A New Purpose with Kelsey Boyer
Show Notes:
Brain injuries can sometimes be invisible to yourself and those around you. Without closer inspection, an untreated brain injury can have devastating consequences. This almost came true for today’s guest, brain injury survivor Kelsey Boyer. Kelsey spent most of her life following her passion of being a competitive snowboarder with high hopes of competing in the Olympics. After a series of concussions, Kelsey’s dream came to an end. Today, we hear her story about how she sustained her injuries and what led to her needing emergency surgery. After hearing about her range of systems and surprisingly short stint of rehab, Kelsey shares details about her post-surgery life, touching on mental hardships and how she manages to stay resilient. She continues by talking about the importance of safety equipment and why bits of gear like mouth guards can be even more important than helmets in protecting against concussion. Toward the end of the show, Kelsey talks about her Save A Brain foundation and expands on their goal to spread awareness and help those who have experienced the effects of brain injuries; including friends and family of victims. To hear more on the topic, be sure to join us today!
Key Points From This Episode:
Introducing today’s guest, Kelsey Boyer.
Kelsey shares details about her brain injuries and how she sustained them.
How Kelsey was told she was okay, but her symptoms suggested otherwise.
When Kelsey had to be rushed into emergency surgery.
Kelsey describes the rehabilitation process after her surgery.
Find out about Kelsey’s life in snowboarding since her procedure.
Some of the extra precautions Kelsey takes when she goes snowboarding.
Adjusting to not being able to compete at her former level.
Kelsey’s advice for athletes experiencing an injury.
Hear about the Save A Brain foundation.
What wearing a helmet really means.
What Save A Brain is currently working on.
Kelsey tells us about the symptoms she experiences today
Connect with Our Guest:
Follow Kelsey Boyer on Instagram!
Follow Save A Brain on Instagram!
Learn more about Save A Brain by clicking here.
Follow Post Concussion Inc on Social Media to stay up to date on the podcast
Transcript - Click to Read
[INTRODUCTION]
[00:00:00] BP: Hi. I’m your host, Bella Paige. Welcome to the Post Concussion Podcast; all about life after experiencing a concussion. Help us make the invisible injury become visible.
[DISCLAIMER]
[00:00:17] BP: The Post Concussion Podcast is strictly an information podcast about concussions and post-concussion syndrome. It does not provide, nor substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice, or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. The opinions expressed in this podcast are simply intended to spark discussion about concussions and post-concussion syndrome.
[EPISODE]
[00:01:00] BP: Welcome to today's episode of the Post Concussion Podcast with myself Bella Paige, and today's guest Kelsey Boyer. Kelsey spent most of her life following her passion of being a slopestyle competitive snowboarder in high hopes of competing in the Olympics. During 2016, she sustained a traumatic brain injury which resulted in immediate brain surgery, causing her life to drastically change. She needed to find a new purpose while dealing with bad post-concussion symptoms. This led her to create the nonprofit, Save A Brain. With a love of nature, she spends her winters traveling and following the snow to places like Japan, Canada, and all over America.
Kelsey also coaches for an all-female progression camp. Kelsey’s brain injury truly reassessed how she lives her life from sleeping, eating and self-love. At the end of the day, we only get one brain. Welcome to the show, Kelsey.
[00:01:55] KB: Thanks for having me, Bella. I'm excited to be here.
[00:01:59] BP: So, do you want to tell everyone a bit about your injuries and how you got them?
[00:02:02] KB: Yeah, where to even begin? So, my brain surgery, probably before I got to that point, I had about seven to eight concussions. The first one started out, it was a full knockout. I don't remember anything or even that day, or pretty much anything after that. But then I had a bunch of other contests. So, I was like, “I'm fine. I got to keep going. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine.” Before you know it, I'm kind of just like tipping over midair, hitting my head a little bit, but just enough that like, I'm still concussed.
