"American Football Killed My Husband..."

Now, please don't get me wrong. I LOVE FOOTBALL AMERICAN STYLE. I used to play myself as a young girl, I had four brothers. My first injury to my knee was because of football, as most of my high school friends will remember. I love watching football, it is really an exciting sport...but as we are learning more and more, it is also a very dangerous sport. To the body and to the brain especially.

My husband, Brian Ross Bradly, who has now passed, died from a serious injury he received as an All American Football Player. He was kicked in the kidney and it failed in his later years, both kidneys failed. 

Brian began his football career in Texas, as a young boy at the age of ten, in the Pop Warner League. Texas, as most people of the United States know, is the FOOTBALL state. As a junior in high school, his father, a retired Colonel of the United States Air Force, was transferred to an airbase in New Jersey. It was in New Jersey were he was kicked in the kidney and received his treatment at a military hospital. He played college football, in Texas, at Texas Lutheran. He was recruited by the Dallas Cowboys, but then he blew out both of his knees while playing in college, thus ending, his over, 20+ years, of a football career. He began to drink heavily at this time for,...football,...was his life.  

I could explain so much more of his life, our lives together, but it is far too personal and painful. We had a joyous life and a painful life together. 

A photo that Brian took of our boys and  ofthe daughter of former 49'er star football player Tom Rathmusen, who is also in the picture, they were best friends...

He died at the age of 42...far too young. I know for a fact and within the deepest depths of my heart and soul, that my husband was killed by football...

My brother, who was very close to Brian, told me many years back, that Brian, in a phone call, to my brother, he said, "Mark, I am ready to go..." Sadly, many who die from CTE say the very same thing...

He displayed far too many signs of 
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy before his death...which, at the time, I was unaware. Many people were unaware.

So many NFL players are dying from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a disease discovered by Dr. Bennet Omalu. He had to fight the NFL to recognize that this is real and that it's effects are lethal, especially to football players. It is so very tragic, it's effects upon the players and their friends and families.

Let us hope one day that, a day will come when brain injury of any kind, will be healed...

My love to all,

Maria Juarez Hidalgo Beam (Boheme)

I dedicate this post to Brian Ross Bradly, to all of the people who have died from CTE, to their families, to my sons, and to Dr. Bennet Omalu...

Below are just a few links about CTE...you can find so many articles now if you care to do more research...not only does this affect athletes of contact sports, but also people who have epilepsy that is difficult to control, and many military personal and veterans...but there is always...HOPE...

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/article58501703.html

http://time.com/4871597/degenerative-brain-disease-cte-football/