Sit Around the Fire

#026 William Person: Olympic Team USA Bobsled Athlete Healing CTE And On A Mission To Help


Listen Later

Send us a text

What if the fog, forgetfulness, and mood storms aren’t a failing mind—but an injured one that’s never been treated? We sit down with former Team USA bobsledder William Pearson to trace the slow, frightening slide into CTE symptoms—and the moment oxygen, pressure, and persistence turned the lights back on.

William takes us inside the daily reality of brain trauma that hides in plain sight: random days of clarity, panic waking in unfamiliar rooms, losing track of time, and not recognizing familiar faces. He explains why micro concussions are so dangerous, how standard “rest and wait” advice fails the brain, and why athletes, veterans, and first responders often mistake cognitive decline for character flaws. Then we dig into hyperbaric oxygen therapy—what it does at the cellular level, why some feel immediate change while others need dozens of dives, and how it helped William recover color in his vision, language flow, and stamina for reading, walking, and living.

We also talk about the human side: the role of spouses and friends as early-warning systems, practical routines to avoid high-stakes mistakes on fog days, and tools for calming migraines and sensory overload. William shares his mission to build a free CTE wellness center in the Midwest capable of treating dozens per day, outlines the insurance and policy barriers that keep HBOT out of reach, and invites our community to help open access for athletes and veterans who can’t wait. Along the way, we confront the hard questions—violence risk, missed diagnoses, and scrubbed reporting—and return to a simple, hopeful truth: the brain can heal when given the right conditions.


William’s GoFundMe is: https://gofund.me/93ff9c6e   

  • To raise funds to open a CTE Recovery Center for athletes and military veterans battling CTE like symptoms to receive care without the burden of cost

Links to William’s Social Media: @onemanwithachamber

Facebook

 https://www.facebook.com/one.man.with.a.chamber.hbot?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr https://www.facebook.com/william.person.792233

 Instagram


🔥Let's Be Friends

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EjJ6tMtyk/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.instagram.com/sitaroundthefire.co?igsh=MTN2OTljNTNqYjJwaw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

https://www.tiktok.com/@sitaroundthefire.co?_t=ZP-8zNMiGL9hl8&_r=1

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Sit Around the FireBy Ashlea Dillard