chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE): The Silent Demon in Our Ranks
Andy Bushak ’76’s loved ones remember him as a force of nature whose humor delighted his family, friends, teammates, and shipmates.
Bushak was a star linebacker for the U.S. Naval Academy, earning All-American recognition as a senior in 1975. He retired after five years of active duty, returning to football in 1981 for a training camp tryout with his hometown Cleveland Browns. A knee injury spelled the end of his playing days, but Andy found success as a commodities trader and consultant.
Mary Ann Bushak noticed significant changes in her husband’s behaviors when he reached his early 50s. Andy had stopped his once-regimented exercise routine, began to lose his temper easily, and drank heavily.
Andy Bushak, at 63, died in 2018 due to liver and kidney failure related to years of heavy drinking. After a decade researching her husband’s symptoms as his condition worsened, Mary Ann contacted the Concussion Legacy Foundation and chose to donate Andy’s brain to the UNITE Brain Bank. Boston University researchers later diagnosed him with Stage 3 (of 4) chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
CTE is a post-mortem diagnosis manifested by distinctive degenerative changes in the brain, found at autopsy. The disease has been around for a long time—especially in collision sports like boxing, hockey, rugby, and football—just not properly recognized.
For the past 20 years at the Naval Academy, a robust program of collecting baseline scores on all athletes, with a detailed follow-up algorithm following a concussion. This includes a “return to learn” program for all student-athletes. Recently, the Academy participated in a four-year longitudinal study sponsored by the NCAA and the Department of Defense.
The CTE diagnosis is made after death. CTE can manifest in several other clinical and psychological conditions, including addictive behaviors, ALS, depression, and suicide. There is no shortage of high-profile NFL deaths with CTE later listed as the cause. Unfortunately, the Naval Academy is also accumulating its own litany of deaths related to CTE. CTE is like hypertension, or high blood pressure: SILENT. Unlike hypertension, however, we do not yet have a way to measure CTE before death.
Mary Ann Bushak said the man she married was quite different from the man she ultimately lost. Mary Ann honors Andy’s legacy by sharing his story, hoping to raise awareness about CTE and the resources available to families and caretakers as they experience the disease with a loved one.
“What I went through was hell, because there was nowhere to go,” said Mary Ann Bushak. “If people aren’t stuck where I was stuck, they can be made aware of resources that can potentially help them navigate this illness and provide a better level of support for their loved ones.”
These links offer information about ongoing studies of military veterans and athletes.
Photo Caption:
CTE Bushak family – Mary Ann Bushak , widow of Andy Bushak ’76, is working to raise awareness about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the resources to help other families and caretakers. Andy Bushak was a linebacker for Navy and experienced and following his death in 2018, his brain was analyzed and he was diagnosed with stage 3 CTE.(Courtesy of Mary Ann Bushak)