{"id":24987,"date":"2024-01-15T15:37:44","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T15:37:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test11.f5test.in.ua\/personal-stories\/my-legacy-matthew-fier\/"},"modified":"2024-09-17T14:56:40","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T14:56:40","slug":"my-legacy-matthew-fier","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-ca\/personal-stories\/inspiring-stories\/my-legacy-matthew-fier\/","title":{"rendered":"My Legacy: Matthew Fier Takes Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Posted: February 11, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

I played highly competitive tackle football for nearly a decade. My playing days were at the tail end of the concussion-ignorance era. Concern over\u00a0concussions\u00a0was new territory, with little information and little support. Back then, there were no real tests except for balance and the presence of headaches. To this day, I\u2019m not sure if I had repeated concussions (mostly from football), or if I had a few that I simply never healed from. Regardless, I stopped reporting (e.g., caring) after my 6th<\/sup>\u00a0concussion made it to the medical report.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong, I wasn\u2019t the stereotypical jock who lived and breathed football. I was in the church band, an honors student, and an aspiring writer. I could remember anyone\u2019s name and little details about them years later. My friends hated that I could bring up an old memory just to embarrass them around their girlfriends. But I was also 16, barely a sophomore, and just wanted to play ball.<\/p>\n

In 2009 (concussions, a torn ACL, and a fractured back later), my playing days were over. I had a few recruitment letters collecting dust on my desk, but I had another set of contact info on top of them: the Concussion Legacy Foundation (called the Sports Legacy Institute at that time). They had made some small ripples in the sports community touting\u00a0Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)<\/a>\u00a0before anyone would accept its existence. I emailed them, and found out there was no way to diagnose CTE in a living person.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Since then \u2013 despite the advances amazing doctors and researchers have made \u2013 the only way to officially diagnose CTE is still post-mortem. They open the brain and look at the tissue in search of build-up of an abnormal protein called tau.<\/p>\n

Most readers probably know about CTE or have seen the movie Concussion<\/em>\u00a0(disclaimer: I haven\u2019t yet, mainly out of fear I\u2019ll cry in the theater). According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation,\u00a0symptoms of CTE\u00a0can include \u201cmemory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, paranoia, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and eventually progressive dementia. Symptoms can begin to appear months, years, or even decades after trauma has ended.\u201d<\/p>\n

I love sports and being active. I love football and the glory that came from hitting a quarterback. I love barreling down Mt. Hood on my snowboard and riding a jet-ski at 40 mph on the Columbia River.<\/p>\n

But I hate the headaches, I hate the days my eyes can\u2019t focus, and I hate the ringing in my ears. I hate no longer recognizing people that have played significant roles in my life. I also hate the idea of kids not being able to enjoy life, living in some computerized bubble, because parents are (rightfully) afraid of them developing CTE like Junior Seau, Frank Gifford, or Tyler Sash.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why after considering the future of the next generation,\u00a0I\u2019ve pledged to donate my brain to research<\/a>. I don\u2019t want to hit my mid-50s and no longer recognize my kids.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

By pledging to donate my brain, I\u2019m pledging that I want\u00a0my legacy\u00a0to be just\u00a0one<\/em>\u00a0of the ripples making sports safer. I want to be remembered for making a difference, helping future generations be able to be healthy and active. I want my legacy to be that I helped save lives and revolutionize brain safety.<\/p>\n

My future and the possibility of CTE is not something I can dwell on, but it\u2019s something that I have to live with. So until we find a solution, let\u2019s stand up \u2013 let\u2019s not live in fear, but strive to make a difference. Do everything you can for yourself, or for someone that you love who has gone through multiple concussions:\u00a0raise awareness,\u00a0fund-raise, or even\u00a0pledge to donate your brain.<\/p>\n

We all have a responsibility for today, tomorrow, and tomorrow\u2019s tomorrow. That\u2019s my legacy. What will yours be?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a decade in football, Matthew Fier decided to play a role in protecting the next generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"inspiring-stories":[13],"legacy-stories":[],"class_list":["post-24987","stories","type-stories","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","inspiring-stories-my-legacy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMy Legacy: Matthew Fier Takes Action - Concussion Legacy Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-ca\/personal-stories\/inspiring-stories\/my-legacy-matthew-fier\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My Legacy: Matthew Fier Takes Action - Concussion Legacy Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a decade in football, Matthew Fier decided to play a role in protecting the next generation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-ca\/personal-stories\/inspiring-stories\/my-legacy-matthew-fier\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Concussion Legacy Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T14:56:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Matthew-Fier-Family.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-ca\/personal-stories\/inspiring-stories\/my-legacy-matthew-fier\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/concussionandcte.org\/en-ca\/personal-stories\/inspiring-stories\/my-legacy-matthew-fier\/\",\"name\":\"My Legacy: Matthew Fier Takes Action - 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