Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation

NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip steps back from public life for serious health concerns Waltrip and his family announced Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with Frontotemporal Degeneration, possibly complicated by Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

CTE can be associated with changes in:

• Behavior
• Mood
• Judgment
• Personality
• Memory

For families, those changes can be confusing, frightening and heartbreaking.

You may find yourself asking:

“Why isn’t he/she acting like themselves anymore?”

Brain disease can change how a person thinks, feels, and responds.

Sometimes the hardest part of CTE isn’t understanding the disease. It’s watching someone you love change.

Let’s protect our kids before it’s too late.

Visit our website at www.stopcte.org to learn more about our cause to stop CTE.

An athlete’s identity can be deeply connected to their sport.

Then one day, the games stop.

For some former athletes, changes in mood, behavior, thinking, memory or relationships can become part of life after sports.

Understanding the possible long-term effects of repetitive head impacts means looking beyond the playing years.

The story doesn’t end when the jersey comes off.

Help us spread awareness about this PREVENTABLE DISEASE!

Visit our website at www.stopcte.org to learn more.

Well written article explaining unconscionable devotion to a sport that ruins lives and families.

Brain Dam­age, Epi­demic | The Hamilton Spectator Twenty years into its C.T.E. era, the National Foot­ball League is more pop­u­lar and prof­it­able than ever. Rev­en­ues rise even as the math becomes clearer for the once immeas­ur­able price paid in brain dam­age sus­tained by foot­ball...

END CTE‼️

If you could hear the gut wrenching stories we hear every day from affected families through our foundation, you would understand our passion for stopping this terrible, degenerative disease. 

Learn how you can help stop CTE. Visit our website to learn more www.stopcte.org

👉🏼 Follow Patrick Risha CTE Awareness

Awareness starts with understanding. 🧠

Youth Contact Sports and Broken Brains by Bruce Parkman shares the story of his son, Mac, while breaking down the science behind brain development, concussions, repetitive head impacts, and their potential connection to mental health in young athletes. The book was created to give parents, coaches, educators, and communities more information to help make informed decisions about protecting developing brains while still recognizing the benefits of youth sports.

Knowledge matters. Education matters. And protecting our young athletes starts with knowing the risks.

📖 You can download a FREE copy of the book today.

Get your free copy of Youth Contact Sports and Broken Brains⁠

Help us spread CTE awareness by sharing this resource with a parent, coach, teacher, or anyone involved in youth sports.

Would you push the button for millions of dollars?

The heavy cost of football Football season is back, bringing millions of Americans together around one of the country’s most beloved sports. But new research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, raises an uncomfortable question: What price are players paying for our entertainment? Host Megan McArdle explores the phy...

So this time twelve years ago I got my goodbye call from Patrick. There isn’t an hour that goes by that I don’t think of that night with so much regret of a very tragic conversation. Patrick was tired and gave up and I couldn’t stop it. I had a chance. He called me. I failed. I know CTE was the culprit and time would have just gotten harder for him and he is happy now. But we miss him desperately. It just speaks to how wonderful he was despite his challenges with a horrific disease. In his honor we are trying to save other young people from CTE and the road it took him on, and ultimately the rough road as a shattered family we now traverse. Doug and I have gotten many second chances with others in Patrick’s plight and we know Patrick is helping us. Tomorrow if you see an angry person, or someone looking depressed, or struggling with addiction, or holding a street sign begging, think of all the collision sports players and veterans that may be struggling with brain disease and not know it. In Patrick’s honor please try to make them smile. That was always Patrick’s gift. He could make anyone smile. We love you.

CTE has been found in people with histories of repeated head impacts across multiple sports and activities.

Football.
Soccer.
Hockey.
Boxing.
Wrestling.
And more.

The conversation around CTE often centers on football.

But the bigger issue is repetitive head impact exposure — not one specific sport.

The question isn’t:
“What sport do you play?”

It’s:
“How much impact is your brain being exposed to?

Learn how you can help stop CTE. Visit our website to learn more www.stopcte.org

👉🏼 Follow Patrick Risha CTE Awareness