🎙️ Podcast Episode Description (Special Edition)
In this powerful special episode, Frankie sits down with William Person, a former track-and-field athlete turned bobsledder, who shares his personal journey through the hidden pain of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). William opens up about the symptoms he’s lived with — memory issues, mood changes, and the emotional toll — and how he has become a fierce advocate for better support and recognition for athletes suffering from brain injury.
But this isn’t just a sports story. We use William’s experience as a lens to explore a shocking new investigation from ITV News, which reveals that thousands of British soldiers may be suffering from mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) — not from enemy fire, but from repeated exposure to “low-level blasts” generated by their own weapon systems. ITVX+2The Defense Post+2
According to the MoD, these overpressure blast waves — from weapons like mortars, machine guns, anti-tank systems, and explosive charges — can penetrate the skull, causing microscopic damage to neurons and blood vessels. ITVX Repeated exposure puts the brain’s ability to heal under strain, and symptoms (headaches, memory loss, personality change, light and sound sensitivity) often overlap with PTSD, making diagnosis difficult. STV News+2ITVX+2
Scientists are now racing to better detect and understand this issue:
Biomarkers — chemicals released into the blood or saliva after brain injury — could offer a way to measure damage. ITVX
Advanced neuro-imaging (like OPM-MEG) is being used to scan soldiers before and after training to identify subtle brain changes. STV News+1
Brain donation programs are being launched to examine the long-term effects at a tissue level. ITVX
In this episode, we connect the dots between sports-related CTE and military blast-induced brain injury — exploring shared mechanisms, overlooked risks, and the urgent need for recognition and care. William’s story becomes a bridge, helping listeners understand that brain trauma doesn’t just happen in stadiums — it’s happening on the frontline too.
Join us as we confront this hidden health crisis head-on, asking: What does advocacy look like in military contexts? How can research and policy change to protect those at risk? And how do we support people whose injuries are invisible but deeply real?