Mike B

I am beyond a walking miracle and I want to help as much as I can with brain injuries.

I sustained a traumatic brain injury with a subdural hematoma from a skateboarding accident. I survived with 90 percent of the odds against me. Only 10 percent of people who have a TBI subdural hematoma survive. Even when they do survive, they face many problems for the rest of their lives.

Yes, I face problems that include seizures, anger, etc. However, I am a person who will not be denied or told what I can or cannot accomplish.

After my injury and long road of recovery, I was told that I shouldn’t become a PE Teacher and that I shouldn’t do an Ironman Triathon. I simply let the naysayers be naysayers and went out there to get what I have always wanted. Today I am a PE/Health Teacher. I completed my first Ironman Triathlon on July 23, 2017 – and I won.

I want to be an inspiration to others, to increase awareness about brain injuries, and to raise money for the Brain Injury Association of Missouri through the Mike Bigogno Foundation. I plan to compete in one to two Ironman Triathons per year to do just that!

Please remember that it doesn’t matter how hard you hit. It matters how hard you get hit and keep moving forward, period!