If you ask 100 Americans how did doctors treat their concussion. Most will say the doctor or medic told them not to go to sleep for a few hours. When any body part is injured, our body floods that area with fluids to protect it from further injury. Physical Therapist usual get involved at this point. Their job is to remove the inflamation. When it comes to concussions since doctors usually only tell us to rest, how does the medical community remove the fluid that was sent to protect the brain. The truth is the don't do anything to remove that fluid. That is why many of us find ourselves in early dementia. Now I will share with you how I was able to make a rebound and starve off suicide. Many of my teammates were not so lucky.
I'm William Person, I want to offer the same treatment that saved my life to people suffering with CTE / Post Concussion issues, and I want to do it for FREE.
I am former 9 year Team USA member (BOBSLED), on a mission to confront the hidden crisis within the Winter Olympic and Military community. Before I found help, life slowly became miserable. I had random cloudy days that slowly turned into random days of clarity. I began to not recognize familiar faces, and everyday when I woke up, I had to figure out what day and month it was. I began to get lost in my own neighborhood. Because of my condition I did not realize that the suicides in the Winter Olympic community was related to my health conditions. It was reported that 20,000 veterans committed suicide from 2020-2023. That's 18 American veterans per day.
CTE—Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is the same neurodegenerative brain disease that led to Junior Seau and many other athletes to commit suicide. The disease is caused by repeated head trauma in contact sports like football, bobsledding, and military service.
My Story
My friend and former teammate, Pavle Jovanovic, called me one day, speaking Gibberish. I could not understand anything he said. He got so frustrated he hung up the phone. I sat at home and every day I told myself to find him some help. May 3, 2020, I received the news that he hung himself at his family's business.
The guilt of not understanding his pain and failing to offer support haunted me. I eventually found out I could not help him because I also needed help. One of the biggest issues with CTE is most victims can not recognize the symptoms in their self. The shockwave of loss continued as more of my former Bobsledding teammates followed the same tragic path, including Steve Holcolmb, from my 2003 World Championship team. Steve is responsible for all Olympic medals that American men won since 2003.
Pavle’s and Steve' s deaths along with others made me realize many of us Bobsledders are struggling with CTE related symptoms. Pavle was our version of Superman; he was in stage 4 CTE and couldn't even speak clearly. I filed a class action lawsuit in hopes of finding help for all the athletes in need and to protect young and upcoming athletes in the sport. I filed for TRANSPARENCY, because none of us were warned about the long-term cognitive issues of participating in the sport – not just the threat of crashing – I’m talking about the simple nature of the sport that jumbles the brain inside the skull.
I recently spoke to the judge. I explained all things are negotiable except properly warning new athletes about the possible long term cognitive issues. I am currently the lead plaintiff and the current offer on the table will only evaluate the athletes . That’s it! Absolutely nothing else of value. Zero funds to treat athletes if they do have CTE symptoms and no advanced warnings to upcoming athletes about the real long-term dangers of repetitive concussions and extreme g-force exposure. I have refused to sign off on the offer. At the last 3 court hearing I was standing alone against all parties. Lawyers on both sides say that evaluating athletes, while offering NO compensation or treatment is sufficient. I do not agree. We are not lab rats. I continue to ask the lawyers if they would take their child to a doctor who will not treat them. These organizations are getting rich off athletes while we suffer with extreme headaches, cloudy thoughts,vertigo, dementia, depression, and low to merely no quality of life.
The diagnosis of CTE in my sport has become our common thread. This is a global issue that is being ignored and swept under the carpet. The New York Times broke the story with an article called “Sled Head” (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/sports/olympics/olympics-bobsled-suicide-brain-injuries.html).
It was reported that bobsled athletes are pulling extreme G-forces (84.5 G's), more than Military Fighter Pilots and the Space Shuttle. Another article was released in December of 2024 stating fighter pilots are suffering from the same fate as bobsled athletes, however, add in vibrations from rough ice (SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME), concussions and Bobsledding becomes the perfect storm for stage 4 CTE.
Many athletes suffer from CTE. But it doesn't have to be a death sentence.
Joe Namath's inspiring story introduced me to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), a potential lifeline (https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/13186859/joe-namath-believes-found-cure-brain-damage-caused-football ).
