The Young Girl Who Fell in Love with the Sport ~~~ PLAY for HER!

Soccer Icon, Mia Hamm, once commented:
"The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking!"

Who could forget it - July 10, 1999 ... The Women's World Cup Final-Game - CHINA vs. USA. I especially recollect watching it, down the Cape at Gram&Papa's house.
My 8-year-old-self, along with my entire extended family, viewing the shootout with more than just baited breath.
The shots/goals are even; with one swift boot to the back of the net, Brandi Chastain will secure the Cup for Team USA. Well, we all know how that one turned out! 

Throughout my {more than} 13-years of playing the
*best-sport*, I thankfully never sustained a concussion. Sure, I had been on the giving and receiving end of slide-tackles, or other aggressive plays - coaches, especially on
Varsity, Coach Patty, used to refer to me as
"The Beast" !! Despite all of my competitive tendencies, however, I never sustained even so much as a
"mild-concussion". 

{One of the 1st-games of our State-Championship Season, here I am;
this photo was on the front-page of the Sports-Section in our newspaper!}

As all athletics continue to become even more intense, stars like Ms. Chastain, now a Coach herself, are coming forward. A prolific header of the ball, Brandi has decided to donate her brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation after her death, where it can be examined for signs of trauma. 

Soccer Star Brandi Chastain to Donate Brain to CTE Research

Slowly but surely, especially with such icons as Brandi taking it upon herself to pave the way for future athletes' safety, athletics as a whole will improve! 

Radio: "The Theater of the Mind"

Renowned + beloved long-time Radio DJ
Casey Kasem, once commented: 

"I like the storytelling and reading the letters,
the long-distance dedications.
Anytime in radio that you can reach somebody on an emotional level, you're really connecting!"

As a matter of fact, I could not agree with Mr. Kasem more. Of course, like so many other things, radio has certainly developed&expanded over the years. What has remained the same, however, is its main intention: to tell stories through
a medium that has a wide range. Hopefully, such stories will serve as either a call to action, or just an antidote for the humdrum, sometimes stressful aspects of everyday life. 

Much like how I offered *SNAPS* {praise} to
Karen Anderson and Channel 5's Investigative-Team back in November, I must now dole-out *SNAPS* to DJ Ray over at WMRC : First-Class Radio, for not only featuring me throughout his show, but also posing such insightful questions! 

"Community Conversations - Ryan Farrell, TBI Survivor and Speaker"

The Science Behind Pixar

Although the title may seem to contradict itself, Boston's Museum of Science was the first in the country to host
"The Science Behind PiXaR"




No surprise to anyone ~ {I know} ~ when I say that I was *GIDDIER* than a small-child from the exact moment we entered the Exhibit!! 

... talk about "making learning *FUN* !!!   

Feeling the *TRUE~MEANING* of the ~Holidays~

Paul Newman was once quoted, saying:

 "Make sure you live life, which means don't do things where you court celebrity, and give something positive back to our society."

... Talk about a man who "practiced what he preached"!
Once again, my Mom&I were graciously invited down to
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp's Annual Christmas~Party by the incomparable Mr. Ray Lamontagne. 

We excitedly entered *Santa's~Workshop*, ready for a day of fun, faith-restoring memories. 

We remained humbled throughout the entire day. Seeing these young children, some in wheelchairs, others utilizing other types of assistive-devices, with their families "in-tow" ... and, you know what? 

Did we see one frown, or witness a
single temper-tantrum !? 

NO, we did not! 

We were able to chat, and take a few pictures, with Ray!

{Clearly, this is not in any way/shape/form a *Glamour~Shot*, as Mom&I are donning our silly head-accessories we had received at one of the stations!}

If only every person, "able-bodied" or not, could experience this camp, even just once. Surely we could learn more than a few things, not just about the real "reason for the season", but about LIFE !!! Especially with all of the most recent atrocities occurring throughout not only our country, but the entire world. Wouldn't it be a more than welcome "change-of-pace" to view stories like this on the Nightly-News?! 

Giving a Voice to the Voiceless

WCVB Channel 5... You know, Boston's ABC-Affiliate - - -
my *DREAM~NETWORK* !!!

*SNAPS*, Kudos, and Thanks to Karen Anderson and the rest of WCVB's Investigative News-Team; for being courageous enough to feature an Investigative-Report on the epidemic that is concussions and sports-related TBI.

Of course, I had to show-off my bedazzled, signed 

"head-cast" to Karen and the Crew! 

 None of this would have been possible without the fabulous folks over at the Brain Injury Association of MA. 

For setting-up this whole Investigative-Report,
for naming me as the *feature* ... How lucky am I ?!

~> WCVB's Concussion Report <~

What a WAY ~ To Spend a DAY !!

Buddha once stated: 

“To keep the body in good health is a duty… 

Otherwise we shall not be able to keep
our mind strong and clear.”

It was as if that man, in all of his infinite wisdom, happened to look into the future ~ {September 27th of this year, to be exact} ~
and was, in some way, referring to the first-of-its-kind event

The Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts hosted
this past Sunday. 

The 1st Annual Walk and Roll for Brain Injury, which we began planning what seems like such a long time ago, far exceeded even our wildest, most positive expectations!

Everything, and I mean every-single-thing, went off without
a hitch. From the perfectly picturesque day we were blessed with, to the equally beautiful voice of fellow-Survivor, Maeve Hughes beautifully belting-out the
National Anthem ... it was just such an
incredible experience!

Speaking of musical accompaniments, WDJM, 

Framingham State University's radio-station, graciously volunteered their "time, talent, & treasures" to DJ
the entire event! 

What I felt was one of the more poignant parts of the day:
the simple fact that a Reporter from the
MetroWest Daily News attended, not just to snap some pictures to go in some back insert of the paper, but to interview, document, and photograph the entire event.

Then, after finding out that he was going to be interviewing me ... Well, readers of this blog know well enough how speaking in front of, with, and to people makes my future
TV News-Broadcaster heart inflate and flutter~away!!! 

MetroWest Daily News Article

 Another special aspect of this event was not only just "seeing" other people, but genuinely "feeling" their presence, and coinciding care! One such person is the genuinely sweet Kristin Camarra, whom I first met way back in March, and then was invited to speak at the
Massachusetts Association of Insurance Women Conference up at Jiminey Peak.

Now, Kristin did not just simply attend. She knows how meaningful Ladybugs are to me, so she creatively crafted this beautiful sign 

/-|Walk|-\ and ~RoLL~ for Brain-Injury!!!

Who wants to hear some exciting news?! Well, allow me to be the one to inform you... The fabulous folks over at the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts are hosting our first-annual "Walk and Roll" for Brain-Injury!

Clever name, isn't it? ;~}
Well, I can promise you this right now: the event is going
to be just as ~fun and fit~ as the name implies!!!

http://www.biama.org/walk

Sandra Madden, our Special-Events Coordinator, has pioneered the entire day. This is her first event in this new position; it would not have been possible, or even initiated without her. So, please join me in a little
Alpha Sigma Tau custom: 

❤Can we give some *SNAPS* to Sandra!?❤ 

Speaking of the necessity to dole-out some "snaps"...

As if their in-kind food donations and allowing us to utilize their stadium wasn't enough, FSU's very own Radio-Station, WDJM, will be there, not only to make announcements and offer-up their microphones for speaking, but also to
   >BUMP< those *BEATS* !!!   

Join us, won't you?? Now, I'm going to channel my inner
Elle Woods {from Legally Blonde}, but just switch-up one of
her lines: 

"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy... Happy people are just way more *FUN* than
sad people... they just are!!!"