I'd say about two months of kind of that, like rotation, I'm doing that, one fall, I cracked open, basically and my brain was just like a bruise and it finally just broke open and was bleeding. But I didn't really know at first. I remember the fall really well actually. Slow motion almost in my mind and in my gut, I was like, “My brain is bleeding.” And I got on the chairlift and was like, “I need to go to ski patrol.” And I saw ski patrol, and they were like, “You're fine. You're fine.” I actually went down with ski patrol and like a sled and got checked out by more people down there. And again, “You're fine. You're fine. You're fine.” And then I went to like two more doctors and everybody still said I was fine. But I just like didn't feel right. And everybody around me could see it.
I guess I was having really bad mood swings, not really sleeping and just stuttering a lot and slurring. And then finally, one of my good friends walked me into the emergency room and she was like, “You need to get checked out. You're not okay.” The nurse came in and she was like, “You seem fine, but we'll take a CAT scan just in case.” And she came back and was like, “Yeah, your brain has shifted 11 millimeters. You're lucky to even be alive. You need to go right down for immediate brain surgery.”
[00:04:09] BP: That's crazy. It's amazing how everyone was, “You're fine. You're fine. You're fine. You're okay, you look fine.” But that's the whole thing about brain injuries is a lot of the time you look totally fine. And people who know you are the ones who realize, “No, there's something off here. You're not okay.”
[00:04:25] KB: Yeah, that was definitely the scenario that happened. My poor roommate at the time we're just like, “Something is not right.” And I was just like causing a scene and was just so pissed off about everything. They basically were like, “You wouldn't have made it through the night. You're a miracle that you've made it two weeks.” I'm very thankful for that.
[00:04:47] BP: That's really scary. So, how did that go? Did you do a lot of rehab after all of that?
[00:04:53] KB: Not as much as you would think, honestly. It was really quick into brain surgery. Woke up in ICU. Was in the ICU for maybe, it's all pretty fuzzy, but I'd say almost two weeks. And then I got bumped up to the recovery floor and I had to pass like walking, talking, cognitive tests. Passed that fairly quick and then basically they were just like, “Alright, you're good.” And sent me on my way. I came back in two weeks to get a checkup and the staples out of my head. But yeah, they fully like shaved half the side of my head.
[00:05:31] BP: That's fun.
[00:05:32] KB: Yeah, I know. And like drilled a hole, cut me open. And so, it was like, very serious what I thought, but yeah, they just were like, “No, you're good. Go ahead.” I didn't have any therapy after.
[00:05:43] BP: It was really shocking, actually, when you hear about brain surgery, and then it's like, “Oh, I just got sent home after.” It was kind of shocking, for sure.
[00:05:53] KB: Yeah, yeah. They were just like, “You're good. Go ahead.” And I was like, “What? Okay.” But I mean, you're not the doctor. So, you're just like, “Okay, I guess. I'm good. I'm fine.”
[00:06:02] BP: Yeah, you believe them, like I would.
[00:06:04] KB: Yeah, totally.
[00:06:08] BP: Yeah, that's fair. So, after the injury, how long did it take you to start snowboarding again? Because you did say you still snowboard.
[00:06:16] KB: Yeah. I still snowboard. I'm so grateful for that. Three months after, I strapped in, and definitely probably shouldn't have. But I did it anyway. I just could tell I like wasn't feeling right on my snowboard. So, I actually just took some time off because I just didn't really know what was going on. And after a season, maybe five months, I took off and then yeah, got back on. But that's when kind of all my symptoms started showing up and getting worse.
[00:06:55] BP: For sure. It was really nice that you actually took a break. I didn't do that. I was terrible. Oh, I feel off, but I'll just ignore it.
[00:07:04] KB: Yeah, that was me for at least the first couple of weeks on my snowboard. I kind of had really bad PTSD on my snowboard. Every time I was dropping in and going up, I was just bawling my eyes out as I was snowboarding. And I was like, “This is not right. What is going on?” So, I think I just had a little bit of PTSD from it. So, I was like, “I don't want to hate riding my snowboard. So, I'm just going to figure this out and take the time that I need, and then get back on.”
