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Playing Safe With Preston

March 29, 2021 Marna Smith
Marna Smith and son

My son Preston was 20 years old and on his way to starting his adult life in the United States Navy as a Nuclear Engineer when he had a skateboard fall, June 2016, that didn’t initially seem to be that bad. He said that when he fell he didn’t hit his head he basically slid and bounced off the cement a few times. In the end we found out he had a small bleed probably from brain shearing on the right side that turned into a massive brain bleed 10 days later. Before this life changing event Preston was a video gamer, a computer gamer, he loved to read…he would lock himself in his room for hours to finish a book, he worked with children at a preschool and loved bringing in his old lego creations for them to play with and loved to play soccer. He was quiet but funny, he was quirky but intelligent, he was kind and loving, but also enjoyed being alone. He is currently considered minimally conscious, but working hard everyday to show us he’s still with us! We do therapy with him daily to keep his body moving and passive range of motion several times a day since he doesn’t really move on his own. It’s been a long hard journey, but writing my children’s book has helped turn something so tragic for our family into something positive.
It was my hope to write it in a way for parents, teachers, medical professionals, grandparents and whoever to use to teach their children about helmet safety and what the brain does for them on a level they can understand, Follow along with Preston as he rides on his toys; shows you how to be safe and when, where and why you wear a helmet. There are activity pages at the end of the book to help reinforce different objectives mentioned in the book, like how the brain regulates the 5 senses and helps us learn our numbers, colors and shapes.
My goal is to reach as many people as I can. If I can save one person or prevent a serious injury by spreading awareness then I’ve done my part. Will you do yours to? https://playingsafewithpreston.com/

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