>>> IT’S BEEN TEN YEARS SINCE
PROFESSIONAL SNOWBOARDER KEVIN
PIERCE SUFFERED A TRAUMATIC
BRAIN INJURY DURING A TRAINING
RUN FOR THE 2010 OLYMPICS.
AT JUST 22, HIS FAMILY DIDN’T
KNOW IF HE WOULD SURVIVE LET
ALONE WALK OR TALK AGAIN
HE HASN’T JUST RECLAIMED HIS
IDENTITY, HE’S FOUND NEW
PURPOSE.
BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS HIT,
SAVANNAH SELLERS WENT TO TALK TO
HIM ABOUT HIS NEW MISSION TO
HELP PEOPLE.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> WHEN I’M SNOWBOARDING, I
REALLY FEEL FREE
>> Reporter: FOR KEVIN PIERCE,
SNOWBOARDING WASN’T JUST A
HOBBY.
IT WAS AN IDENTITY
>> I’M WHERE I’M SUPPOSED TO BE
UP HERE.
THIS IS MY HOME.
>> Reporter: IN 2007,
19-YEAR-OLD KEVIN EMERGED FROM
THE QUIET MOUNTAINS OF VERMONT
TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD STAGE
EVEN BEATING SHAUN WHITE
YOU’RE TRAVELING AROUND THE
WORLD THROUGHOUT THIS PEAK IN
YOUR CAREER.
WHAT DID ALL THAT FEEL LIKE?
>> IT WAS JUST A COMPLETE AND
TOTAL DREAM.
>> Reporter: AS THE 2010
OLYMPICS NEARED, MANY SAW KEVIN
AS A TOP CONTENDER FOR GOLD.
WERE YOU ENVISIONING YOURSELF
THERE AND ON THAT PODIUM
>> I COMPLETELY IMAGINED MYSELF
GOING TO THE OLYMPICS AND
WINNING.
>> Reporter: BUT ON NEW YEAR’S
EVE 2009 LESS THAN TWO MONTHS
BEFORE THE VANCOUVER GAMES,
KEVIN’S OLYMPIC CAREER AND HIS
LIFE CHANGED FOREVER
DURING A TRAINING RUN, KEVIN
FELL AND WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS
SUFFERING A SEVERE TRAUMATIC
BRAIN INJURY
>> HE DIDN’T LOOK LIKE KEVIN
HE HAD 30 TUBES IN HIM AND HE
LOOKED LIKE HE WAS DEAD.
>> Reporter: HIS FAMILY RUSHED
TO HIS SIDE AND HIS BROTHER ADAM
QUIT HIS JOB TO AID IN KEVIN’S
RECOVERY
>> FIRST WEEK AND A HALF WAS IS
HE GOING TO LIVE
THEN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, IS HE
EVEN GOING TO BE CONSCIOUS
>> Reporter: WHAT DO YOU
REMEMBER
WHERE DOES YOUR MEMORY PICK UP.
>> I DON’T REMEMBER THE NEXT 32
DAYS
>> Reporter: SLOWLY BUT SURELY,
KEVIN SHOWED SIGNS OF
IMPROVEMENT.
>> WE WERE PLAYING MUSIC IN THE
BACKGROUND OFF A PLAY LIST HE
USED TO SNOWBOARD TO AND HE
STARTED MOUTHING THE LYRICS TO
THIS SONG.
WE WERE LIKE, THERE’S SOMETHING
HAPPENING HERE
>> I HAD TO RELEARN HOW TO WALK.
I HAD TO RELEARN HOW TO TALK
I HAD TO START MY LIFE OVER
AGAIN.
>> Reporter: MIRACULOUSLY, KEVIN
RECOVERED AND AFTER FIVE MONTHS
IN THE HOSPITAL RETURNED HOME.
>> BASICALLY HE BROUGHT ME BACK
TO LIFE.
>> Reporter: JUST TWO YEARS
LATER, HE WAS BACK ON HIS
BELOVED BOARD.
>> I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR
GETTING ME BACK HERE
>> Reporter: BUT WITH THAT
PROGRESS CAME A PAINFUL
REALIZATION.
