{"id":6087,"date":"2022-09-21T15:47:36","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T19:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/?page_id=6087"},"modified":"2024-03-04T15:51:15","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T20:51:15","slug":"barrett-callaghan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/barrett-callaghan\/","title":{"rendered":"Barrett Callaghan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Barrett Callaghan was an athlete and avid sports fan and spent time playing football, baseball, golf, and basketball. He is remembered by his family and friends for his compassionate and loving nature. During his life, he suspected he may have CTE and his family donated his brain to the BU CTE Center, where he was diagnosed with CTE Stage I.\u00a0<\/em>We thank the Callaghan family for their generous donation and commitment to our research.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read Barrett’s story below. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Son, brother, loyal friend, athlete. Barrett Callaghan had many titles and lived his life with love and compassion for those around him. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Barrett loved sports and was an incredible athlete from an early age; his family even calls him \u201csports obsessed.\u201d Sports were his life, and he was interested in many of them: baseball, football, basketball, and golf. His level of sports knowledge was unmatched, and he was an athlete<\/span> for years.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Barrett played baseball from the age of five through the end of high school and he played on his high school\u2019s basketball team during his freshman year. Golf was also a favorite of his and he accomplished his goal of a \u201chole in one\u201d the year before he passed.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of Barrett\u2019s favorite sports was football and he fell in love with it at a very early age. As a kindergartner, he watched his older brother play and begged his parents to find a team for him so he could start in first grade. At the age of seven, his football career was launched. Being one of the smaller boys on the team, he quickly discovered using his head was his biggest asset. He played football through high school, where he was a standout player and teammate. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Besides athletics, Barrett, affectionately known as \u201cBear\u201d and \u201cBearbo,\u201dwas known for his big heart. His love for his family was indescribable and he truly enjoyed gatherings, holidays, and vacations and attending Chicago White Sox games together.\u202fHis family described his motto as \u201cWhen in Need, I\u2019m There.\u201d Barrett was the kind of person that protected underdogs and always stood up for anyone in need. He was a loyal friend who always had the back of anyone he knew.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As time went on, his family noticed changes in his demeanor. He had mood swings and moments where he was out of character. His temper was quick and his sleep schedule\u202fwas very erratic.\u202fIt didn\u2019t take long to notice that what was happening to him was out of his control. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Barrett struggled with his mental state for years. He went away to college for a couple of years but couldn\u2019t finish. Coming home and attending a local college was his next step.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"These changes scared Barrett and he often was embarrassed and remorseful for things he\u202fhad said or done.\u202fHis mother recalled a conversation where he begged her, saying \u201cMom, please make it stop.\u201d His desperation to figure out what was going on in his brain led him to discover for himself what he was battling. Barrett suspected he may have CTE, and his mother had thought the same.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Barrett passed\u202faway on September 26, 2021 in a car accident when a wrong-way driver hit him head on. He was 25 years old at the time and only ten days shy of his 26th birthday.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Barrett\u2019s family, parents Rich and Jan, and siblings Richie, Mary Caroline, and Catie, donated his brain to the BU CTE Center, where he was diagnosed with CTE Stage I. His diagnosis was not a surprise and the symptoms he experienced are common among individuals suffering from CTE. His mother said the disease robbed him of his education, ability to hold a full-time job, and his independence.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Even as Barrett\u2019s personality changed, his family recalled that his heart stayed the same and his compassion and love for those around him never wavered. One of his last gifts was to his Aunt Julie.\u202fShe celebrated her birthday over Labor Day Weekend while still recovering from a recent major surgery. Though big outings were still a little overwhelming for her, Barrett insisted they go to a White Sox game together and she agreed. The game did not disappoint, and she said Barrett was the only one who could have convinced her to go. <\/span>In his final days, Barrett\u2019s profound love was a reminder to his Aunt Julie to always live life to the fullest, just as he always did.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Barrett once said, \u201cIn life, I don\u2019t care to make money, I want to make a difference.\u201d That was something he achieved in his lifetime and will continue to do so: his brain donation will contribute to numerous research studies with the goal of identifying CTE in living persons and eventually finding a cure. His story and legacy will continue to live on and impact current and future athletes for generations to come.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n


\n<\/em>Barrett’s diagnosis was made by Dr. Russ Huber at the BU CTE Center. If you would like to support the BU CTE Center and help fund the research that makes these diagnoses possible, you can donate here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you or a loved one are interested in brain donation, please view our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)<\/a> and brain donation brochures<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

This story was written by Amanda V. Cabral at the BU CTE Center. If you are interested in having a donor story written for your loved one, please reach out to her at avcabral@bu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barrett Callaghan was an athlete and avid sports fan and spent time playing football, baseball, golf, and basketball. He is remembered by his family and friends for his compassionate and loving nature. During his life, he suspected he may have CTE and his family donated his brain to the BU CTE Center, where he was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20977,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":57,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6087"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20977"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6087"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8563,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6087\/revisions\/8563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}