Many of the first televised media reports of the death of "Iron" Mike Webster were abusively negative with prominent references to issues that Mike faced after his retirement from the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, his involvement with the Pittsburgh Area Brain Injury Alliance was overlooked. He was a mighty man, reduced by his inability to think clearly because of repeated brain injuries. 

Mike Webster and I met at a Pittsburgh Area Brain Injury Alliance support group meeting where I volunteer. His daughter Brooke contacted our support group coordinator, Ed Crinnion. Crinnion is a traumatic brain injury survivor himself. He understands the need for continuous follow-up. Therefore, he repeatedly called Webster until Webster finally made it to a support group meeting.

People sustain brain injuries every day. Some survive while others die. For many survivors, life is never the same for them or for the people in their lives. Every 15 seconds someone sustains a brain injury in the U.S.; every five minutes, one of those people will die and another will become permanently disabled. According to the Brain Injury Association, USA, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently estimated that there are 5.1 million persons living with a long term, severe disability because of brain injury. And as many as 6.5 million persons continue living with some form of injury, including mild and moderate brain injuries. Mike Webster was one of these.

Usually traumatic brain injury victims who survive are misunderstood. Too often, they are neglected and sometimes abused. Many become homeless and some are incarcerated. If we would address this population with better cognitive treatment and emotional support, society would benefit greatly.

When we consider the number of lives touched by each person who survives traumatic brain injury, we find the number of people whose lives are affected by brain injury and related complications to be unimaginable. Most people know someone personally whose life has been permanently altered by brain injury. Mike Webster wanted to help raise public awareness of this silent epidemic.

Webster was diagnosed with cognitive impairment that resulted from the repeated head banging, jarring and crashing he was subjected to during his football career. The human brain is about the consistency of a firm molded gelatin. Every hit on the head or sudden stop of the skull causes the brain to bounce around inside the skull. This bouncing causes damage which can cause lifelong problems for the individual.

This acquired cellular alteration that occurs when the human brain gets bounced, banged, or penetrated is what we call traumatic brain injury. A host of means can cause it. Most often brain injury occurs when the head comes to a sudden stop while traveling. Sometimes brain trauma occurs when an object strikes the head. These two means were factors in Iron Mike’s case. His brain was not made of Iron.

The human brain is a complex organ. Any injury, whether so-called mild (as in concussion) or severe can leave the person with impairment that lasts long after the initial injury. People who survive brain injury often deal with altered personality, anxiety, depression and loss of self-confidence. Occasionally, the person who survives may lack self-awareness of any existing deficits which can make treatment difficult. Webster, however, was becoming aware of his deficits, which motivated him in his search for help and his volunteer efforts within the Pittsburgh Area Brain Injury Alliance.

According to the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania, an estimated 2,000 fatalities occur due to traumatic brain injury each year in Pennsylvania. More than 41,000 people are treated in Pennsylvania hospital emergency rooms for concussion and mild brain injury. Almost 8,000 are hospitalized each year due to traumatic brain injuries sustained in car accidents, work place accidents, falls, assaults, sports accidents and other injuries. Many of these people, like Mike Webster, suffer for the rest of their lives and often die at an early age.

No one is immune. Male or female, despite social status, education level, political affiliation, race, creed or national origin, all persons are candidates for traumatic brain injury. This issue crosses all lines.

Not everyone that sustains a head injury or brain injury will necessarily sustain additional brain or head trauma. However, studies have shown that a person who sustains a brain injury is at an increased risk of acquiring additional brain injuries. This may be because of lifestyle, employment risks, cognitive impairment, changes in behavior, and reduced inhibitions. Many of our extreme sports activities produce people who suffer from cognitive impairment due to the repeated banging of their brains within their skulls.

Recent research has determined stress to be a component in reduced cognitive functioning. This can help explain Webster’s decline after retirement and divorce. Both events produced enormous amounts of stress in his life which would have reduced his ability to comprehend and process information. 

Webster’s multiple brain traumas left him struggling with the many facets of this debilitating condition. Iron Mike asked us to help him find a case manager, which we diligently attempted to do. His self-determination, perseverance and willingness to adapt to changing circumstances and situations gave Mike strength. Nevertheless, as with many others who face the uncertainties and impairment of Brain Trauma, Mike was often left without the ability to follow the game plan. He had difficulty remembering and recalling appointments, phone numbers and names of individuals.

Iron Mike was unable to conduct his life in a positive meaningful way at times because of the cognitive impairment resulting from numerous head injuries sustained during his career. No doubt, some people may deny this. But the evidence suggests that he was cognitively impaired from these multiple injuries.

Mike shared candidly with me how in recent years, the stress of his divorce coupled with his cognitive impairment was crippling him. He put aside his pride in an optimistic attempt to reorganize his life. We discussed the many stressors he was facing. We attempted to develop a game plan for his recovery. He realized his need for additional cognitive medical services. Webster was especially upset about the NFL’s refusal to acknowledge that his condition resulted from his football injuries. He explained that he was being denied access to the fund that he believed was supposed to help him. Instead, he told us that he was left without the finances urgently needed to obtain the medical services which could have aided him in his fight to regain his dignity and quality of life.

Mike jumped right in and grabbed the ball at our support group meetings. He aided in the formation of a committee started this past January to address the need for additional peer support groups. He suggested that we use more positive terms regarding support groups and said he liked the term "focus" groups. Webster elaborated on the need for teamwork and suggested we develop a group of advisors in the future. He offered insight into strategy, planning, and goal setting as well. Most recently, he was considering the possibility of autographing bike helmets during the Pa. Brain Injury Association helmet giveaway October 19, 2002 at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Mike was also considering joining PABIA Coordinator, Ed Crinnion in an upcoming radio talk show. Mike wanted to alert parents to the dangers concussion and brain trauma posed to their children involved in extreme sports.

The man we all know as Iron Mike Webster had a heart as big as his hands. He poured it into everything he did, including his recent, short-lived volunteering with the Pittsburgh Area Brain Injury Alliance group. Iron Mike was tragically forced out of the game early, and we should give him kudos for his drive and determination in fighting his most formidable opponent; Traumatic Brain Injury.

John Pistorius

From the memorial Service

Copyright © 2002 John Pistorius. All rights reserved. Revised: March 16, 2005 11:18 AM.

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