We would like to introduce Save Your Brain, an organization headed by a Penn State University graduate amongst others who seek to take on the sports concussion crisis from a unique perspective. Their approach is to synthesize entertainment with education, while encouraging the playing of contact sports in correlation with the emphasis of the need for concussion education. The Concussion Blog’s “Project Brain Wave” will be working with Save Your Brain in the near future on some collaborative efforts in educative interviews and fundraising events. Check them out! You can also follow their mainstream & student-athlete targeted campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
With regard to America’s youth, entertainment and education have long been thought to be mutually exclusive entities. We at Save Your Brain seek to merge the two in a unique pursuit to revolutionize the instruction of tomorrow’s athlete.
Save Your Brain is an activist organization with the goal of both raising awareness and educating athletes on the concussion epidemic in youth sports. We are presenting a unique approach to teaching young athletes, making it fun to learn about brain injuries. Concussions are a 21st century problem that requires a 21st century solution. Odds are if you try to tell a high school athlete that he’s gonna be a part of a statistic, he‘s going to tell you where to go (and it’s not a happy place). Nobody questions an athlete who takes appropriate time to heal a torn ACL or broken arm. We feel that it is just as important, if not more important, that this same mentality is applied to concussions. Our goal is to make it an inherent part of their athletic psyche to know that these are serious injuries that require proper attention and recovery.
As we’ve seen with recent attempts to regulate blows-to-the-head in the NFL, trying to alter a professional athlete’s mindset is unfortunately ill-received and ineffective. Save Your Brain believes that by directly targeting young athletes, we will be able to facilitate a positive shift in future of professional sports. “How will we be able to reach these young athletes?” you ask. It’s simple; we’re going to make it look cool to protect your brain. As anyone who’s been through high school could tell you, nothing is more influential than the “cool” thing to do.
If we are able to integrate concussion awareness into popular culture, it would be an integral step in changing the landscape of the concussion discussion. Save Your Brain is bringing the music, movies, fashion, and comedic interests of today’s youth into their learning experience. We feel that in order to have our message truly take hold we must make that experience an enjoyable, entertaining, and memorable one.
In an age of social media it has never been easier to reach the masses. Our internet presence is a major part of our campaign. From viral videos, to blogs, to tweets and Facebook updates, Save Your Brain will be fully connected to both the issue and the market it serves.
A major way SYB will protect the brains of young athletes is our “Helluva Helmet” campaign. A percentage of all proceeds from our “We (Heart) Brain” wristband sales will go to buying high school football teams brand-new concussion-technology helmets. This way we can save their brains and have them looking fly at the same time. The “We (Heart) Brain” wristbands are currently available for purchase as we are on our way to buying our first set of helmets.
Our website will be launching this summer, and it will feature our informative/entertaining videos, academic articles, blogs, and interactive elements such as message boards, discussion forums, and contests. In the meantime, check out our coming soon page at www.weheartbrain.com. It provides links to our facebook, twitter, and our entertainment affiliate, Kick Back Online.
To help us save some brains, hit us up at weheartbrain@gmail.com.
BRANDON DRUMMOND, Co-Founder (Save Your Brain)
ANTHONY ANDO, Co-Founder (Save Your Brain)
I have an urgent matter that needs addressed and I am hoping you might be able to give me some advice.
My daughter has post concussion syndrome since June 6, 2010. She is going on her band trip on Thursday, May 5. The school nurse does not want her to take any of her supplements while she is on the trip stating that she “cannot rent a U-Haul for the nurse attending the trip.” She takes 4 supplements and 4 medications. The school nurse called the physician’s, without my permission, and claims that they have all agreed that my daughter does not need her supplements. I am waiting for the physicians to return my phone call. What can I do for my daughter to ensure that she receives her meds and supplements?
Thank you so much!
Wow, that is interesting Kim… She should be allowed to take her medications, for sure, I hope she would not be denied that. As for the supplements, in my honest opinion unless she is carrying bag sized supplements what would be the problem. Perhaps there is more to this? Why could you not prepare her meds and supplements in a “pill case” and have her take it in her carry-on?
Just some quick thoughts…
She can’t carry any meds or supplements herself. School policy. We have a history with this nurse. The principal called me this am and he sounded like he was going to advocate for my daughter. Thanks for your input.
Hi Kimberly,
I’m not a doctor and so I would not attempt to give you medical advise. I would follow the advice of your daughter’s primary doctor. If He/She says that she needs to take her meds and suppliments on the trip, I would ask for a letter from the doctor stating the recommendations and present a copy to the school administration, as well as the nurse. No school wants a law suite, so as soon as they see it in writing from a qualified physician, they should back off.
I don’t know how much time you have before the trip, but if the nurse still gives you a hard time after you have the letter. I would ask for a meeting with the Principal, Superintendant and the nurse.
Of course, if the Doctor(s) say she is okay to go without all or some of her meds/suppliments then again follow their advice.
All the Best,
-Tom
Well Tom, I turned in all of the letters, notarized forms, etc. The nurse does not want the supplements on the trip. It appears to me, after talking with our physicians and nurses that they can suggest the supplements and that is where it ends. Basically, they don’t have a leg to stand on to back the supplements when the school nurse is adamantly opposed. The nurse for the neurosurgeon was very empathic and assured me that my daughter would be ok for the few days and that the real problem lies with the nurse randomly calling physicians to remove supplements that they want my daughter to take. She said the school nurse has no idea of the lab values let alone any understanding of brain injury. Thank you so much for your advice. I’ll let you both know how everything goes.
This is very interesting and makes me concerned for any kids safety regarding the nurse. I have yet to see a viable reason as to not include the supplements, other than laziness. If there is more information it would be good to present to this open forum.
Sadly, my daughter is not receiving her supplements. The reason the nurse gave to me was that the nurse attending the trip would have to fit all of the medications in her backpack and keep it with her all day. The comment she said to me was that she “can’t rent a U-Haul for your daughter’s medications.”