[00:07:35] BP: Yeah, that's smart. There's nothing wrong with having that little fear there. It’s really common. I was a horseback rider and a few of my falls are horses falling. Because it happens, they lose their footing. Every time a horse would trip after, my body would freeze. Like, “Oh, please don't fall.” And it takes a while to get over that for sure. So, do you take extra precautions when you snowboard now?
[00:07:58] KB: Oh, yeah. I mean, it's been in April, or no, end of March. It'll be five years. I'm still learning how to snowboard with it. But yeah, I snowboard every day that I can. And I just, butt pads, mouth guard, helmet, you won't catch me without them on. My brain surgeon actually said that I should never snowboard without a mouth guard more than a helmet. Just because I mean, if you think about it, like football players and hockey players all wear mouth guards with their helmets as well and it's not just for their teeth. It's actually for concussions. So, it's kind of tough because I definitely just have to like calculate every move now because they were like, “You can't really afford to hit your head again.”
[00:08:48] BP: No, I get it. I don't ride horses anymore, because I can't. It's more of a mental thing for me. When I get on to do it casually, I always explain it as the piece of cake. I cannot have a piece of cake and not eat the whole cake. I need a whole cake. When I get on a horse, I start spiraling like, “Oh maybe I'll get some more and then I'll get back into showjumping and then I'll make it to the top.” And my brain just starts going and I still have a hard time with it. So, if I don't get on, then I'm all good. It's just that feeling one on one, it gets me excited even though I know better, until I find it's just easier not to do and it's also pretty dangerous. They have their own brain.
So, I started dirt biking actually this fall. People who are like, “That’s not very safe.” But when I dirt bike, the amount of armor I'm wearing is very intense. Giant helmet, everything. I actually, in the middle of ordering a mouth guard. Use as much protection as possible.
[00:09:48] KB: Yeah, and it's tough because we're active people and you still want to do what you love and what you enjoy and that was kind of what – in my mind I was like, “I'm done snowboarding. That's it. I can't afford to hit my head again.” Yeah, because the same thing like you're saying, I was, I'm all in. But then time without it, snowboarding is who I am and I love it more than anything. I'm thankful that I can at least still turn and be in the mountains. I kind of just had to almost start from zero and just be, who we were before is no longer who we are on our snowboard and that's okay. Letting go of kind of the past was really hard to do. That was definitely the hardest part of recovery, I'd say, is just navigating how to still do what I love, but not be the same.
[00:10:42] BP: At the same level, right, that you were at before. And taking step from being competitive is a huge thing. If you're not an athlete, it's really hard to understand when somebody is really upset about it, but it is a huge deal. Especially when you're planning your life around it. My life was planned around it. There was nothing else planned and I'm sure yours is very similar. So, getting that hole, going over that mental process is a huge adjustment as well.
[00:11:07] KB: Yeah. No one thinks about it when you get hurt and then you kind of have a bunch of barriers to overcome and that's definitely one of them. It's a lot of self-reflection, which isn't always what you're looking for.
[00:11:23] BP: I'm pro everything. I snowboard. I like sports, so I'm not going to stop doing them. Riding is just the one that was my sport, and I love it. But at this moment, it's just better for me not to do it. But I’m all for sports, like, “Oh, you still do that.” But it's also when you're, like you said, an active person, it's also your kind of escape from life. Like you get that break. You don't have to think about anything else. You just get to do that. I love that part of it. It’s huge.
[00:11:50] KB: I agree with that.
[00:11:52] BP: Do you have any advice for athletes out there?
[00:11:56] KB: I'd say being patient with yourself is definitely one of the biggest things I've learned, and listening to my body, because I knew from the beginning what was going on, but I just didn't trust it and kind of listened to everybody else's opinions. And at the end of the day, like you know your body more than anyone and if something isn't feeling right, definitely just be persistent about it and your body will show you signs. And now that I look back, I'm like, “I had so many signs that something was wrong, and I just ignored it.”
[00:12:31] BP: Me too.
