. I had brain surgery for a left temporal and parietal AVM. The brain damage from the surgery only made my Bipolar worse. My “then fiance, now husband” read about Dr. Amen. We flew from Georgia to Fairfield, California where I believe was his first clinic. I had the extensive workup and the SPECT scans. From those, he could determine what type of medications I needed. I started them and flew back to Georgia. After I was on the new meds, my life totally changed. It has been approximately eleven years and I continue to take the same meds. I will forever be grateful to Dr. Amen and his staff. I had already planned my suicide. Now I am happy and calm most of the time. I recommend Dr.Amen and his staff to anyone with my kind of problem. I have already had two of my friends have SPECT scans at one of his other clinics. They have benefited from this treatment as well.
Thank you Dr. Amen for saving my life.
Linda Benschop (Abingdon, Virginia
hit my head,coma 2 days-too long ago for MRI.
I got epilepsy-severe,diagnosed frm. bone ffragments in brain frm my fall.Tumbled knee-head down 2 flights stairs. Had brain surgery,told not to “hit head”???Why would I?I never considered car wrecks. Severe, almost fatal,months in hosp. Memory loss,depression were mental results.Concurrent wrecks (3), resulted in severe confussion, memory loss,personality change.I realize what “not hitting head” means.Neurologist said too old to get help, I refuse to beleive.Cannot work yet, want to get an appt. to get life back together.Be careful in cars, as well as bikes,rollerblades,etc.!And,wear seatbelts,as impt. as helmets.REALLY.
A patient of mine came in on a stretcher with his father. His father wanted proof his son could see.The son had been in a motorcycle wreck, w/o a helmet. Subsequent visits there was determined he had NO vision. His poor father has to deal with his 18 y/o son, a vegetable because of no helmet.
His whole life in front of him…don’t let this be you,it CAN happen unfortunately.
Because state is so much concern about our brain condition, we are drinking fluoride for 50+ years. Google fluoridation of water or population control.
My husband has played competetive soccer for many years. As a goalkeeper, he has sustained 8 concussions. He has finally realized that he must hang up his cleats. In addition, he has ADD. I have read your book Healing ADD and know that ADD symptoms can be greatly increased after head injury.
My husband has also come to the point that he wants to get help and knows he needs medication. We saw a psych. last week who said that ADD is just a fad and he’s not convinced my husband even has it.
HELP! We need someone in our area who can help him. I have called your clinics for referrals and there is no one in the St. Louis area. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thank you!
My Daughter Amber was struck by a truck crossing a street & suffered TBI in March 2008) Amber will be 25 yrs old nxt month. Amber is high functioning. She can breathe, walk, talk. Amber has short term memory loss & repeats herself, says she is paronoid, scitzophrantic, & does not want to live anymore. Question..could Vitamen Therapy help Amber live a more high functioning life..verses being medicated on Anti depressants, or any other anti Psychiotic prescription Drug. In your book..Magnificant mind at any age, you talked about vitamen therapy..SAMe, Vitamen B12, Fish Oil, (ps)Phosphatidylserine, Ginko, GABA. How does one know the proper dose, & what will work!
Dr. Amen, your letter is always interesting.
Would yoou tell us how our soldiers are treated in your system. Has the V.A. approved or DOD? Jack
I am a traumatic brain-injury survivor of 22 1/2 years. My motor vehicle accident happened when I was 29 years old. Of course I thought ‘it would never happen to me’. Well it did. In life, shit definitely happens.
I was supposed to be a ‘blind vegetable’, and indeed, was paralyzed on my left side, and blind (due to the swelling in my brain) for about 8 days post injury. My first IQ. test (at 2 months post) scored me as having a second grader’s IQ.
While I am, in fact, one of ‘the lucky ones’, it took me a loooong time to get my intelligence, and some semblance of life back. I will NEVER be the same ‘me’I used to be. I had to learn to FEED and DRESS myself, even BE POTTY TREAINED, and WALK, all over again. Not a fun time, believe me.
My point is that I am NOT aging well. At 51, I feel more like I witnessed my mom to be at 70 years of age. I am still trying to get my (auto)insurance approval to be treated by Dr. Amen. It has been nearly a YEAR of working on that. I would sincerely appreciate some help in that area.
I look at pictures , and videos of myself before my accident, and think “yeah, she’s who I USED to be.”
I have all the classic brain injury problems. Bad memory, can’t sleep, very emotional, quick to temper, depression, constant headaches etc. etc. etc.
My advise is this: If there is anything one can do for oneself, and especially for children and young adults who “think it can’t happen to them”, it should be done, even if it has to be legally adressed. Trust me, you NEVER want to go through (or see your child go through) what I have gone through i the past 22 1/2 years.
Once upon a time I sustained a near fatal, life threatening,death defying, brain aneurysm;grade 5. You name it and I did not have it but in comparison to what I have lost, I have gained a whole lot more, and what it was that I really lost, really was not even worth having and I am thankful for the things I have gained rather than being resentful over the things I have lost.
I began riding a bicycle a soon as was humanely possible. It has been some of the best therapy I would ever find. I have had to work twice as hard to get back half of what I lost but I appreciate life more than twice as much, so in a sense that makes me twice the person I once was.
This experience literally turned myself upside down but here I am 10 years post, standing right side up and sitting right side down. It truly has heightened my awarenes with everything that surrounds me but I always knew that this was just a test and that’s all life really is; it’s just a test and that may not be good enough for a whole lot of people but it’s been plenty good for me.
So the question must be: Do I feel lucky? Not really, it’s been said that luck follows those who work the hardest and I kinda like that because I do not define the word luck the way most people do.
Do I wear a helmet? Yes and no because it’s not the kind of head gear most people wear in this fuel injected and shock resistant society. I call this peculiar and non typical type of headgear a halo. Opps!!!
Dave Eubank
Anchorage Ak.
Hey Linda B,
Thanks for sharing your success story!
I am very happy for you.
I would love to have a conversation with you some time.
Anytime!
I’m 57 and have lost years of my life to suffering – and needlessly. I am longing to go out to The Amen Clinic. Dr Amen, do you give scholarships?
I’ll sweep floors, answer phones, clean toilets, make my famous magic healing soup and give free massages…..:>)
Oh – and I’ll play my ukelele and sing for you…
Well, it couldn’t hurt to ask. I REALLY NEED HELP. I’m a mess and my life has come completely unravelled.
Thanks to you I now understand it’s been my poor brain chemistry that’s been out of whack all along. No amount of therapy or spiritual seeking can fix this.
I surrender……………………………………………………..
If you can fix my brain then I can go out and shine my Light in the world.
Deal?
(our operators will be standing by….508-292-0940)
Well, you never KNOW!
xo Thank you for all the great GOOD you are doing
StrongheartAngelBear
xo