After my own experience with HBOT, I witnessed a transformation – some clarity returned, and some of my anxiety faded, and I no longer got lost in my own neighborhood. For a long time I could not say Joe Namath's name without getting choked up for his contribution to my renewed health. Now, I want to pay it forward. Many people have reported that their symptoms have been permanently reversed from using HBOT.
Now, I'm determined to provide FREE HBOT TREATMENT to athletes, veterans grappling with CTE. We will eventually be open to the public. To make this vision a reality, I need your help.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers cost tens of thousands of dollars, making access impossible for most. It’s suggested some may need 30 consecutive days of treatment or more. That's a minimum of $12,000 which does not include food, travel or lodging. Therefore our veterans and less fortunate citizens are not receiving the help they deserve. Let's not forget that many of our mass shootings are related to CTE. American Post Concussion Wellness Center is a nonprofit dedicated to offering help to these families.
We have already chosen the first two locations. The first place is a small location we will only open there if we do not raise enough funds for the bigger location. The smaller location will limit how many people we can help. The first location will only allow us to offer HBOT therapy to two clients per month, that's if they need 30 days of therapy. The bigger location allows for larger HBOT Chambers. A six person chamber running for 8 hours can treat 48 people per day.
This place is the perfect location. As we raise funds, we'll expand our resources, purchase more chambers and build living accommodations to help even more athletes and Veterans regain their lives.
CTE symptoms vary from depression, anxiety, memory loss, loss of words, inability to do simple math, to Parkinson's disease and suicide. My story has already reached athletes in other sports facing similar battles, and lives have already been saved.
I received a call from a hockey player who was in tears. He shared that he was planning a second suicide attempt, but after seeing my story in the New York Times, he changed his mind. He was the first, but definitely not the last.
With every day, I witness the remarkable progress HBOT brings, and I believe it can help many – from playground injuries to college athletes, Veterans, and homemakers.
While I'm not out of the woods, HBOT gives me back quality of life, more and more with each treatment. I’m one who will likely require treatment for the rest of my life. I never received medical treatment for the concussions I sustained during my Olympic journey, and I do not know of any athletes who did. During a World Cup race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, prior to opening 2002 Olympic Ceremonies, I was involved in a horrific crash. My brakeman was unconscious and I had a nasty case of Vertigo that still pops up frequently. I actually have it this week along with a constant headache that’s sometimes in between a migraine or faint ache but it never goes away. Our treatment back then was to go back to the hotel and make sure neither of us goes to sleep. So which concussed guy was supposed to monitor which? My vertigo was so strong, the room would spin the moment I sat up in the bed.
The lack of care is a shared problem among athletes worldwide, leading to self-medication and tragedy. Let’s change this.
I shared my story with Chapman Downes on HBO REAL SPORTS and Mike Bush on NBC, but I struggled to stay on topic during both interviews because of my cloudy brain. I was so embarrassed of my condition that I hid from the media until now. Before HBOT, my mind was trapped in a painful loop. Every morning I had to figure out what day and month it was. This was my daily routine. I still struggle with this at times but it has become my warning to get back in the oxygen chamber; I call it my Spidey Sense.
Before HBOT, on many days I had to lay on the floor or maneuver my mattress as close to the restroom as possible. It gets much uglier, but I will spare you the gruesome details. Now, I’m in a much better place, thanks to Joe Namath’s story and his HBOT therapy. Some days are not pretty but they are much better than my Pre HBOT days.
The fight for Retribution
This isn't just my fight, it's a global issue. Athletes and Veterans around the world are struggling in silence while doctors overlook their brains, resulting in self-medication or suicide.
What We Need:
• We need funds for doctors that can properly offer, monitor, and prescribe HBOT.
• We need CTE neurology specialists on contract for our center. I have been turned away by neurologists once they hear about the conditions of my teammates because they say my care requires a specialist. Those specialist are extremely hard to locate and most do not accept insurance.
• I have one personal HBOT Chamber, but we need more and we need chambers that can handle high volume as the athletes and Veterans we plan to host at our nonprofit retreat center will need two one hour of treatments each day.
• Many clients will need help with travel expenses and some may need travel companions because of their advanced conditions.
• There are other machines that have been developed to assist with cognitive decline issues, we are researching those as well.
• For those who would like a tax deduction for your generous donation, we have 501c3 tax ID.
Please, share my story, and join me in saving lives. For more information, explore the New York Times articles on this critical topic. Thank you for reading this and joining my mission to help.
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