>> IT WAS DAMN EMOTIONAL FOR ME
TO FEEL THAT LOVE I HAVE FOR
SNOWBOARDING
BUT IN A WAY IT WAS LIKE I KNEW
WHEN I GOT BACK ON MY BOARD,
THAT IS WHAT TOLD ME THAT I
WASN’T GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO IT
AGAIN.
>> Reporter: NOT ONLY WERE YOU
GRAPPLING WITH LOSING SOMETHING
THAT YOU LOVED TO DO, IT WAS WHO
YOU WERE
HOW DID YOU HANDLE THAT?
>> LOSING SNOWBOARDING IS
DEFINITELY THE HARDEST THING
I’VE EVER HAD TO DEAL WITH IN MY
LIFE
IT’S ALMOST LIKE A PART OF ME IS
MISSING, BUT INSTEAD OF GOING TO
THAT PLACE, IT’S LIKE HOW DO I
FIND HOW TO FILL THAT VOID
>> Reporter: HE BEGAN TO FILL IT
WITH YOGA AND MEDITATION
A NEW KIND OF MOTION THAT EASED
HIS MIND
>> I FEEL EMPOWERED AGAIN.
I FEEL NOT BACK TO LIKE I DID ON
A SNOWBOARD, BUT ALMOST A
DIFFERENT KIND OF GREATNESS.
>> Reporter: TOGETHER IN 2014,
KEVIN AND ADAM CREATED LOVE YOUR
BRAIN.
A NONPROFIT THAT SUPPORTS PEOPLE
WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND
THEIR CAREGIVERS THROUGH YOGA,
MINDFULNESS, AND COMMUNITY
>> WELCOME, EVERYONE
>> Reporter: SPECIALIZED CLASSES
ARE OFFERED ACROSS 35 STATES AND
CANADA
TO DATE OVER 4,000 PEOPLE
AFFECTED BY TBI HAVE
PARTICIPATED IN THE PRAKOGRAM.
>> I WAS HAVING A REALLY HARD
TIME BEFORE I FOUND LOVE YOUR
BRAIN.
I CAME HERE AND FOUND THIS
AMAZING COMMUNITY.
>> I NEVER WOULD HAVE IMAGINED
SOMETHING SO DEVASTATED AT THE
TIME HOW IT WOULD REALLY
TRANSFORM ME PERSONALLY BUT ALSO
BEING ABLE TO USE THAT
EXPERIENCE TO REALLY SUPPORT SO
MANY OTHER PEOPLE.
>> I THINK MY SUPERHERO IS KEVIN
PIERCE
>> WHEN YOU HAVE A BRAIN INJURY,
YOU FEEL NO HOPE
BUT THERE IS HOPE.
I’M JUST SO UNBELIEVABLY
GRATEFUL THAT I GOT TO GO
THROUGH THIS AND UNDERSTAND
THAT, LIKE, WE ARE UNBELIEVABLY
RESILIENT AS HUMANS.
>> Reporter: TEN YEARS LATER,
KEVIN’S RESILIENCE IS ON FULL
DISPLAY.
IN SEPTEMBER HE GOT MARRIED.
CELEBRATING A PARTNERSHIP WITH
WIFE KATELYN THAT LIKELY
WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED IF IT
WASN’T FOR HIS ACCIDENT.
>> I WAS HOSTING A CHARITY EVENT
FOR LOVE YOUR BRAIN AND I
ACTUALLY REACHED OUT TO HIM.
>> YEAH.
IT WAS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE.
>> Reporter: KEVIN CONVERTED
KATELYN FROM SKIING TO
SNOWBOARDING AND SOON THERE’LL
BE ANOTHER PIERCE HITTING THE
SLOPES WITH THEIR FIRST CHILD
COMING IN NOVEMBER
DOES THIS CHAPTER FEEL LIKE THE
BEST SO FAR?
>> OH, YEAH.
THIS DOES.
THIS COMPARES NO OTHER TO
ANYTHING ELSE I HAVE EVER
EXPERIENCED IN MY LIFE
AND SNOWBOARDING WAS GREAT
WINNING ALL THOSE COMPETITIONS
WAS AWESOME.
BUT IT’S LIKE, THAT’S HISTORY.
THIS IS THE PRESENT MOMENT AND
THIS IS PERFECT IN EVERY SINGLE
WAY POSSIBLE
>> THANK YOU, SAVANNAH
DURING THE PANDEMIC, LOVE YOUR