[00:12:32] KB: As athletes, I think, a lot of athletes are very self-aware. Just be patient with yourself and listen to your body.
[00:12:40] BP: Well, that is great advice. So, with that, let's take a break and make sure you stay tuned to hear about Save A Brain, the foundation Kelsey founded to help others.
[BREAK]
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[INTERVIEW CONTINUED]
[00:13:23] BP: Welcome back to the Post Concussion Podcast with myself, Bella Paige, and today's guest, Kelsey Boyer.
Today, we talked a little bit about Kelsey’s snowboarding accident and now we're going to get on to her foundation, Save A Brain. So, Kelsey, do you want to tell everyone a little bit about that?
[00:13:40] KB: Yeah. So, we're coming up on our one year, but as of April of last year, we got our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. And our mission is to spread awareness of the long term mental and physical effects of traumatic brain injuries and concussion. We are aiming to connect individuals to treatment centers and financially support them. So, they have the opportunity to heal and treat their brain to continue living a fulfilled life.
[00:14:10] BP: Well, that's amazing, in my opinion. There's so much we need more things like that, especially in the US because we don't have that problem here as much in Canada. It's still an issue because people are unable to work and things like that. But that financial aspect is also huge and the connection to the right people, because you can Google all you want but it's really hard to know who do I call? Who do I actually try to go make an appointment with?
[00:14:39] KB: Yeah, and on top of that, it's like a lot of, I'm sure you found out through your experience as well, but a lot of the treatment that you need our covered by health insurance like little to none because it's outside the scope of medicine practice. And that's what gets so tough with it is like not only are you going through this traumatic injury, but now it's a massive financial burden on an individual family.
[00:15:06] BP: For sure, even in Canada, a lot of the things that I've had to do, they're not covered. They're not covered by extra health insurance. And in Canada, health care is considered free. So, I couldn't imagine in the States where it's not. The whole level of financial challenge it could be.
[00:15:21] KB: Yeah, it is so bad. And yeah, I went through it like, I created Save A Brain because of the void that I felt like there was for my injury. And I was like, “Let's just fill this hole and see how many people we can help and build a strong foundation and a community and kind of create a safe space for people to come to.”
[00:15:43] BP: Which is great in the same way. I always say, if I could help one person to not do what I did, the way I handled my concussion at the beginning, then this was all worth it every minute.
[00:15:54] KB: Yeah, that's literally what I say to you, because it's just a lot of people are talking about head injuries more, but I don't know. I just see, especially in the action sports industry that I'm in, I see a huge disconnect from concussions and it's like wearing helmet and stuff that I'm like, “Why are we doing this?” We care about expanding our knowledge about avalanches, skiers, and snowboarders, because of going in the backcountry. And I'm just like, “If you look at the numbers, a traumatic brain injury can hit just as hard as an avalanche. And to someone, they happen more often.” It's a scary topic, and it is invisible so nobody sees it like they see a torn ACL or a broken leg or you can't see it. So, it's like hard to wrap your head around unless you've been through it.
[00:16:48] BP: Yeah, I always wanted to wrap a giant bandage around my head and walk around. But I think, a huge problem with snowboarding and ski slopes in general, because helmets aren’t super common, even now. I think it's a big style thing. Lots of people just wear a hat and then their goggles on top. I'm always a helmet person, especially because I've had head injuries since I was a kid. But even my friends, I'm like, “You are wearing helmet today, or I'm not going with you.”
[00:17:19] KB: And it's been so amazing. Because we haven't been going for a year and just the amount of people like strangers or friends that are now wearing a helmet, all because of it. I don't know, it's easy for me to overlook the small wins like that. Because obviously I'm like, we need to help people. But even that action is exactly what could help save someone.
[00:17:43] BP: It's such an easy thing to just put on your head.
