This actually may not be my last post of 2016 because I’ll be writing one for Nova Yoga and about how yoga has helped me this year. While I’m on that subject, I encourage anyone, especially people who have difficulty getting around and even more so in the winter, to go to Melanie Caines’ website for access to a plethora of yoga videos that guide you through a class that you can do at home, without having to battle mounds of snow, where accessibility is not an issue.

So, on to the thank you’s! Thank you to Rotary Club of Avalon Northeast, Rideout Enterprises (and their NL Wellness Expo), Dalhousie School of Physiotherapy, and Speech-Language Pathology at Miller Centre of Eastern Health, for giving me the opportunity to speak and to spread awareness about brain injury and the myriad challenges it presents.

Thank you to the 13 Concussion Talk Podcast guests this year: Episode 11 Dr. Leodante da Costa and Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, episode 12 Dr. Nick Reed and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Concussion Centre, episode 13 Ashley Kinsella, Physiotherapist at Proactive Physiotherapy in NL, episode 14 Kit Darling, Physiotherapist at Toronto Rehab Institute of University Health Network in Toronto, episode 15 Dr. Kristine Miller, Physiotherapist and PhD researcher at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, episode 16 Moira Merrithew of Stott Pilates in Toronto, episode 17 Sandhya and Swapna Mylabathula, Univeristy of Toronto, researching and speaking about concussions, episode 18 Mike Luke, World Rugby Medical Educator, kinesiologist, episode 19 Katherine Snedaker, PINK Concussions, episode 20 Lauren Ziaks, Physiotherapist specializing in concussions in Park City, Utah, episode 21 Enrico Quilico, completed several triathlons, including Ironman Lake Placid, post-brain injury, episode 22 Jamie Cudmore Rugby Canada Team Captain, co-founder of Rugby Safety Network, professional rugby player (second row) for Union Sportive Oyannax, in Oyannax, France, episode 23 Siobhan Karam, Physiotherapist at Sports Medicine Specialists and with Sport Physiotherapy Canada. Thank you Landin Murphy for writing a guest blog in March!

Two more thank you’s to the Newfoundland and Labrador Brain Injury Association (NLBIA) and Brain Injury Canada! Thank you for all you do to promote brain injury awareness in Canada, including in my small province!

Of course there are many others, but for the purposes of this post, I’m going to keep it to what I can see on my website. Which means thank you most of all to everyone who reads, shares, and contributes, either directly or indirectly, what is posted and podcasted! I started this site in 2010, and I am excited for 2017 more than any previous year for Concussion Talk and Concussion Talk Podcast! Thank you!

2017 will hopefully welcome exciting guests to Concussion Talk Podcast, and hopefully more opportunities to speak about brain injury and concussion! I am very excited to be working with Rugby Safety Network and its goal of educating and promoting concussion awareness in not only professional and international rugby, but in youth rugby and in small club teams! This is an organization co-founded by Jamie Cudmore (Episode 22, above) and his wife Jennifer Cudmore, to increase awareness not only at the top level of professional rugby, but throughout the system by introducing concussion awareness at schools, rugby schools, and rugby clubs.

Finally, thank you to everyone who is working toward greater brain injury awareness! Strides are certainly being made in this field. So, thanks again everyone for reading, listening, sharing, and joining in promoting brain injury awareness! There is still a long way to go, but thanks to the work and sharing being done, it doesn’t seem so daunting.