Feb 1st 2010 Update

Dear Family and Friends,

First and foremost, THANK YOU for all your love, prayers and support of our family. Most of you have been carrying us , with your support, since my Dad was diagnosed with cancer in 1998! And , today is my sister Lyn's birthday. Most of you know she passed away after a courageous fight with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. We miss her very much. You all have loved us and helped us through so many years!!!!!! Thank you.

Tommy's update: February 1, 2010

MEDICAL UPDATE
January was a really busy month.....and a GREAT month! We have lots of really good Tommy Mallonnews to report! From a medical perspective things look good. He continues to be pain free and the halo wounds have finally cleared up and resolved. He did not need to have a surgical procedure on his scalp to close the wounds. He has another CTScan next week to evaluate the fracture lines and the bone stability. As long as the fracture displacement remains stable and he remains pain free the need for surgical intervention remains on hold. We still hope he will never need a surgical fusion but we are grateful for the progress he has made thus far. We will update you after the scan next Tuesday.

COLLEGE UPDATE



With the great progress he has made medically he was able to begin classes at University of San Diego last week. It is a beautiful small school set on a hill in San Diego overlooking the ocean/bay. The faculty ,staff and good friends have been wonderful in helping him adjust to campus life. Thanks to the incredible care he received from Peter Schultz at Scripps Hospital and Judd Laraway at UCSD Tommy has decided to follow their career path. He hopes pursue a career as a Physicians Assistant. He has a new found respect for human suffering and the desire to help. As far as the sport of Lacrosse..... he has been asked by the USD Lacrosse coach to help coach the USD team. We are grateful for their willingness to involve him in the sport even though he will never play again. He still loves the game.

ADVOCATES FOR INJURED ATHLETES UPDATE

Thanks to Riki , the High School Athletic Trainer we have Tommy with us today. As most of you know in October we officially formed Advocates for Injured Athletes , an organization committed to helping families and athletes who suffer trauma injuries www.injuredathletes.org. We are extremely humbled and honored by all the donations that have been made in memory of Will Wardrip. Thank you. Please keep the Wardrip family in your thoughts and prayers.
In the month of January Tommy and I have traveled to Sacramento to support Youth Safety in Sports. Tommy testified in Sacramento on January 12th regarding the vital role Riki played in saving his life post injury. He is pictured with a group of Physicians, Athletic Trainers, Parent Advocates , Educators and Leigh Steinberg an Attorney and NFL Sports Agent( he was the inspiration for the movie Jerry McGuire). Leigh is one of the major forces behind the need for the NFL to address concussion management. This need is imperative at the college and high school level too. We were asked to return to Sacramento last week in order to tell Tommy's story and help introduce two youth safety bills proposed by California Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi. We are hoping the time we are investing in telling Tommy's story will save the life of at least one athlete. We have met some incredible people over the last month. We also have heard some heart breaking stories because proper care was not given post injury. Please visit www.youthsportssafetyalliance.org . Our organization Advocates for Injured Athletes will be joining the list of supporters. Tommy's story is a positive one thanks to Riki. All athletes deserve the same access to good care.
Okay, that is enough info........if you even read this far!
Love to you all and THANK YOU!
Tommy has just started an Advocates for Injured Athlete Facebook....he will be managing and updating the page. Please let us know if you want to volunteer to help our mission. Also PLEASE let us know if you hear of an athlete that needs our help.

CATA Press Release

photo by: Renee Fernandes NATA


California State Assembly Bill Aims to Protect Youth Athletes
The California Athletic Trainers’ Association Seeks to Decrease Catastrophic Injuries

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – January 28, 2010 – With approximately 7.5 million high school students participating in sports today, the dangers of kids getting seriously hurt and not receiving appropriate care isn’t just a possibility – it’s a reality – and the consequences can be deadly.

On Wednesday, January 27, Assemblymember Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, working with the California Athletic Trainer’s Association (CATA), presented AB 1647, a bill in the California State Capital calling for increased safety precautions for young athletes.

The bill is co-authored by Senator Tony Strickland, R-California, and state assemblymembers Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco; Joan Buchanan, D-Almo; Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo; Mike Davis, D-Los Angeles and Lori Saldana, D-San Diego.

