Kevin Pearce: "I may never get to stand on the Olympic podium, but:"

(White House) This morning, former competitive snowboarder Kevin Pearce sent the following message to the White House email list, highlighting the importance of the President s BRAIN Initiative -- and why it s personal for him.
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It was New Year s Eve in 2009 when my helmet saved my life.
Training for the Winter Olympics in Utah, I was at the top of competitive snowboarding when I suffered a life-threatening traumatic brain injury that I m still recovering from to this day. And while I can never snowboard competitively again, I hope to be a voice for the millions of Americans who grapple with diseases of the brain.
Until my injury, I didn t spend too much time thinking about my brain, but in the last few years, I ve learned a lot about the engine that drives our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
I ve learned that in my battle to recover from this devastating injury, I am not alone. Researchers estimate that around 100 million Americans suffer from brain disorders at some point in their lives. From Alzheimer s to autism and ALS all the way to traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic depression, diseases of the brain are not only catastrophic, they are common.
That s why the President s BRAIN Initiative -- an all-hands-on-deck effort to understand the human brain and enable the tools, techniques, and technologies that can improve scientists ability to diagnose, treat, and prevent neurological diseases -- is personal for me.
Learn more about the initiative here -- and if you or someone you know stands to benefit from this sort of research, tell that story here.
read moreSource: www.whitehouse.gov