Concussion: A family’s story of how the long-term impact of sport-related concussion changed their lives forever

Concussion has become one of the biggest issues in contact sports. Only in the past decade have the consequences of repeated head knocks become better understood, and the science is still catching up. But with the discovery of CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, in the brains of deceased footballers, it is now known that the onset of a form of dementia, caused by repeated concussions, can strike people as young as their thirties and forties.

This is what happened to Michael Lipman, a former rugby international, who came out in public in 2020 as having had a diagnosis of early-onset dementia and probable CTE.

In Concussion, Michael and his wife Frankie Lipman tell their story with courage and candour. For Michael, the damage was already done before he met Frankie. When they fell in love, he was a retired footballer in his mid-thirties, prone to moments of bizarre behaviour and memory loss. Since then, Michael and Frankie have become parents together, as Michael’s challenges have grown. Living with Michael’s degenerative brain condition is the future they face.

Concussion is both an emotional personal journey and a deep insight into our understanding of CTE. Michael and Frankie’s message is urgent, moving and important, and a must-read for anyone involved in contact sports.

‘… a deeply moving and compelling tale of two people caught up in the consequences of repeated concussions - a tale so strong that it will help to change the whole nature of contact sports.’ - Peter FitzSimons