I didn’t know Chris Borland before he announced his retirement from NFL football. He played for the San Francisco 49ers and by all accounts, he was a rising star on the roster. Wasn’t that a dream come true for this young man, after getting through all the rigors and challenges of his college football career? How could he just give up everything he’s dreamed about? Why would he suddenly be afraid for his future when he had in his hands everything he could’ve asked for?
Chris Borland is afraid because the options before him look bleak. There are too many former NFL players suffering from the aftermath of concussions and he simply didn’t want to be part of that group.
It would be better if someone like Chris Borland looked not just at what everyone else is looking at, but also at what the few are doing.
There are many unexplained recoveries from even the most horrendous brain injuries. I know of two walking examples, most notably a young man named Daniel J. Bax who survived a terrible extreme sporting accident several years ago. He was paralyzed when he awoke and his head ALMOST severed from his body, but he is alive, happy, and very mobile today. In a body that wouldn’t at first obey his commands, he used the only things left to him and that was his consciousness and his mind.
He healed his horrific brain injury.
It wasn’t without challenges. It wasn’t without the disbelief of the caregivers who were supposed to help him. He had to convince them that they could help. It was surely frustrating and maddening at times his journey to wellness again, BUT he did it.
This is what I would say to Chris Borland.
1. DO not believe the bad news he hears or sees. Whatever happens to other people doesn’t have to apply to you. But you, Chris Borland, chose to believe the bad news.
2. The mindset becomes a barrier to healing IF you believe the bad news and the hype. Any one can heal from anything if they choose to learn from the experience and not run away from it. Your mindset and beliefs got you onto that NFL roster. You could use it to keep safe too.
3. If you think you’ve already tried everything, you haven’t. If you still want a solution and haven’t healed yet, then you haven’t invested enough. You haven’t looked hard enough and you haven’t tried hard enough.
The solution is available and it’s waiting for you.
Perhaps that is the problem, doctors who don’t believe deep down that they can really help someone with a concussion (or with any suffering for that matter). This is the same for lawyers. Next time you or someone you know gets into trouble with the law and it requires a lawyer to defend you, ask them this question point blank: “Do you believe in my innocence?” Any hint of hesitation, any indication for hedging, will tell you the truth about your odds for winning a court case. The same goes with your relationship with your doctor. You both have to be on the same page.
For Chris Borland, he accepted what he heard. Prevention isn’t about avoiding pain and running away from it. It’s about confronting the fear, understanding it and then surmounting it with the correct guidance. And that’s what all those doctors couldn’t do for him and thousands of former football players.
See the Chris Borland retirement story here.
Dr. Joanny Liu, TCMD, RAc, P.Eng. Dr Joanny Liu “Best Selling Author and founder of Extraordinary Sports Medicine, where we help athletes reverse injury, get back in the game they love and improve their quality of life.” Best selling book at: Heal Your Concussion: How to Quickly and Effectively Get Back in the Game Remember, we’ve got two books about healing concussions in Amazon: Knock OUT Concussions, Heal Your Concussion: 21 Days to Brain Health, and Dr. Joanny’s new book, Heal Your Concussion: How to Quickly and Effectively Get Back in the Game is NOW live on Amazon!