“It’s our responsibility to ensure we provide our kids a safe environment to participate in athletics,” says Hayashi. “That means making sure there’s proper safety equipment and qualified staff available to react to any and all emergencies.”

Recent studies show a significant increase in catastrophic injuries that have resulted in death or permanent disability. In the last academic year alone, 40 middle and high school athletes suffered life-altering injuries and over 125 youth athletes died, including 18 in California.

AB 1647 would directly impact instances of catastrophic injuries by requiring the following provisions:

• Department of Education must adopt a heat-acclimatization program established by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) or another similarly recognized physical or sports medicine organization
• A written emergency action plan that details the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency
• On-site availability of a regularly maintained and tested automated external defibrillator
• Any athlete suspected to have sustained a concussion must immediately be removed from activity; evaluated by a licensed physician or athletic trainer working under the direction of a licensed physician; and, receive written clearance from a health care provider before they can return to play
• Title protection prohibiting anyone from holding themselves out to be an athletic trainer unless they have met the following requirements:
• Graduated from an accredited college or university athletic training program
• Passed an examination approved by the Board of Certification, Inc.
• Met the continuing education requirements defined by the Board of Certification, Inc. including emergency cardiac care

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that high school athletes suffer 2 million injuries, 5,000,000 doctor’s visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year due to traumas that include concussions, heat-related illness and instances of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

“Having an athletic trainer on-site can mean the difference between life or death,” says Beth Mallon, founder of San Diego-based Advocates for Injured Athletes, whose son Tommy fractured his neck during his high school’s lacrosse game in May 2009. “We were fortunate to have an athletic trainer on staff who realized the severity of Tommy’s injury and made sure he didn’t move – otherwise Tommy would not be with us now.”

Brain injury, heat illness and sudden cardiac arrest are just a few of the serious conditions suffered by young athletes on the playing field, and athletic trainers are educated to manage such catastrophic injuries. More than stereotypical ankle tapers, athletic trainers’ are physical medicine specialists who provide prevention, recognition, clinical assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and reconditioning of such injuries and illnesses that are sustained during activity.

Currently, only 42% of high schools nationwide have access to athletic training services. California is one of only three states without a system of checks and balances to regulate the athletic training profession, meaning anyone can label him/herself an athletic trainer without holding the proper credentials.

“This is just the first step in state protection of youth athletes and recognition of the athletic training profession,” adds West. “Our ultimate goal is to have an athletic trainer in every school, at every game and at every practice.”

Earlier this month, at a summit in Sacramento, both the NATA and the CATA spearheaded the Alliance to Address the Youth Sports Safety Crisis in America with the support of 29 other leading health care and sports organizations, visit www.youthsportssafetyalliance.org for more information.

About the California Athletic Trainers Association (CATA):
Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the provision of physical medicine and rehabilitation services, serving as physician extenders in the prevention, assessment and treatment of acute and chronic injuries and illnesses. The California Athletic Trainers Association (http://www.cata-usa.org) represents and supports 2,200 members of the athletic training profession through communication and education.
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Strict Concussion Rules for High School Football Proposed

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Two Bay Area lawmakers are hoping they can pass a law by the start of next fall's high school football season that would require injured students to get a doctor's okay before returning to the field. This comes after a 16-year-old San Jose student was nearly killed after a blow to the head during a Thanksgiving Day football game.

San Jose High Academy running back Matt Blea is recovering, but won't ever play football again after his concussion. Now San Mateo Assemblyman Jerry Hill and Castro Valley Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi want to require doctors notes before high schoolers return to the field. Hill says he still has head scars from his days as a Balboa High linebacker.

"Medical research indicates that childrens' brains recover more slowly from brain concussions," said Hill. "A blow to the head to an athlete still recovering from a concussion can prove fatal."

Tommy Mallon should know, eight months ago he was playing for his San Diego area high school lacrosse team when he was hit from the side. Mallon was already suffering from three concussions, "and I broke my neck in three places," he said.

The hit didn't seem bad so he wanted to shake it off but an athletic trainer said no, made him stay down, and essentially saved his life.

Another bill sponsored by Hayashi would require concussion training for all high school coaches as well as make defibrillators available at all games and practices.

You can listen to the audio at this link: