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A TWIN CITIES MOTHER IS
TRYING TO GET MORE KIDS TO WEAR
HELMETS WHEN THEY SKATEBOARD OR
RIDE BIKES.
SPIRIT HER SON WILLIE BOESCH
RUPTURED HIS SCHOOL AND A
SKATEBOARDING ACCIDENT NEARLY 2
YEARS AGO AND HE WAS NOT
WEARING A HELMET AND WILLIE HAD
TO LEARN TO TALK AND WALK
AGAIN.
HIS MOM HAS TEAMED UP WITH A
MINNESOTA BRAIN INJURY ALLIANCE
FOR THE NEW HELMET, NO RIDE
PROGRAM AND BRAD DONALDSON IS
WITH THE BRAIN INJURY ALLIANCE,
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS AFTERNOON.
THANK YOU. HOW IS YOUR SON
WILLIE DOING? HE IS DOING
GREAT AND WE ARE THE EXCEPTION.
YOU MUST BE A LUCKY . HE
SUFFERED A SIGNIFICANT INJURY.
HE DID, WHEN HE FELL WE
DISCOVERED AT REGIONS HE HAD
THREE BRAIN BLEEDS AND HIS
SKULL WAS FRACTURED AND IT WAS
REALLY SIGNIFICANT, I ALMOST
LOST MY BOY.
AND NOW I AM THE MOTHER OF A
MIRACLE. WE ARE SO GLAD HE IS
DOING BETTER AND YOU GUYS ARE
TEAMING UP TO TALK ABOUT THE
NEW HELMET, NO RIDE PROGRAM AND
TO CHANGE THE STIGMA, PEOPLE DO
NOT WEAR HELMETS AND YOU'RE
TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT TO
MAKE SURE PEOPLE DO. IT IS
MAKING ME CRAZY, NOW YOU DON'T
KNOW UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS TO
YOU AND THAT IS ALL YOU CAN SEE
QUESTION THAT IS WHAT HAS
HAPPENED TO ME AND MY GOAL IS
TO GO TO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH
SCHOOL'S TO TALK TO THOSE KIDS
AND I THINK THAT IS WHERE WE
ARE LOSING THEM, I EXPLAIN
*** STORY AND HOW THIS ONE
DECISION AT SUCH A HUGE
DIFFERENCE. WHERE SEEING
VIDEO OF KIDS THAT A SKATE PARK
AND NO ONE IS WEARING A HELMET,
I DON'T THINK I EVER SEE THEM
WEARING A HELMET.
BRAD WHY DO YOU THINK THAT
CONNECTION IS NOT BEING MADE
THAT YOU NEED TO WEAR A HELMET
ON A SKATEBOARD? THERE IS A
VARIETY OF FACTORS IN WITH A
STRONG WINDS, LET'S FACE IT, AS
KIDS WE THINK WE ARE INVINCIBLE
AND IT IS NOT THE NORM TO WEAR
THE HELMET AND SO THEREFORE
YOU'RE AN OUTLIER, EVERYBODY
WAS TO BELONG TO THEIR CULTURE
AND SOCIETY AND THAT IS WHAT
THIS PROGRAM HELPS TO CHANGE,
IT BECOMES THE NORM AND NOT THE
EXCEPTION. WHEN YOU TALK
ABOUT CULTURE YOU TAUGHT
PARENTS, MOMS AND DADS ARE NOT
WEARING THEIR MOMS OR EXCEEDS
ME HELMETS. WHEN I TALK TO
THE KIDS I APOLOGIZE FOR THE
ADULT ROLE MODELING, WHEN
THEY'RE LITTLE WE PUT ON THEIR
HELMETS AND WE GET ON OUR BIKES
AND WE DON'T PUT ON OUR HELMETS
AND THE MESSAGE THEY ARE
RECEIVING IS AS SOON AS YOU GET
GOOD ENOUGH FOR THIS YOU DON'T
HAVE TO WEAR A HELMET.
I THINK WE NEED TO EXPLAIN TO
THEM THAT ACCIDENTS ARE
ACCIDENTS AND IT IS NOT ABOUT
YOUR SKILL LEVEL. WE KNOW
THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN IT UPON
YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN FREE
TIME, WHENEVER ECHL NOT WEARING
HELMET YOU TALK TO THEM AND
SHOW THE PICTURES OF YOUR SON
WILLIE AND YOU WANT TO GET INTO
SCHOOLS TO TALK TO KIDS ON A
MORE LARGER LEVEL, WHAT DO YOU
HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH? WHAT I
HAVE BEEN DOING IS I GO TO
SCHOOLS OR ASSEMBLIES AND SOME
ARE JUST IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, A
SHARE *** STORY AND I HAVE
VIDEOS AND THINGS FROM THE
ACCIDENT FROM THE TIME AT THE
HOSPITAL IN GILLETTE.
THE THING THAT REALLY RESONATES
WITH THE KIDS IS IT IS NOT AS
RANDOM AS YOU THINK IT IS, THIS
IS NOT AS CRAZY AS YOU THINK IT
IS, THIS COULD BE YOU AND THIS
ONE DECISION IS SO LIMITING.
IF YOUR SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATION WOULD LIKE TO HAVE
A PRESENTATION FROM THE NO
HELMET, NO RIDE PROGRAM CALL
612-378-2742, ALSO MAKE A
DONATION TO THE NEW HELMET-NO
RIDE PROGRAM AND TO SELL
ONLINE, WE'RE TRYING TO HELP
LOW INCOME FAMILIES GET HELMETS
AND SO WE NEED DONATIONS TO DO
THAT.
GO TO WCCO.COM/LINKS FOR MORE
INFORMATION.