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CTE, Zac Easter's Story and Your Child's football career...

CTE is defined as “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma. In CTE, a protein called Tau forms clumps that slowly spread throughout the brain, killing brain cells” according to the concussion foundation.

Zac Easter was a young man who suffered concussions playing high school football, at which he excelled. His parents, teachers, and coaches all encouraged and failed him. No one was paying attention to the mental illnesses he was experiencing as a result of his injuries. Zac suffered from depression, anxiety and other conditions related to mental illness. Zac ended up taking his life when he was overwhelmed by what he was experiencing. He requested his brain be donated to science and studied for CTE. It was confirmed after death that he indeed has the disease. You can watch Zac's heartbreaking story here.

If you are going to enroll your child in football, understand the risks. You might want to consider other extracurricular activies due to the risks associated with playing football. If your child insists on playing football, make certain they have the proper safety equipment and that they are effectively trained to never utilize their head when making a tackle. This sports activity is unsafe and could have affects that are life long on your child. Veterans or anyone at risk for multiple concussions is at risk as well. We need to stop idolizing sports figures and get serious about protecting our children. Too many parents become “star struck” with their child's fame and the focus shifts to that fame rather then the well being of the child. Zac's parents were tremendously brave to share their story and their mistakes. No doubt they will be criticized, but at the end of the day they are honoring Zac's wishes and hoping to spare other athletes and parents from going through this.





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