Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada: Hope and connection after TBI
“’What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ is so not true. It’s the opposite. It actually makes you more susceptible every time.” – Shane Nedohin, The Globe and Mail, Oct. 17, 2024
Master Corporal (ret.) Shane Nedohin served as an Assaulter in Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), the Canadian military’s Tier 1 hostage rescue and counter-terrorism unit. The members of this highly skilled and elite organization are exposed to many dangers and hazards on a regular basis, whether from the enemy or from the associated risks of their day-to-day duties.
Nedohin was a breacher within the unit, responsible for creating an entry point for his team using explosive, ballistic, mechanical or other means – a no-fail task that often put him in harm’s way. In the course of his training, duties and multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Nedohin was exposed to numerous types of blasts many hundreds of times. Whether from distraction devices (flashbang grenades) or larger explosive charges during close-quarters battle, his job put him right in the thick of it and the majority of the time involved him being in the confines of a building’s interior while detonating charges or firing weapons.
Towards the end of his decades-long career, he began experiencing vertigo, terrifying mood swings, and violent nightmares, as well as memory and concentration issues, anxiety, headaches, and tinnitus.
“At first I didn’t necessarily make the connection between what I was experiencing and my work that I conducted as a member of the military,” he says.
Nedohin was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, ADHD, anxiety disorders, hypertension and PTSD. The cumulative weight of these diagnoses led to his medical release from the military in January 2024. His lowest point followed when his disability claim for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) was denied by Veterans Affairs who said there was no scientific link between blast exposure and cognitive decline.
Putting the pieces together
“Brain injuries like the ones I’ve sustained don’t always show up right away and don’t always present with the same symptoms from person to person,” he says. “It wasn’t until very late in my career when my symptoms became more severe that I put the pieces together.”
Repeated exposures to blasts, combat training, firing artillery, para-jumping, falls, accidents, collisions and any activity exposing them to head impacts leave many Veterans with invisible brain injuries.
“A Veteran with a brain injury is more likely to experience PTSD, depression and other mental health challenges,” says Tim Fleiszer, Executive Director of Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada (CLFC) who held a press conference in Ottawa in October 2024 with Nedohin to bring national attention to this health crisis. “If we dismiss the impact of these injuries we increase the risk of suicide – a tragedy that has already claimed too many lives.”
Project Enlist and Operation Brain Health x Bell True Patriot Love Fund
Founded in 2012, CLFC is working to advance the study, treatment, and prevention of the effects of brain trauma and associated mental health implications in Canadian athletes, military personnel, youth, and other at-risk groups as well as advocating for Veterans and developing tools and supports for day-to-day help.
Nedohin was connected to Fleiszer by a former colleague who had gone public with his own experiences with traumatic brain injury. “Tim threw me the lifeline that I needed,” Nedohin says.
The Bell True Patriot Love Fund is providing funding to develop the Operation Brain Health Digital App as well as the Veteran Peer Support Network (PSN) initiatives that are offered through CLFC’s Project Enlist.
Building a cognitive reserve
The Operation Brain Health app acts as a self-management tool, prompting the user to do incremental steps that build their “cognitive reserve” for example, tracking how many minutes of walking they did or reminding them to call a friend. The app will available on the App Store and Google Play this spring.
The brain’s ability to adapt and function despite damage or injury is known as the cognitive reserve. Having a greater reserve can help offset the cognitive impairment associated with brain injury or disease.
Regular exercise and sleep and a healthy diet help build a cognitive reserve, as do learning new skills and engaging in creative hobbies like listening to music or playing chess. Meditation and mindfulness also build the reserve, as do simply being social and communicating with peers.
Accessing group support
Operation Brain Health Support Groups meet monthly, fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive community among Veterans where peers offer advice, support, and resources to one another. Peer support is key to navigating the transition to civilian life and challenges related to mental health and brain injuries. General peer support meetings are also offered every week and open to everyone.
Veterans can also join the #TeamUpWalk Strava Club. By joining, Veterans can connect with a community across Canada, share their progress, and receive support and encouragement through daily walks.
“We need to listen to our Veterans, support the changes they need and advocate for a system that reflects compassion and understanding,” says Fleiszer. “These brave individuals deserve immediate action to address the effect of brain injuries on their well-being.
“We can no longer separate mental health from brain health.”