ALS and the NFL: Guest blogger

Former NFL fullback Kevin Turner died of ALS this morning at the age of 46. During his six years with the disease, he worked to raise awareness of the connection between the sport he loved and his ultimate diagnosis.

From an ESPN report:

“Football had something to do with it,” Turner said in 2011. “I don’t know to what extent, and I may not ever know. But there are too many people I know that have ALS and played football in similar positions. They seem to be linebackers, fullbacks, strong safeties. Those are big collision guys.”

Under pressure in the 1990s, the NFL conducted a lengthy study into the relationship between concussions and cases of degenerative brain illness, and concluded that there is no serious connection. Today, as Kevin Turner’s family and friends surrounded him to say goodbye, The New York Times published an article alleging that the NFL’s research on concussions was deeply flawed. The NFL, the article says, omitted findings, including more than 100 concussions that could have skewed the data in a way that Big Football simply isn’t comfortable with.  Read More>

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Stress Balls

I’m sick of thinking about ALS this week. I feel like I live in a land of meaningless press releases and articles promising breakthroughs that never come. It’s hard to stay positive, easy to get cynical. And from there it’s a slippery slope to downright depression. I don’t want to go to that place.

So let’s talk about Otto. He is 10 months old and still not neutered, because there has been some discrepancy between the information we received from our vet to chop him at six months and Rob’s research indicating that waiting longer would be better for the shape of Otto’s head or something like that. I mostly stay out of the conversation, because the presence of dog testicles doesn’t really affect my life on a daily basis.

That is, until we were trying to plan our latest trip to Lake Tahoe, and no one would take our horny, humping, aggressive maniac. Otto went to two different “auditions” at small home-based kennels that claimed to be happy to care for an unfixed puppy. After both attempts, he was gently invited to find somewhere else to stay. One woman said, “He’s a beautiful dog…and he knows it.” Read More>

|Categories: Life, Parenting, Relationships | Tags: , | Permalink

Back in Tahoe

We are back in Lake Tahoe. When I announced this plan, several friends consoled me, clearly remembering the challenges of our last trip to the mountains. This was sort of funny, because one of them did it in front of Rob, and although I think he knows that Tahoe is not at the top of my travel list, I’m sure he was surprised to hear that I was accepting condolences.

“Sarah is taking one for the team,” he said, playing the good sport.

In many ways, it’s a silly thing for me to complain about. We stay at arguably the nicest hotel in the area, and Scarlett and Rob both love skiing. We found out that friends will be up this weekend, and the weather is beautiful. The best part is that our van is working again, and so I’m in my comfortable wheelchair, sitting at a desk by the window, looking out at the sun-covered snow.

I can see skiers coming down the mountain. I have to squint my eyes because at one point I am pretty sure there’s a penguin skiing down. Read More>

|Categories: Life | Tags: , | Permalink