Boyd Holbrook Quotes

Everyone I tell that I had an aneurysm always says, 'Oh, my cousin died from that.' Well, I didn't, so I'm amazed. I was in a wheelchair, and I had to go to rehab. And now I'm walking!

I went through my entire athletic life as a basketball player with only minimal physical setbacks, the worst being a couple of brain concussions, one in a college game in 1948, the other in 1954 while playing in the Eastern League, from which I recovered without permanent damage.

When you have a stroke, it changes you... It really teaches you, like, you have to live in the moment.

I was in and out of comas until I was nine and I would lose entire days and weeks. The novelty of being able to really do stuff hasn't worn off - I still feel like I'm making up for lost time.

My daughter couldn't wake me up, so they called 911. They rushed me to the hospital. They drilled a hole in my head and wrapped a coil around my brain. I was unconscious for a week, and I was in rehab for two months - couldn't walk, couldn't talk. Now I've relearned everything. I'm so happy.

With all this rehab, for me just to walk was a huge effort. I had to re-learn how to walk again after the stroke. And all the rehab and all the effort shows the mental determination times 10 to keep serving.

I had to learn to walk again, talk again, think again.

Mum was in her early 50s when she had four strokes in quick succession that almost took her off. I'd just come down from Cambridge with a rubbish degree. I spent a year reading to her - her eyesight was badly affected - and making sure she got proper rest. It was a special time but very intense, too.

The doctors have said that they don't want me in the ring bouncing around or getting picked up and slammed down. They said the old head just can't survive anymore trauma.

Once the surgeon said the skull is strong enough with the helmet on, I decided to return to training with the team.

Last year I had a stroke. It left me in bad shape. I had to teach myself how to walk and talk all over again. It was a long hard fight. My speech is not perfect but I'm getting there.

People don't actually see what's gone on behind the scenes - the hard work, when you're doing your rehab, when you're sleeping on an ice machine - and yet they have an opinion on it.

I've been concussed I don't know how many times, yeah it's taken a pretty good toll on the body.

I was real positive when I got out of surgery. I was going to attack rehab, do the little things and become a better person, a better player mentally. Once I come back, I know it's a long process, but I think I'll be better for it.

In boxing, you've got CTE from head trauma constantly.

If I have another concussion and I don't feel like I can play anymore, then I won't.

All the NFL players I have examined pathologically, I have not seen one that did not have changes in their brain system with brain damage.

I don't know how well-known it is, but I had back surgery in '07, and it took about two years to recover.

First time you step on these new legs, it's bloody hard. It's painful on your pelvic bones. But every day I get more of a feel for where my feet are.

Different people respond differently to head trauma than others.

Before I played in the NHL I had two surgeries. Definitely I was like, 'Wow, this is not good. I haven't played a game yet and I have two surgeries.' I didn't get another one ever again. I was fortunate.

When you are injured and undergoing rehab, it is important to stay positive and not allow negative thoughts to creep in.

I've had several broken bones and sprains throughout my career, but the one that really changed things was when I wrecked in 2008 during a Pro Snocross competition. I was thrown from my machine and landed on my left leg and caused a 180 degree hyperextension of my knee joint.

After my neurosurgery, part of my brain was missing, and I had to deal with that. It wasn't the grey matter, but it was the gooey part dead center that makes key hormones and neurotransmitters.

I was six years old and I had major back surgery and that paralyzed me for three months. When my back got fixed the first thing the doctor said was no contact sports and no trampolines.