Dear Editor, March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. As the mother of Noah Green, a former student athlete who was diagnosed after death with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), I am advocating for a change to the Virginia High School League’s (VHSL) stance that “The cause of CTE has not been definitively established.” The NFL and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have acknowledged that CTE is caused by repeated traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). This disease no longer affects only the NFL and has been found in the brains of former high school and collegiate athletes. Parents, guardians, and student athletes need to be given information about CTE before they sign concussion forms each year. Also, there should be baseline testing for these athletes as part of their physicals. This testing can help catch suspected concussions and reduce an athlete’s risk for a future concussion. More information about this testing is on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Heads Up website. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our student athletes, who will eventually become former student athletes. Please, call the VHSL at 434-977-8475 and ask that their concussion guidelines be amended and state that the cause of CTE is repeated TBIs. Please ask that baseline testing be done. I sincerely thank each of you and the Alleghany Highlands School Board for their efforts. Sincerely, Mazie Green Alleghany County
