The Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation Recognized by NDRI

By now you have probably heard of CTE or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys the brain. Most people associate it with military veterans, pro-football players and repeated traumatic, concussive blows to the head. But CTE is also caused by repeated less-than-concussive blows, the kind that occur when athletes head the ball in soccer, check each other in hockey, and hit and tackle in football. This means someone can develop CTE without ever sustaining a concussion. That includes children, who may be the most vulnerable of all.

Art Guild is proud to play a key role in the creation and support of The Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation. The foundation was just recognized by the NDRI (National Disease Research Interchange) at its 36th annual symposium held in Philadelphia. The “Outstanding Donation Advocacy Award” was accepted by Karen and Doug Zegel, along with Karen’s daughter Amanda and her husband Richard Walton (see photo). The award recognized the foundation’s drive for brain donations nationwide – the only way to study CTE – and its grass roots movement to educate parents about the dangers to children of sports which require collision. Bennet Omalu MD, MBA, MPH – the man who discovered CTE in NFL players (in photo) – was also recognized.

“We value this award, mainly for the awareness it helps creates,” said Karen Kinzle Zegel. “There are so many kids in harm’s way. There are so many more people suffering with undiagnosed CTE symptoms in need of resources yet to be created. The human brain is much more fragile than we ever realized before, and just as we protect our eyes, our teeth, our hearing and our skull from damage, we must understand when and how to protect our brains. Especially in children! There’s much more work to be done and we could not have accomplished a fraction of what we have without the ongoing support of Art Guild. For that we are grateful.”

See more photos of the event and award recipients.