[00:17:47] KB: Yeah, it's like your seatbelt, you hopefully wouldn't get in the car without putting your seatbelt on, and just If only we could look at it like that. And someone actually told me the other day, that was such a good point. But they started wearing a helmet and they said that they now wear a helmet after the whole mask COVID concept because you wear a mask to protect everyone around you. And he was like, that's what a helmet is. You're doing it to protect yourself, but also everyone around you because that affects your loved ones and everybody that you spend time with and it goes so beyond just like yourself going through it. It takes a whole team.
[00:18:33] BP: That’s a huge point. The whole family dynamic and friends too, it changes after your head injury, they deal with your changes as well. So, it's important to realize it's not just about you.
[00:18:48] KB: Yeah, it's hard to like look at it that way. But the more I think about it, I'm just like, I put my family through probably one of the hardest times that they've ever been through. And they definitely didn't know the state that I was in and they didn't know what was going to happen. And I see it wear on them, and I'm like, “Man, I'm so sorry.”
[00:19:11] BP: I sometimes feel like I should write, they all deserve like a novel of apology. Most especially, my mom.
[00:19:19] KB: Yeah. And then like all friends, I'm like, “I'm so sorry that you had to put up with me.” Oh my gosh, when I look back at it, and I would have really bad mood swings afterwards and I would call a lot of my friends and I would cry on the phone for two hours in the car. And they would just listen to me and I would have no idea what I was saying or what was going on. And then I would stop crying and be fine and everything was okay. And I was like, “I feel not right.”
[00:19:56] BP: Yeah, I know, it's crazy. Brain injuries are kind of crazy. To explain the amount things that go on, you could talk forever. So, what is Save A Brain working on right now?
[00:20:09] KB: So, I mean, obviously, so we launched during a COVID year. So, yeah, it has not been the easiest. I've just been like, “You know what, we shouldn't have the event. What can we do with what we have right now?” One of our board of directors, she is a functional clinical nutritionist and she created a concussion cookbook and we're going to be releasing that soon. But mainly, we're just trying to focus on having like a preventative educational curriculum where we create PowerPoints and concussion pamphlets for adults and children and just start trying to educate and help the community and build that strong foundation.
We have so many cool things in the works, because we are new. So, it's like we're doing a little bit of everything. But yeah, the educational side has been really fun and we are starting to partner with brands, and donate brand new helmets to local charities, schools and youth programs.
[00:21:19] BP: That's awesome. I love that.
[00:21:21] KB: What can we do with what we have, because I've been an athlete my whole life, and I studied exercise science in college. So, it's like, running a nonprofit is a whole another beast. But we have such a good crew and team and everyone has been outside of it. It's been so supportive. And yeah, we're just trying to navigate our next move.
[00:21:42] BP: For sure. So, you can find everything on Save A Brain at saveabraininc.com. You can also find the link and contact information for Kelsey in today's show notes.
So, to continue, what symptom right now do you deal with the most?
[00:22:05] KB: I'd say it goes through waves were like – so, I had really bad symptoms, three years out. And I actually got like a brain treatment done. That was over a week long. It's called cognitive FX. It's down in Provo, Utah here. And that facility is the best place but it hurt my eyes really bad. Sleeping was not my strongest quality. And I'd say like the depression and emotional mood swings were definitely getting worse. And that's when I was like, “This isn't who I am. This isn't my new normal. I'm going to seek help.”
[00:22:50] BP: And that's where you need to seek help. Because despite how much we want to, you cannot do all of this on your own. It’s pretty much impossible.
[00:22:59] KB: Yeah, and like to wake up and just already hurt to move my eyes. I was like, “I cannot work a job or do anything.” So, yeah, it was definitely at a point where I was like, “I just need help.”
[00:23:13] BP: And work is a whole another topic. I came up with my own job.
[00:23:20] KB: Yeah, as you should’ve.
[00:23:22] BP: You know, “That’s great. I can take a nap. I need it.” So, is there anything you do to help control your symptoms then and now?
