The first year we had five brains donated and then, you know,
ten and then it just sort of kept doubling until now we're at about 150 brains donated a year.
The first few dozen I had to call,
but then it became normal and people now call us and we have a 24-hour hotline that's staffed by a research assistance and they get calls at all hours of the night
because people realize this is now what's happened to the people they love.
When former pro wrestler Chris Nowinski started calling the families of dead athletes and asking for their brains,
he was on a mission.
He'd become convinced that repeated concussions in pro sports were contributing to memory loss,
major behavior changes, early onset dementia and much more.
But to prove his case, Chris needed evidence.
He needed brains, lots of them.
It's been a long road but his research has helped transform our understanding of sports related head trauma and dramatically change safety protocols across sports.
It's also helped pave the way for thousands of lawsuits and hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements
for injured athletes.
It all began with a concussion Chris suffered during a 2003 wrestling match under the Bright Lights and Banner of World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE.
Although his wrestling days are far behind him, it's clear Chris is still a showman at heart.
Hey BBC World Service,
you are about to hear the story of former WWE superstar Christopher Nowinski aka Chris Harvard.
Enjoy.
Chris made a name for himself in the wrestling ring where he played an obnoxious villain called Chris Harvard who knew exactly how to hate you where it hurts.