#107 - Why Team USA Athletes Keep Losing Their Lives - With Team USA Bobsledder - William Person

In this episode of the State of Mind Mental Health Podcast, I sit down with William Person — a 9-year member of Team USA's Olympic bobsled program and the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit fighting to protect athletes from CTE. William walks me through the cost of nine years and an estimated 22,000 bobsled rides on the human brain — and what happens when an entire roster of teammates starts taking their own lives. He shares the story of the friend who called him speaking gibberish before hanging himself in his family's factory, the autopsy that revealed Stage 4 CTE, and the decade William spent living on his living room floor, praying for death without ever having the language for what was wrong with him. He opens up about the New York Times article that finally diagnosed him when his doctors couldn't, the day Joe Namath's hyperbaric oxygen video changed his life, and the one hour in a chamber that gave him six straight days of clarity after ten years of cognitive fog. William is now building the American Post-Concussion Wellness Center — a free, public-facing treatment facility for veterans, athletes, and anyone suffering from undiagnosed brain trauma. If you've ever taken a hit to the head and wondered why something feels off, this conversation might change everything for you. Support William here : https://bit.ly/49u8xES Chapters [00:00:00] Cold Open [00:05:30] The CTE Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight [00:11:00] Lost in Dementia for a Decade [00:18:00] Praying for Death [00:24:00] The Article That Diagnosed Me [00:32:00] One Hour, Six Days of Clarity [00:40:00] Building the Wellness Center Please Subscribe to my YouTube - YouTube Subscription Link Disclaimer Professional medical care and psychotherapeutic services are not offered on this Youtube channel. It is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such condition. Seeking professional support is encouraged if you think you have an issue and that you want help.