Football players
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that occurs when repetitive head trauma or concussions begin to produce abnormal proteins in the brain. Degenerative brain disease was found in 76 of 79 deceased NFL players. Researchers examined the brain tissue of 128 football players and 80% tested positive for CTE. CTE causes mood disorders, such as depression and bouts of rage, and more severe cases can develop confusion, memory loss and advanced dementia. The NFL expects nearly 1/3 of all retired players to develop a long term cognitive problem, such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia as a result of head injuries from playing football.
Tony DorsettHall of Fame running back for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. He suffered from memory loss and retired. He was diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in 2013.
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Junior SeauSan Diego Chargers legend linebacker committed suicide in 2013 at age 43. He suffered from CTE which can lead to depression and dementia. He had CTE because of the repetitive head injuries he sustained during his football career.
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Actors
Natasha RichardsonShe was an actress and the wife of actor Liam Neeson. She played the mother in Parent Trap. She fell and hit her head while taking a skiing lesson on a beginners slope with a ski instructor. She was not wearing a helmet. After she fell, she seemed fine and refused to see a doctor. Over time she began to have headaches and went to a hospital, but she died within 2 days from an epidural hematoma from hitting her head.
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Gary BuseyHe is an actor who got into a motorcycle accident. His motorcycle slammed into a curb and then he fell off and the back of his head struck the curb. He wasn't wearing a helmet. He fractured his skull and had to have surgery to remove blood clots and he suffers some permanent brain damage. He was in a coma for 33 days. After the surgery he couldnt talk, walk, or swallow and temporarily lost his fine motor skills. He said that 50% of patients with head injuries like his die. He claims the head injury has weakened his mental filters and causes him to sometimes speak and act impulsively.
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Other Famous People
Kurt VonnegutOne of the great writers of the 20th Century and the well known author of books such as Slaughterhouse Five. He died at the age of 84 from brain injuries suffered from falling down a flight of stairs in his home.
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Abraham LincolnThe 16th President of the United States who led the country through the Civil War. When he was 10, he got kicked in the forehead by a mule and was knocked unconscious. Later in life, he was thought to have suffered brain damage from this injury and his melancholy or depression was a symptom.
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Bob Woodruff
Television journalist who worked as co-anchor for ABC news. He was nearly killed in 2006 when a roadside bomb hit his vehicle while on an assignment in Iraq. He was kept in a medically induced coma for 36 days and he underwent surgery for head injuries. His recovery was gradual and he continued to have trouble remembering words and details.
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James CracknellDouble Olympic rowing gold metallist, was taking a trip across the US and during his cycle ride across Arizona he was hit by a truck's wing mirror and was knocked unconscious. His helmet saved his life, however, he still suffered serious brain injuries. He had a fractured skull and a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a subdural hematoma and contusions to the frontal lobe, or bleeding all over the brain.
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