March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month; former NFL star Kevin Turner on work his foundation is doing to bring awareness to brain injuries and ALS

Did you know that 1.7 million people sustain some sort of traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year –  475,000 of whom are children. While 52,000 of those injured will die, another 3.1 million people live with a lifelong disability because of that TBI, according to the Brain Injury Association. 

Related: Revolutionize the Way Kids Learn With Brain Breaks, Says Goldie Hawn 

That’s why March is dedicated to being National Brain Injury Awareness Month - a time to educate everyone, letting them know a brain injury can happen to anyone, at any time. While males have the highest rate of TBI, a recent study also shows that National Football League (NFL) players may be at higher risk of death from diseases that damage brain cells – and that a player’s risk of death from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Alzheimer’s was almost four times higher than the general population.

Former NFL player Kevin Turner is leading a foundation to research the connection between brain injury and ALS. A star fullback for the Albama Crimson Tide who went on to play eight seasons in the NFL, Turner was diagnosed with ALS in 2010 and  began The Kevin Turner Foundation. “We are headed in the right direction,” Turner says about finding a cure for the disease.

Watch Kevin Turner talk to genConnect about the work of The Kevin Turner Foundation, below:  

Related: Brain Health – How Healthy Is Your State? 

Watch Turner talk about focusing on the positive when you come across obstacles and hardships that get in the way of your dreams, below: 

WATCH: Do You Want A Better Brain? 

“Sometimes you have to look really hard but trying to find the positive – how can you make this a positive event?” Turner says. “We can focus on that rather than the bad and what you’re going through … it gives you a little clarity and focus and gives you something to shoot for.”

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Watch the former NFL star describe the research funded by The Kevin Turner Foundation:

Watch: Kevin Turner: Finding the Positive Amidst Hardship (VIDEO)

Kevin Turner

Turner’s foundation also raises awareness about the seriousness of brain trauma in athletes at every level of competition and its possible connection to ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “For years, I thought the helmet protected us from serious injury, but to be honest all it does is keep your skull from getting cracked,” he says. “When you’re dealing with your brain, it’s best to air on the side of safety. If something is not quite right, you need to report it.”

Watch: Alzheimer’s Research: What You Can Do to Reduce Your Risk

Turner, who says he still loves the game, started playing football as a 5-year-old growing up in Alabama, where “football is king.” During his time with the New England Patriots, one of his former teachers sent him the “When I Grow Up” paper he had written in elementary school. In it, a young Kevin Turner predicted that he would first play for the University of Alabama, and then go on to the NFL. “Looking back, I kind of did what I said what I was going to do,” Turner says.

Watch Kevin Turner recall his “When I Grow Up” paper:

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Kevin Turner

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“In this world, we’re all going to go through hardships and turmoil,” Turner said. “I think the key to getting through that is really looking – and sometimes you have to look really hard – but trying to find the positive. When you can focus on that rather than the bad, what you’re going through, your obstacle … it gives you something to shoot for.”

WATCH: Paralympic Legend Chris Waddell – ‘Inspiration Surrounds Us’

Turner is now involved in research that links chronic traumatic encephalopathy (“CTE” i.e. repeated brain trauma) in athletes to ALS, and through The Kevin Turner Foundation, he is raising awareness about these issues.

The Kevin Turner Foundation was created to bring attention to ALS and the need for a cure, raise awareness about the seriousness of brainy trauma in athletes at every level of competition and its possible connection to ALS, and to financially support efforts to study, treat, prevent and ultimately cure this disease.

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