[00:23:31] KB: I'd say it's definitely still always a practice controlling all them. Because as much as I'd like to think they're not there anymore, they definitely show up. But I think, yeah, just overall, finding a better routine and lifestyle because sleep is so important. So, I need that and screens do hurt my brain. So, it's like, before bed, I try not to be looking at screens, even throughout the day. You don't notice how much that affects you and same with like your nutrition, and everything like that. I've been eating, I don't know, it's not for everyone, but what has worked for me has been, I've been eating a plant-based diet. And I'm super big on yoga and meditation and exercise. And I just feel like that as a whole has just given me like a normal routine. And everything pretty much stays the same.
[00:24:26] BP: that's why you mentioned the cookbook, that'll be so helpful, because diet is a huge thing in helping your brain especially with inflammation. So, that is going to be so helpful to so many people out there. Sleeping and yoga really helps me, so I'll do yoga, actually right before bed. There are different levels of yoga, of course, but I will do some before bed some nights because it'll help me sleep.
[00:24:50] KB: Yeah, that's actually my move too. I meditate in the morning, before I even leave my bed and then I stretch before I go to bed. But yeah, other than that, I just try to like live mindfully and we have all these things like drink enough water, eat whole food, healthy diet and exercise, because it's good for you. I think people hear those things and they link it with like their body. I'm like, “That's all for our brain. We wouldn't be anything with our brain in our heart. It all goes hand-in-hand, really.”
[00:25:22] BP: No, it's huge. The whole lifestyle change, and your life does change, after brain injury, mentally and physically, of course, but also just lifestyle, as you mentioned. A lot of those things tend to change. You don't always realize it.
I was on a podcast a few weeks ago, and I was talking to two people, and they were like, “What's your daily routine and how you changed it?” I had to think, I've just been changing it over time, so I didn't realize how much. It's actually cool. But it has, but that's just it's part of my life. I don't have to do as much as I used to. I used to be a lot stricter. But now that I've begun to heal, I don't have to be as strict. But then sometimes I forget some of my triggers, because I get busy and then I pay for it later.
[00:26:10] KB: Yeah. And I mean, that's definitely a part of it, too. And yeah, same thing. I'm almost five years, but every day, it's in the back of my mind. And there's definitely not a day that I don't think about it happening. I think just kind of knowing that that happened and yeah, everything that you do, or everything that you put into you, how is this going to affect me? And don't get me wrong. I mean, I love having a glass of wine and eating the cookies. And I just think everything in moderation.
[00:26:38] BP: Eating with cookies, that’s awesome.
[00:26:42] KB: Eat the sugar and have a glass of wine when you're out. And if it works for you, and I just kind of still just trying to figure out every day what works, what doesn't, let's tweak it here. Yeah, like you said, over time I look at my five-year map and yeah, like, “Wow.” It's kind of out of survival. If I want to live like a normal life, then these are the changes I have to make and the sacrifices I have to take.
[00:27:11] BP: You have to learn what your triggers are, because it could be totally different from someone else's. Some people can drink some, people can’t have a sip. So, it's just something you kind of have to test and then learn where your boundaries are. Because if you don't test it, you'll never know, is my opinion. Well, just have one drink, don't go and get drunk. Once, like you feel in the morning, but if you don't do it, then you'll never know.
[00:27:36] KB: Yeah, everyone's injury is so different. And people are always like, you still snowboard and you live this life that they see through social media.” And they're like, “How do you do it?” So much work and so much goes in on the back end that you don't even see. Every injury is different.
[00:27:54] BP: So, would you like to add anything else before ending today's episode?
[00:27:58] KB: No, I'd say just check us out at Save A Brain. We are just trying to create a community and help as many people as we can and I hope anyone feels free to just reach out because I would just love to chat.
[00:28:12] BP: Okay. So, thank you so much, Kelsey, for joining us today and sharing a bit of your story and work on life after a brain injury.
[OUTRO]
[00:28:20] BP: Has your life been affected by concussions? Join our podcast by getting in touch. Thank you so much for listening to the Post Concussion Podcast. Be sure to help us educate the world about the reality of concussions, by giving us a share. To learn more, don't forget to subscribe.
[END]
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