Hey! My name is Micah. I’m based in Utah and on paper possibly THE MOST basic, millennial chick out there. I drive a subaru, wear birkenstocks, have an amazing fiance, a golden retriever, an adventure sprinter, eat avocado toast and work at Pinterest. I am overwhelmingly fortunate for all of those things but - Yuck, right?
Things were not always this glamorous, I (like most people in the snowboard community) packed apartments full, lived paycheck to paycheck, worked absurd hours and went through seasonal depression. I did all of this so that I could snowboard and travel in the winters.
Growing up in Colorado I hated winter so I danced, ran track, played volleyball, did gymnastics, played rugby and had a dream of being an Olympic figure skater. I learned how to ice skate when I was two, did it every day but faded out after moving away from my favorite coach at the age of 8 (ha). Hating winter in a mountain town was rough but more so meant it was only a matter of time before I picked up a snowboard and once I did, I never put it down. It became everything, when I was younger I tried to compete but I would always get hurt in the weeks leading up to contests and decided it wasn’t worth it. From that point moving forward I just did it out of sheer love. Throughout the years I have sustained numerous concussions, broken too many bones to count and gained priceless memories.
I met Kelsey one summer while snowboarding at Mt. Hood in our late teens, little did I know I would gain a sister in meeting her. Save a Brain is near and dear to my heart not only for what it encompasses but because I was with Kelsey from ground zero. Long story short (kind of) Kelsey and I were headed back from a trip to Jackson Hole, where she had been starting to act a little out of character. Prior to going on the trip we had a pact that no matter what - no matter how great she felt or didn’t feel we would go to the ER on the way home to get a CT. We arrive at the hospital thinking “hey, it will be good to have a look just to be 100% sure that nothing is going on”.... needless to say the next 10 mins would shock us and change Kelsey’s life forever. Next thing I knew Kelsey was in an ambulance on her way to Denver to get immediate brain surgery and I was following close behind in her car. Over the next few days she was in ICU in what I can confidently say were the highest spirits any patient has ever been in. She was cracking jokes to the staff, taking herself on walks to the restroom down the hall and smiling more often than not. It truly was incredible to see.
As we all know not every injury is visible but more than the injury itself not every stage of recovery is straightforward or the same for everyone. Watching Kelsey go through all of this without professional help (for over a year) was both heartbreaking and inspiring. She is easily one of the strongest, most stubbornly resilient people I know.
After her surgery she went back to PA to be with her family but she flew back to CO early just to take me to my ACL surgery and to care for me while I couldn’t walk. Just picture two little girls, one with a half shaved head unable to watch TV and then other in a full leg brace unable to walk - that was us.
Seeing this journey from day one evolve into an idea and then come to fruition has been nothing short of remarkable. Save a Brain is not only important for people that sustained these injuries to speak out about it, be vulnerable and create that community but for people to be able to join and support in any way that they can. It is not reserved for just brain injuries but also for mental health, It’s okay to not be okay and you are not alone.
