TV personality and Emmy Award-winning talk show host Montel Williams has spent decades getting the word out. The former Marine, now a high-profile veteran and wellness advocate, continues to use his voice in the hopes of bringing important information to medically challenged populations.
Living with multiple sclerosis, Williams, the author of eight books (three centered on his MS journey), is familiar with the importance of talking with your doctor, seeking medical information and taking an active role in your healthcare. In his contact with frontline military members returning home, Williams was struck by a common problem he kept witnessing. “At every bedside I was at, I was made very aware of the fact that every single one of these guys was suffering from some form of concussive or traumatic brain injury.
“The guys who are out there on that battlefield who are 40 feet away from rockets’ red glare every 5 or 10 minutes, don’t even know that six years from now they could show and manifest symptoms of a concussive or traumatic brain injury from those blast waves going through their brain.”
Williams, along with former NFL player Marvin Washington, recently joined forces for the PSA Tackling TBI to help raise awareness of traumatic brain injury, and the importance of clinical trials in addressing the problems that patients face. “We’re trying to educate people. We’re trying to get the word out,” says Williams.
The former talk show host believes that we all have the ability to positively impact our health and the health of others through knowledge and behavior. “The No. 1 thing is—every one of us in America needs to remember— that we have the power to take responsibility for our own healthcare footprint. It doesn’t matter where you are in life with your health. You put in the effort. You put in the time. You get the knowledge. You can make a difference.”
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