“Please Study My Brain”: Why This Tragedy Demands Awareness, Not Fear

A tragic shooting in New York City on Monday, July 28, 2025, has once again brought traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) into national focus.

The gunman, a 27-year-old former football player, left behind a note pleading for his brain to be studied for CTE. He referenced years of emotional distress and physical damage. While the Boston University CTE Center has offered to assist with research, their experts caution against linking CTE to any single act of violence, mental illness, trauma, and many other factors are often at play.

Still, this moment highlights why tracking and understanding brain health, especially after repetitive head injuries, is essential.

What is CTE?

Many families have watched someone they love change after a head injury, subtle at first; maybe they're more forgetful, withdrawn, or quick to anger. Over time, these shifts can feel unfamiliar and isolating. Often, family members dismiss these early signs, thinking the person just "had a bad game or day," when in reality, these may be the first signs of something deeper happening in the brain.

For years, many athletes and their families have found themselves wondering if these gradual changes were connected to all those hits to the head during sports careers, not just the big concussions everyone remembers, but the thousands of smaller impacts that seemed minor at the time.

One possible explanation is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive brain disease linked not just to major concussions, but to something far more common and invisible.

The cumulative force of repeated hits to the head, the kind that happens in every practice and game, may be the clearest predictor of brain disease later in life.

Some groundbreaking research has helped us understand its scope. CTE affects not just professional athletes, but college players, high school athletes, soccer players, hockey stars, military veterans, and others who've experienced repeated head impacts. What's becoming clear is that early recognition and tracking of symptoms can help guide better care and support. Read more about CTE in football players. 

How Power of Patients^® is Creating Hope Through Innovation

While this tragedy reminds us of the challenges facing our community, it also reinforces why the work we're doing at Power of Patients matters more than ever. We believe that from understanding comes prevention, and from patient voices comes real change.

At the core of Power of Patients^® is its AI-powered virtual therapy dog, Sallie™, designed to aid individuals recovering from head injuries. The app guides users through symptom tracking, management, and rehabilitation, helping patients document their daily symptoms, identify patterns, and share these insights with caregivers and clinicians. This process empowers patients to actively participate in their recovery journey and provides a valuable stream of real-world data for research.

That’s where the Injury Impact Severity Score (IISS™) comes in.

Developed by Power of Patients^® in collaboration with researchers at MIT. The IISS™ uses artificial intelligence to predict the severity of these “bumps on the head”. In less than 15 seconds, injury impacts and symptoms generate a severity score to help healthcare providers, coaches, and caregivers make an informed decision to refer the person for a more thorough assessment. It’s the first of its kind application to triage an athlete before the obvious career altering concussion. 

Because Every Brain Injury Is Different

At Power of Patients^®, we know that recovery doesn’t follow a straight line, and that every brain injury is different. Whether you're a survivor, a caregiver, a clinician, or a coach, you are part of the solution. 

Together, we can honor those we've lost to head injuries by working toward a future where everyone affected by brain injury has access to the support, understanding, and care they deserve. Use your voice through our platform, stay connected with our community, seek support when needed, and help us advocate for better research and treatment.

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