A local paper in Louisiana Monday profiled a brave, but it seems, also foolish, young gentleman from Grand Bois. The headline on the story is “Boxer Is Used To Overcoming The Odds.” http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20100315/ARTICLES/100319615?Title=Boxer-is-used-to-overcoming-the-odds
It should be called “Pressing Your Luck.” The piece is about 21-year-old Roland “Jay Paul” Molinere. He was hit by a jet ski at age 10, which fractured his skull. He was in a coma for three days.
After that accident, Molinere underwent years of physical and speech therapy so he could learn to walk and talk again. He came out of that challenging situation OK. But then what sport did he take up, after he got a second chance at life?
High school football, another venue to get your block knocked off. Molinere played cornerback for South Terrebonne High School. After high school, he returned to a sport he “had loved” since he was only six years old, which was boxing.
Today, Molinere is the 2009 Louisiana Golden Gloves Division Champion, and he has other championships under his belt in his weight class, 152 pounds.
We’d be hard-pressed to think of any sport more likely to cause traumatic damage to your brain than boxing.
Molinere said his goal now is to box for the United States in the Olympics. We suggest that he find a passion he can indulge in that won’t put in brain at risk.
We talk on this blog about the miracles and tragedies. This case is a misguided approach to turn a miracle into another tragedy. The single biggest risk factor for a bad result from a head injury is a prior head injury. Any severe brain injury, one that involves coma, has left significant microscopic damage throughout the brain. A blow to this young man that might only stun someone else, could cause a catastrophic result. How did any doctor give him medical clearance to fight?
Stacey Molinere says:
The boxer you are speaking of is my son. I would like to know about your background including occupation, hobbies, family structure, the environment you live in, etc so I can scrutinize the dangers you may face. Please comment as I just came across this uninformed blog. Don’t write what you don’t quite know about.
16th March 2010 at 8:04 pm
Gordon Johnson says:
See http://tbivoices.com/elizabeth1.php “Milder Second TBI Leaves a Lifetime of Disability.” We hope nothing similar happens to your son.
Attorney Gordon Johnson
16th March 2010 at 9:00 am
Gordon Johnson says:
See also this story about CTE in a former NFL football player: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/01/brain.concussion.dronett/index.html
16th March 2010 at 10:35 am
Cheryl Gibson` says:
I know this blog is two years old, but I just can’t help commenting since I have a daughter who was born with hydrocephalus. Before she was ever born, I was told by MANY doctors that I should prepare for brain damage and low IQ, since i refused to abort her. How wrong could they be. My daugher is now 28 with an exceptionally high IQ. I have NEVER told her she could not do anything she wanted to do. Yes, i have told her to be careful, but never kept her from trying anything she wanted. Life is about taking chances for anyone, and that includes ANYONE. If you have a passion for something, be smart about it, but do it. Life is to short to worry about what MIGHT happen!
16th March 2010 at 12:33 pm