CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE DECEMBER ISSUE | Page 84

I WANT TO
INTRODUCE
YOU TO
SHAWN.
It was the summer of 2002 and at
the age of 18, Shawn had just
graduated and was managing a
skateboard shop. He and some
friends were skateboarding and
hanging out at the local loading
docks and Shawn made a decision
that would change his life when
he got on a skateboard while
holding onto the back of his
friend's car.
Nobody is really sure what
happened, but Shawn was thrown
from the skateboard, landing on the
back of his head. The result was a
bruised and progressively swelling
cerebellum, which was pressing on
his brainstem that required
emergency surgery. Surgeons had to
remove part of the cerebellum,
which is the part of the brain that
receives information from sensory
systems and regulates motor
movement. It also coordinates
voluntary movements such as
posture, balance, coordination, and
speech that result in smooth and
balanced muscular activity. In
addition, Shawn also developed a
blood clot on the left side of his
head resulting in even more
surgery.