Neeson 'Taking Each Day as It Comes'

Kevin Pearce to ride with friends for first time in 2 years

(NEWSER) - After hitting his head during halfpipe training two years ago, Kevin Pearce lost his shot at snowboarding superstardom: The accident left him in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, one that blurred his vision, shook his balance, and altered his memory. But even if his glory days are over, he's not quitting the slopes, the New York Times reports. On Tuesday he'll ride for the first time since the accident, gathering friends and supporters for his return to snowboarding in Breckenridge, Colo. More»

They go untreated in program plagued with problems: ProPublica, NPR

(NEWSER) - A military brain-injury testing program has cost $42 million thus far—but hardly any soldiers have benefited from the plan, according to a joint investigation by NPR and ProPublica . Their reports suggest the program has a been a huge waste of money that has fallen way short of its primary mission—diagnosing brain injuries among the troops. “We have failed soldiers,” says a retired colonel who used to run the program. “I can see firsthand the soldiers that we've missed, the soldiers that have not been treated, not been identified, misdiagnosed. And then they struggle.” More»

She is doing well after surgery to repair her skull

(AP) - Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has woken up and is communicating after doctors placed an implant in her head to repair her skull yesterday, neurosurgeons said today in a news conference. The operation is another milestone in Giffords' recovery and will allow her to move around without the helmet she has worn since January when she began intensive rehabilitation in Houston. (Click to read more about the surgical procedure .) More»

The Arizona Republic offers a long look at her incredible progress

(NEWSER) - On Easter Sunday, some happy news from the Gabrielle Giffords camp: The Arizona congresswoman can stand and even walk a little, and though she is currently working on improving her gait, she told her nurse she plans to “walk a mountain” one day. More from the Arizona Republic ’s extensive update based on interviews from the past week:

• She speaks, although usually in very short phrases like “love you,” “awesome,” or—to doctors—“get out.” She has also been repeating “I miss Tucson.” When she does take the time to string together a longer sentence, searching her brain strenuously for the correct words, doctors say she speaks at a normal rate and clearly. Her chief of staff says Giffords “knows what she wants to say, and she knows everything that’s going on around her,” but can’t always express it.
• Her main doctor says Giffords is in the top 5% of patients recovering from this type of injury. Current therapy includes bowling and indoor golf; sometimes she even plays Scrabble with husband Mark Kelly. "Her left side is perfect," her chief of staff says. "She can do whatever you can do." Since Giffords was shot in the left side of her brain, she is working on rehabbing the right side of her body, meaning she’s left-handed now.

Scientists focus on effect of repeat injuries

(NEWSER) - Celebrated Bears safety Dave Duerson killed himself this week at age 50, and his family is donating his brain to science to see whether his suicide may have been related to concussions and brain injuries received as a player. "He had informed (his family) at some point that he wanted his brain to be studied so people could learn more about the effect of brain trauma and so kids could play the game more safely in the future," a co-director of the Boston University School of Medicine tells the Chicago Tribune. More»